The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-07-06
men BLOWN Up
A Condenser Explodes IN
the Zinc Works Meadow
Branch.
ONE OF THE INJURED NAY DIE
The Shock Felt for Hall a
Mile Around Someone
B~lundered.
ONE OF THE INJURED MAY DIE

One man was probably fatally 1nJureu
and fopr others burned and palnluliy
hurt in an explosion at the spelgei iur-
naces of the Passaic Zinc WORKS at eight
o'clock this morning. The furnaces are
located on the bank of the Hackensach
River about two hundred feet south q
the Newark line of the C~onsohaa.eu
Traction Company on the Essex county
side of the river.
The injured are
Fritz Gleim, superintendent OF ane
works. probably fatally injured internaiiy
and terribly burned about the body.
Antony Kelly, twenty-eight years oia'
of No LIS Williams avenue, Newark
burned about the head and BODY.
Dennis Kelly Ithirty-one years ola, OIL
No los Williams avenue. Newark, burned
about the body and left arm broken.
peter Cavanagh, twenty-three years
old. of No. e6 Ferry street, NeWarA'
burned about the head and body.
John Blume, thirty-six years old, OF NO.
70 Hatch avenue. this city.
If is customary to clean the condensers
which are about thirty feet In helgne
and three feet in circumference, every
two weeks. The collection of oxide OF zinc
fills the pipes and as a precautlohafy
measure they are cleaned regularly.
THE EXPLOSION OCCURS.
Superintendent Glenn Issued orders
LAST evening that the condensers were
to he cleaned this morning and a 1orce
of a half dozen men prepared themselves
for the work. The condensers are sur
mounted by caps of wrought iron Two
inches in thickness. The admission OF ar
into the gas pipes which are arranged on
the interior precipitates an explosion anu
that is what happened this morning.
All of the injured men were within ten
feet of the condensers when the expo
sion occurred. The shock was so great
that If was felt a half mile away. super
intendent Glenn and the Kellys were uh-
conscious when found and it was at nrst
believed that they were dead. Ambulances
from all the hospitals were
and the police of the Fourth precinct
notified.
WRECKED THE PLANT.
THE force of the explosion was SO
ereat that three sets of ~condensers'
numbering eighteen in all, were over
turned or so dislocated that they Will
have to be rebuilt. BY the time the amou-
ances arrived on the scene the injured
had recovered consciousness, but they
were suffering fearful agony from the
burns they had sustained from the flames
that shot out of the condensers. When
the explosion occurred Superintendent
Glenn had presence of mind enough TO
throw himself fiat on the ground. The eX-
plosion was so severe that his clothes
were torn and burned off his body. In ad-
dition to his burns he was injured by
nieces of flying iron. He was carried INTO
his home near the works but was subse-
ol1entlv removed to Christ Hospital for
treatment. His condition is critical. He
would not say that The accident was
caused by ~anyone's ca~relessness. The gas
mines in the c~ondensers, he explained,
were filled with SCOT and when air came
in contact with the gases it caused the
explosion and also ignited the gases.
BLUME WAS LOOKING FOR WORK.
John Blume was on the premises seek
ing employment when the explosion oc-
Cured. He was thrown off his feet and
a piece of the iron Gaping off one OF the
condensers fell on him. His injuries are
also of an internal character. He was
painfully burned about the face. He
wanted to go home but the ambulance
| surgeons induced him to go to the hos
pital and he finally consented to be re-
! moved to st. Francis Hospital. Antony
| Kelly, Dennis Kelly and Peter Cava-
nagh. all bottom men, We're painfully
| burned about the body and shocked
| TIL latter men were removed to ST.
| Francis Hospital. The furnaces have been
| located on the Hackensack for thirteen
| years and no serious accident has ever
| occurred there before. The speigel works
| are a part of the main plant which is To-
| Gated near the Morris Canal at Commu-
| nipaw avenue. The damage is estimated
at $4,000.