The evening world., 1888-05-01

John Pilzer, of the water tower, had his
hand smashed by a falling brick. There were
fourteen or fifteen badly injured by this ter
rife outbreak, but only one case ended
fatally. 1t was remarkable that more men
were not killed.
The wall on the Barclay street side of the
building was thrown off from the top by the
explosion. Dozens of tho frames used for
drying tobacco on were flung across the
street, as well as fragments of masonry, and
we're found on the roofs of the adjoining
buildings.
The brick around the window-frames were
loosened Mt nineteen of the windows. 1t was
a fortunate thing that the walls were as mas
sive and strong as they were. They were
probably thirty six inches Mt the lower stories
and not less than twenty at the upper ones.
Had the walls been weak the whole huge
structure would have been flung down by the
force of the explosion, and it is hard to be-
lieve that a man would have escaped from
the crowds who were below in the street and
who would have been buried under the
debris of the wreck.
AS it was. the scene that followed was q
thrilling one. i had been flung down, and us
soon as | recovered myself was very glad to
find that nothing worse than being badly
Jared and shaken up had befallen me. None
of my limbs were broken md l was not
wounded beyond q few inconsiderable
scratches. When l got up and looked about
me 1t was a distressing ana exciting sight.
The men who had been seriously hurt, and
there were many of them, were lying on the
sidewalk or in the street groaning and help
less. The horses belonging to the farmers,
and attached to wagons Of different descrip.
tons along Washington street, were neighing
and plunging, terrified by the terrific report
which had accompanied the explosion. Even
the horses hitched to the engines and fire
carriages tried to run away.
The ambulances were called and the un-
fortunate men who had been injured were
removed from the scene to the hospitals,
where they lad to undergo a siege of suffer
ing for several days.
i have never had a more terrible expert
ence of how disastrous a fire may be or of
the kind Of danger which may be met in the
life of q fireman. | believe something similar
took place on one occasion at a Cedar street
sugar refinery a great many of years AGO.
But l have never seen anything like this be-
fore, and one such experience is more than
enough.
Had / not witnessed it myself, l could not
have realized how terrible an explosion of
this kind can be. 1t is very hard to convey
the character of the disaster by words or de-
scription. Nothing can bring it home
strongly enough 10 a mere reader. But those
who remember it, and saw and heard il
themselves. will recall it with a lively sense.
i have been on a building where the walls
of a burning structure fell crashing down
and broke through, Just allowing the fremen
time to run to the adjoining building, The
same little puff gave them warning, and they
had not time to turn after reaching the
neighboring roof before the thick wall had
crashed down on the spot where they had
parable 10 this tragic and horrible explosion
of the large building on Barclay street.
One such experience, as i have said, is
enough for a lifetime. Those who were
caught by it are not anxious to make trial of
another.