New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-10
EXPLOSION IN A PAPER BOX FACTORY.

ONE MAN KILLED-Soo YOUNG WOMEN EsCArp
FROM THE BUILDING WITHOUT INJURY.
The six.story paper box factory OF the spOoner
Manufacturing Company, at Nos IA to 2o2 West
Twenty seventh-st was shaken by explosion at 8
= M yesterday. An escape Of steam from the boiler
IN tho cellar followed the explosion, but the engine OF
Atty horse- power did stop diving the machinery
until tho engineer ran down from the first floor and
cloScd q valve Everybody on the first floor ran
from thai part OF the building when the steam from
below began to al iho rooms. Some Of the men ran
upstairs to give warning Of danger TO 300 young
women and girls who were q. work in the several
upper stories The explosion had been heard plainly
upstairs, out there no panic There were fire.
escaes the front and walls. and they wes used
by OF the girls while the others went on the
roof Of the Ndtoining building.
An alarm Of hro had been sounded, but the hTemcn
who responded found no flames in the building They
turned from lines OF hose into tho cellar
cool of the boiler and condcHsr the escaping steam
When the engineer able 10 get at the boiler in
tho southeast of the cellar aud draw the fires
all danger
Il discovered that patent attachment to the
boiler had exploded, but that the boiler itself IN
tact Part Of brick wall that had shut the boiler in
hal bccn knocked down, and beside the rubbish lay
the body of Daniel Chpks, Z German laborer, who
had been the only person Ia the cellar at the time Of
the explosion.
Clupka was an unmarried man, twenty five years
old and he had boarded at No. 45i West Twenty
scventh-st His work In the factory was to
make bales of the waste clippings OF
paper which sent back to the paper fac toros.
He had worked at a bench close TO the wrecked wall
and II he not killed Instantly by the explosion,
he must have been scsheo to death quickly by the
escaping steam. His body removed to the police
station IN West Twcntiethst., TO await orers nom
coroner The damage by the explosion did not cxc~e
$500 II was said. Most Of the young women eln-
poyed I'm the factory went back work after the
hrornon Rn the building, ard were praised for tho
coouess which they displayed In leaving the work
rooms without a frantic rush
Few explosions Of steam boilers have occurred I'm
this city in recent years because all the boilers are
Inspected every year by the police bureau sergeant
Washington Mullen, who Is In charge Of the bureau,
made a personal investigation of the explosion
Of an attachment known as a mHd-drm had been
blown of The drum was intended to prevent dirt
from being introduced into the boiler with the water
and the metal cap was about sixteen inches I'm di.
ameter. Sergeant Mullen said that the breaking of
the cap probably was caused by undiscovered flaw
In the metal, but tho broken pieces were not found
yesterday. The boiler appeared to be uninIurrd al
though it had been moved slightly from its foundations
il was built in 1870, and tested last In june 1888
George Flanagan competent engineer has had
charge OF the boiler since 1888 He said the boiler
carried only sixty pounds OF yesterday, and 10
was licensed to carry eighty pounds.