New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-03
A DEADLY EXPLOSION.
TWO PERSONS KILLED AND SEVERAL
INJURED IN TWELFTH-ST.
NAPHTHA OR BENZINE SUPPOSED TO HAVE
BEEN 1GNrTED AT C. JOLLY & SONS DYE
ING EsTABLIsHMENT-TTIE LOSS

ABOUT $4,000.
An explosion in the basement Of c. Jolly &
Sons cleaning and dyeing works at No 81 East
Twefth-st.. yesterday afternoon, killed two per-
sons and seriously burned three. The front win
dows Of the fve-story building were blown out
by the explosion Flames soon went through the
building, and twenty employees on the upper floors
had narrow escapes from injury. The explosion
shook OF the buildings in Broadway and
was heard at a distance Of several blocks. The
injured persons were carried to hospitals. APP
pended is a list Of the dead and injured
THE DEAD
cHENEAU. LEOPOLD Frenchman. about forty years
old. who had been employed for several years as d
%asher in the works and was saa 20 n nasE Sgp
body was at the Morgue awaiting claimant last
night
d6Ta 2SA & wsEs 5 psn y S49 nsa &
forty years old. unmarried and had lived at no.
was known ty the name Of tonrman at the works ots;
% %P fcn wnP' % o@ @ e be1 2d GT Sf a @ night Her
body burned almost beyond recognition.
THE INJURED.
BoNCARRoN. JEAN BAPTTsTE. a washer employed
On tho hands and face by explosion. He managed
10 escape from the building unaled and sent to
bellevue Hospital His home is at No. 20 EiShth-S'''
BCpoIR LEON another washer was blown out Of the
basement by the explosion. His clothes caught nre;
Nut he escaped with severe burns on the iace ana
tlcre be said that hts home ,sas in sixyeghthst.
lie Will Doe able TO leave the hospital today.
MASON. EMIL. an unmarried Frenchman who lived IN
I,c, ~ ,S" ,H ri Z "' VIZ 'H ros as blown ont 10 the
.Ta vb M Bld"r % and H as @ Es cotHes took fire he
was burned seriously about the body. as well as on m
Hospital where the surgeons said he would probably
recover
The explosion occurred about p m. 1t was
at first supposed that a quantity Of benzine used
in the cleaning Of clothes had been ignited by
accident but Mr.. Jolly said later that he thought
a tank Of naphtha in the basement had exploded.
Several persons who were near the building saw
the glass fly from the windows as the crash or
the explosion came, and they also saw BudOlr
and Mason hurled up 20 the sidewalk from the
basement, Boncarron crawed out of the base
ment moment later. The three men were taken
T. q drugstore in Fourth-ave., where oil was
poured on their burns before policemen could
call ambu,ances 10 the place.
Or ". : WhittemOre. Of Red Bank. surgeon
I'm the l,t Regin.ent OF New-Jersey. was near the
place at tn time. He gave his aid to the in
jurcd workmen.
An alarm quickly called a company Of firemen
In Thlrtcenth-st. and when they saw that the
flames were spreading through the building they
rang a third alarm. which called dozen COM
panies and Chief Bonner 10 the fire. twenty
employees In the pressing rooms on the upper
floors Of the building had fed to the fire-escapes
when the building was rocked by the explosion,
and they all escaped unhurt. Among them were
several women. Their escape was not known Tor
a time and the crowd I'm the street thought they
were still In the flames
The hrcmen had the fire under control in half
an hour, but by that time the building and It's
contents had been damaged to the extent of
about 10000 Several streams Of water were
kept deluglng the cellar for more than half an
hour longer. however. before any objects In 1t
could he discovered. Then in plain view from the
sidewalk where the glass-studded iron platform
IN front of, the building had been battered IN.
could be seen the form Of man. The hremen
went to the basement where the flames almost
scorched them and took up the charred body ly-
ing there It was carried 10 the street and laid
ON tho sidewalk In a few moments several
more nrerlen came up from the cellar carrying
another Ufrioss burden between them. This was
The body 4 the schmidt woman
\ wagon was soon called ID remove the bodies
ia the morgue Later careful search was made
hv the nremen I'm the building. and II was made
certain that no more lives had been lost In the
fire The men were regularly n work in the
h9eon,ort n was said and the Schmidt woman
had been sent down there to get some clothes
10 be pressed.