New-York tribune., 1882-02-19
THE DISASTER AT CHESTER.

4 l
| ANOTHER BODY RECovERID-FTTEEN LIVES
| KNOWN TO HAVE BEES LosT-AN INQUEST
| BEGUN.
| IFRoN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIbCNE'l
| CHESTER, Penn, Feb. ls.-The excitement here
to-day over the explosion in JacksOns Pyroiechnic
| Works has not been abated in the least business
men gated on the corners. in the hotels and
around the public buildings TO discuss the details OF
the catastrophe, and their employees are seen III tie
streets in groups telling each other of the condition
OF the injured men. Little work il done in the fac
| tories and mills ard business is generally sus-
| pended Few persons visit the of the ruins,
as il recalls wildly to their minds the sad consc
qucnces OF the disaster. The population of this city
| is only about 1900, and many here has either
relative or friend who was killed or injured.
| Most of those who were at the ruins this morning
| came from u dis ance. some from Philadelphia and
others rom Wilmington. Two policemen were on
| guard, and they would allow one to 20 within
! 100 feet of the building. Smoke still issuing
from the cellar of the main ulding. line of hose
was kept at work al night pouring water on the
| smOuldering embers. The surroundings are little
changed since vest rday afternoon. The walls still
remain STANDING, the houses in the neighborhoOd
la tered and broken and from The trees, which
stand on what was once handsome lawn. are shreds
| Of clothing torn from The when they were
| hurled in the air.
II Is generally believed that more bodies are in the
| debris. This belief was partially confirmed this
morning by the finding of boys body. His name
| was John Jones. The boy lived with John DRESS
| at Tenth and Parker-sts.. He left his home after
| the fire broke out and said that he would return at
o o'clock. As he did not appear at the hour last
nirht his friends concluded that he must he in the
burning debris. A few men went to work where
the burned stuff had cooled at early hour in the
| o,,d in CHI
warled by seeing the boys body. His face and
| body were 50 charred and blackcned that his
| father could not identify HIM. A few
| pieces of clothing were left, however by
| which his identity made certain. He was re-
| moved to the moreue.
Search for other bodies was not begun to-day. be-
cause the burning rubbish is too hot to allow men
| t. work to advantage in the cellar. The men do
not want 10 90 the building until the fire is all
| quenched, because they fear that something may
yet remain among the rubbish which Will cause an
other disaster There is now about eighteen inches
of water in the cellar, and the firemen intend to
pour about six inches more on tie debris before
work is begun on the ruins
Ii is creditable TO the inhabitants here that their
first thoug after the accident to relieve those
in distress with gifts of money. In addition to the
81 500 subscribed yesterday, 500 was sent TO the
Mayors office before noon to-day. In all the work
shops and stores collections are being taken up, and
in the pnblic places subscription boxes will be
plac. d. IN which small sums of mon may be de-
posted Reports were received from most OF the
injured persons this morning, and, W lie some OF
them are very low. none died in The night. 1t was
repor ed at a late hour last nelt that Oakes Cor
rem and Franklin had died hut this proved 10 be
untrue The list Published in TUE TRIBUNE this
morning with the addition of Jones comprises all
known to he dead. The names of injured persons
are fantly being received and the exact num-
Der of III, maimel and bruised is not known
The interest to-day centred in the inquest which
was held in the Council Chamber in the City Han.
Coroner Abraham Qumby assisted by +. Wilson,
IT, a lawyer. summoned many Witnesses who saw
the explosion. The Coroner endeavor to elicit from
the witnesses whether the fremen were cautioned
about the danger. Some Of the witnesses testified
tha' the fremeu were informed thai there great
danger of disastrous explosion while some of the
fremen declared that they had been told
that there was nothing in the building to explode
Y. $ Walters testified that he went to the build !
ing while it was burning and that he warned |
some Of the men thot thy were rising their lives
IN tr, ing to save the property. Ms Brown who |
tilted that she went away from Toe scene IS soon as
th. fire started. She sad hat she knew there WIS !
danger of an explosion, and for that reason she |
escaped as QuCol. as possible. Thomas Lyle, !
colored man. said he lived near the factory am that
ne cauti med many of the spcc atorS to move away,
because ne thought there WAS Xpioslye material IN !
the bui ding. He al testified III regard to the
progress OF the fire and wneIc the explosions oc-
cuUel.
O. G. Mcclure. lawyer, and a member of one of
the fire companies, sald that after the second expo
sion the frem,n all. Lett the burning bull ling be-
cause they th .ught that guupOWdcr stored in
t., and that IL should explode they would ITOb-
ably Sc their lives. He positively stated that The
men made inquiries of those who should know what |
was stored III the building, ana that they were told
that all the cOmbustIbc material had already eX-
plodcd The witness also declared that Chlei Dalton
made special inquiries in regard 20 the matter, and
sati >e himself that there was no danger. one OF
the rcmen said to the chief. Are You suTeY Be
cause if YOU are not we may all be XII led" The
chief replied hat he was informed that the eXpl0-
siye material had done all the damage 1t could.
Under these CircumSi anCes, the witness thOuglt,
the firemen were justified III going back TO the lire
after the second explosion. Mr. McC lure was stand
ing on the corner opposite the building when the
third explosion occurred, talking with two men.
The two men were killed, and he was knocked down
but not injured. Mrs. Healy testified that she
dressed the wounds of the boy Horn and that he
then told her that he had warned the reInen OF the
danger and beseeched them to leave the place.
Professor Jackson gave the Coroner a metal box
in which the cOlOred stars were Kept. Inc box was
smashed by the explosion. lie then explained that
the stars could only explode by conclusion, and he
could no. understand how they exploded by
fire. He said that there were no cartridges in the
building His loss wi amount to about $4,000 |
Professor Jackson also stated that he was not en-
gagged in making fireworks az the time of the accI-
dent but III preparing fusees Tor railroad purposes
ACCOUNTING FOR THE EXPLOSION.
CHESTER. Penn, Feb. 1S.-A new theory as to the
cause of the explosion has been advanced, which
although it has not been offered IN testimony, is