New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-02-27

rROBARI.Y FATALLY INJURED
CAUSE or TIE EXPLOSION IN
KyowS-BoYs HAD BEEN
PLAYING ABOUT
BONFIRE IL FRONT
or ONE or THE
BUILDINGS.
terrific explosion occurred few minutes be-
, fore ) O'Clock last evening In the Eastern Dis
trict. Brooklyn. wreckIng several buildings. kill
Ing one child and injurng dozen or more per
sons. probably fatally. The injured
mostly children who playing in the street
near the buildings when the explosion happened
and were struck by the flying bricks. mortar and
broken timber
The building in which the explosion occurred
occupied Nos % 81. 90 and 81 Johnson-ave. 1t
was a two-story frame structure. and was for
merry occupied by the Union Print Works. owned
by William H. Locke. Six months ago Mr..
Locke disposed Of the plant 20 a New-York firm,
who removed all the contents to this city. Since
that time the building has been unoccupied. 1t
was a dilapdated structure. and for two months
the children in the neighborhood have amused
themselves by pulling the boards from the house
and using them for bonfires. The buildings were
in the centre of a tenement district and directly
opposite the large sash and blind mills Of Jacob
Bassctt which occupy a greater part of the
block the opposite side Of the street.
SO terrific was the explosion that nearly every
window In the mills was broken and the fronts
OF several stores were blown in and the win
dows Of the houses for nearly two blocks shat
tered The greatest excitement prevailed. and
many narrow escapes from instant death fol-
lowed.
THE DEAD AND INJURED
The dead and injured
Dead-John Fluhr. six years old OF No. 81 Mon
trose-ave.
Iniured-Peter Wenz four years old. Of NJ. -
Montrose-ave. skull fractured and arms and, legs
broken. dying In ST. GATHERINGS Hospital. JoS'ph
Bauerhn. thirteen years. No IS Johnson-ave.;
Charles Bessig thirty years No. 32 Johnson-ave'
cut on head ny plaster falling on him In his
home: William Holland ten years. No. - john
son-ave: Alfred Helm. ten wears. " No. 20 Mese
rolc-st Mrs Annie Weiss. forty-onc years. Of No.
n Johns,n-ave.. struck on head with a flying
brick Jacob Sheen. eleven years. 80 81 Johnson
ave: David Huschbcrg. sixteen years of Broad
way and penn-st. bruised on head and body:
R1salia Troester. sixty years. 30 "a Johnson
ave badly bruised
CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION NOT KNOWN.
Tho cause of tho explosion is still wrapped In
mystery. but is believed 70 have resulted from
some explosives used by the Union Print Works
when the building occupied and not re-
moved.
A few minute. hef1rc the explosion three boys
were secn playing about bonfire which they
had built in front Of the wrecked building. The
BOYS were Fritz Mayer. aged II. u Montrose and
Johnson aves. Alfred Helm and William iio.-
/ 3D.. lie - no
escaped injury.
According To- the story told later by Mayer
Holland and Helm were playing about "A bonfire
! ON th. street I'm front OF The wrecked building
when ne came aong and Joined them. While
they were feeding the nre with pieces ~ fuel
which they carried from he old structure. Helm
| found an old broom. and lighting II started
toward the building and stuck the blaze into
! some white stuff which vas lying In heap on
the ground floor II b.azed up and = few second
| later the exploson occurred Mayer says he wis
! thrown - the ground and when he recovered
| from the shock he found the building IN runs
and both his companions missing The street
was filed with binding dust which arose from
the debris When the Gust had partly cleared
he found his companions lying some distance
away He then ran TO his home.
ONE DEAD. THE OTHER IN'oNS'lol ;
/
who was standing at Broadway and Union-ave.
WAS one Of the first to reach the seem after the
explosion. He found little four-year-od Peter
Wenz unconscious and bleeding on the opposite
side Of the street Picking the child up in his
arms he turned him ov.r To "A strange man
and told him TO a.e the boy to the nearest
Drugstore. while he ran and sent in an alarm
and calls for ambulanc's.
Near where little Wenz was found was SIX
year-od Johnnie Fluhr He was picked up ana
! found to be suffering from fractured skull ana
| other severe injuries Tn" boy died three houis
! later in St GATHERINGS Hospital
! The two children had been playing ioge'her
with George Menz. nine years Old brother "i
| Peter some distance from the wrecked building.
! They were struck by the flying bricks ana tn-
ber. The boy Georg" escaped WIN ,,i,oH Sn'
| side his diving brother until help came. lie then
ran 10 his home to tell his mother ot the i"'e "'
| his little brother ,,. - 80
| Five Italian laborers who were digging an eN-
cava,ion for a cel@r In the lot adjoining Inc une
wrecked building narrowly cscaprn o'n'", ,,''I
| nying tlmbers and other debris iell All arouhu
them.
HURLED THROUGH THE WALL"
one ~ the pieces Of iost Of the building was
thrown with such force as TO penetrate the sac
~ the frame dwelling. No. - J"h"so"-">''
vrcckine ~ In this building lived Mrs. Annie
Weiss. with her two fhllur'"' NV
| fortunately were in the street playing AT ihe "e'
| some distance away. Mrs. Weiss was AT WORK III
the kitchen and she received severe """'" VII
the head by n flying brick. which had pe'h "''N''
out ~ the side wall with great force ny the "s S
timber Her entire apartments "c'e "
| wrecked -. .h,
on the secod noor lived the Shoens JACOB; ,ne
clevcn-year-od hoy. was the only one ol ''e ia,l'
| ily AZ home when the explosion 'dne' Nv, ',e va
| ,hrowp to tho aoor and cut about the head ana
! face by fragments Of glass l., p,s
There were at least 200 men al WORK w ','' b"s
| se,t's mills n few minutes before the eNP''S'"
| but they had gone for the day
NO FLAMES To COMBAT.
When the Fire Department reaeheu the p'"''