The evening world., 1894-05-02
And Four Other Employees Are
Badly Burned and Taken
to Hospitals,
MANY LEAP FOR THEIR LIVES.
Benzine and Naphtha Explode,
Scattering Death and
Destruction.

securing n dyeing establishment OF
{. jolly & Son, 81 East Twelfth street.
One man and one woman were burned
to death, four others were badly burn.
ed and four are missing. The dead are:
JOSEPHINE FLooRMAN, torty-two years old.
OF Sixth street. p ncpT F' nItp ayenne'
LEON ,BoNDoIR and i've others whose names
are sr n9s k P4pTis rTE'n Rk to s., y%,ncsnts hpsoita G;,,
REPORTED MISSING.
-Four young women whose names the police
could not learn.
The explosion was in the basemtn of
the building. which Is five stories high.
In the basement benzine and other in
fiammable liquids used in securing and
dyeing were stored.
A few minutes alter 2 o'clock persons
In the neighborhood, which adjoins the
corner buildings on Broadway. heard a
terrific explosion which shook many of
the surrounding buildings.
When they rushed to the street they
saw flames bursting from nearly all Of
the windows. 1t seemed as though the
So rapia Was Was the the spread pi az or Of the aames.
Two persons with their clothes af1ame
ran from the store on the ground floor,
| anu TWO OtntTS, ulsO DuTIllR, TODDe
from the second-story window.
Policeman Thomas GIL turned in n
fire alarm, which was supplemented by a
second as soon as the first engine ar
rived.
DR.. w. 8. Whitman. a surgeon OF the
First Regiment of the National Guard
OF New Jersey, was passing along Broad
way at Twelfth street with his wife
when the explosion occurred. When he
looked around he saw people in flames
running into the street.
Ht1 m nLn thA I~nNnr md hNo
wife long, to act. Bystanders had ex-
tinguished the fire in the clothes of the
sufferers, and Dr.. Whitman had them
taken quickly to the drug store at ei
Meanwhile his wife turned in an Am
b%ulance call to St. Nincent's Hospital.
Soon after somebody else sent a call to
Other than the persons whose clothes
were ah-me, the people who had rushed
from adjoining buildings. did not see any
cry went up that nearly all Of the forty
or nifty persons working In the building
had persisted.
The spectators were In error. People
who work In places where benzine and
kindred liquids are used in considerable
quantities know their danger.
building. causing every. floor to yibrate
as though about to fall. the employees.
most of whom were on the fourth floor.
fled for their lives.
Of the building. for from the windows
there was a sheer descent OF forty feet
to the stone pavement and no frees
they remembered that n two-story
building Joined Jolly's In the rear.
Most Of the men and women ran down
upon this extension, from which they
were able to make their way INTO the
second-story window Of a Broadway
Several became pan.c-stricken when
they reached the third floor and heard
the roaring of the flames, as though
from a mighty. angry furnace, beneath
them, and jumped from the rear win
dows OF the third floor to the second
story extension, None OF these. so far
as could be learned. was Injured:
After making their escape the men
and women. all OF whom were French.
ran frantically about. sobbing and cry
ing, In search of friends and acquaint-
ances.
Four young women could not be found.
and fear was expressed that they
e ss1 sEen and burned T't !" d dF'sih' b the
flames which so quickly succeeded 1t.
These four are entered upon the police
returns so far as missing.
IT did not take the hremen much more
than three-quarters OF an hour TO sub
duo the flames, .
contents hat when the fire was con
quered little was left except the walls
and charreI floors. ,
MeanWnlle tnDutHTlS Oh people nhl
gathered. and the ropes had been
stretched at Broadway and Fourth ave-
nue., and the police of the Mercer street
street station. with Capt. Eakins him
self In command, had n hard time keep
ing back tho curious.
The fireman played great streams OF
water into the basement to cool the de
bris. preparatory to a search for the
dead, as II was known that at least one
body was In the basement.
1t did not take them long to find
Chenau's charred body, from which
nearly all of the clothing was burned.
They laid the body on the pavement, "A
short distance" away, ana covered IT
with tarpau'ns. ,
Then they returned to the search and
soon after unearthed another body. so
frightfully burned that Mt first the Are
men thought II was the body OF u
boy, but when they had entirely un-
covered II. u vestige OF hair and skirt
that remained showed that 1t was IL
woman,
A woman who worked in the store on
the first auOr glanced at II as the fire.
men laid It beside the body Of Chenau,
and then, bursting Into tears, said II was
the body OF Louise Floorman, who lived
in Sixth street. near First avenue.
The woman aid that Louise Floorman
did not belong In the basement. and
could not explain her presence there.