The times., 1897-12-25
FACTORY TORN TO PIECES
Furious AcetyIene Gas Explosion
in Jersey City.
TWO KILLED !; MANY INJURED
Great Destruotion of Property and
Panic in tire Locality Fire Fol-
lowed the WrSck@FireE!ea HeiI-
less to Combat the Fiames-Telc-
graph and Trolley Wires Down.

New York, Dec. 24.-The works of th'
United States Liquefied Acetylene Dis
tribntns Company, Jersey City, were
wrecked this morning by a series OF eX
plosions, caused by acctylenc gas, am
were destroyed by the fir. which followed
Two II ELI We're killed and a number o
other persons were injured. Those kille
were
Max Grimm of West HoboKcn, superin
tcndeiit OF the works, and Theodore Falier
OF jersey City, engineer OF the works.
Faller appears to have been known III
the works and to his employers as Charles
White.
4 number of persons who were in tn.
neighbo.hood at the time were slightly in
jured ty flying glass and splinters. Many
| persons had narrow escapes, for the air
was filled with wreckage, and buildings
| for a long distance away on every side of the
factory were either pierced or were sWayed
to their founda tons by the force Of the tx
blossoms.
Grca, numbers OF windows were broken
| 10y the corcussion. The homes of mere than
| fifty families Were 80 wrecked as 10 ma %2
| them unsafe or uninha bitable. Telephone
ami telegrap ph wires were blown off the
POLES, TIE trolley wires Of tie Montgomery
street car lire were torn down, and one
| carload of pafseugers ESCAPED destruction
| by a hairs breadth.
Acct Iene gas is made by wettinE alcium
! carbide with water. The water and the
| calcium carbide are decoInposed, the
! acetyicre goes off as 4 gas and pure
| lime is left a sediment. Calcium carbtie
| is produced hy fusing limestone and coal
or coke together in an electric furnace.
II is handled in aiT-tight cans to keep il
| dry, for even the moisture in the air Will
| decomposc it, and cause il to send off Jne
gas, aud III a closed room per cent of
the gas fcIms an explosive compound Of
great force.
This was the WORK that was going ON 1T
the time OF the disaster. There were five
men employed tu the factory. Superiu,
trntlenJ Grimm was at this time on the
second floor. Engineer White was in the
compressor room filling tubes, ana Fritz
Etzold was assisting him. cut in the
generating house were Fred Burr and
A. G Hopper. Suddenly Grimm saw
flash or brfilianu3iight from below. Etloid
rushed around TO the gener ator room, cry
Ing out ia Burr and Hopper that the works
were on fire, ana telling them to run or
their lives. They fled. What was done
inside the building after that no man can
tell. for V hite and Grimm are both dead.
A moment later came tbs first explosion.
II was got nearly aS4heavy as a number
which came later, but it blew 4 twenty
foot square hole in the side of the f0ui-
presSor room reXt to the railroad trestle
and shGUR al the buildings around Then
there hegau Il series of explosions, snail
compared with the first. Perhaps there
were 4. dc zen Of these. and then there was
a tremendous one, which tore the whole
factory t. pieces and filled the air for
blocks around with missiles.
Neighisoring houses weres haken though
by an carthqua kc, and in moment all
was confusion III the neiehborhood. Women
ran from the houses, leaving the babes
and tie aged behind, all screaming for
help. They were no sooner on the streets
than they encountered new terrors. From
the vreckaEe fire was springins high, ami
every few mon ents there We're other cX-
plnsioIs, which sent great pieces OF burn
ing wuot. and torn metalwork flying a bout.
Police and firemen came and did what
they could.
The police forced the remaining people |
out of their houses, While the fireman 1T
tacked the flames. With the first water |
that the fireInen turned on thcydiscovered |
that they Were helpless against SIch |
fire The water found stores of calcium |
carbide in the ruins. dPCUmpused it. set |
fire TO the acetylene gas and added To |
the fierceness of the fire. Acetyiene burns |
with ! flame many times tottar than that |
of ordinary gas The railroad trestle near |
by was soon on fire and the flremen ic |
voted themselves to saving this and The |
adioinng rCw of houses.
mid all the confusion thereswere many
persons who were looking for members
of theii families and some inquiring .eaa ri
ing the men who were known TO have
been at work in tie building. II became
known before long that Burr and EtZoid
and Hopper We're sal fe. The engineer WI
missing. There was no chance to ex-
plore the ruins while the fire lasted, AID
ali hope Of discovering aught of the en-
ginecr was given up for the time, until
about 1920 o'clock, when there was a
violent explosion. which blew down the
foundation wall, and shortly after that
the fi-emen discovered a mans body, blown
out Of the fiery ruins near the trestlc.
II was burned beyond recognition, but this
is believed to be what is left of White
or Faller, as the police have recorded
him.
The damage to the acetylene works is
said to amount TO 100000 Tha Il to other
property is probably as great.