The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-07-20
BLOWN Up BY NAPYHA
Terrific Explosion in Newman's
Tannery, Hoboken, Serious
ly Injuries a Workman.

A loud, roaring explosion startled the
neighborhood OF Willow avenue and
Ferry street. Hoboken, shortly after Z
o'clock this morning. For a few min
utes the residents Of that vicinity were
| at a loss to know whence the noise came.
The next minute they saw q man rush
| from. the factory of r. Neumana & Co.,
at Ferry street and Willow avenue and
ring the fire alarm box. Scarcely a Sec
oad more had elapsed when flames began
TO shoot up over the board fence in the
rear of the factory building, followed by
two more explosions, which were almost
deafening.
+. una & &c. are tanners and
manufacturers of leather goods. Their
factory, a large brick building, occupies
about a quarter of the block. The fire
broke out in a. small shed about ten feet
high and twelve feet square located in
the rear yard, about fifty feet from the
main building. This shed is used as a
dressing room, where skins are cleansed
in naphtha. A big tank, lined with zinc,
was in the centre of the sned, ana This
was kept almost constantly filled with
naptha and skins.
About ten minutes after seven O'Clock
this morning, Just after HI employees
had started in to work, O Hunter
Drunk, rs years old, a tanner in the fac
tory, entered the shed to take out some
skins. He had not been at work more
than five minutes when there was a deaf
ening explosion. The roof of the shed
was blown off and Hunterbrook was
hurled over twenty feet into the yard,
Charles Hunterbrook, a brother Of Louis,
and Jacob Boland, also employees, who
were standing about thirty feet away
from the shed, were blown completely off
their feet by the conclusion, and Fore
man vogel, who was walking over to
the shed at the time, was scorcned slight
ly about the face. Following the first
explosion came two others in rapid sue
cession and the men were SO bew1idered
that for a time they could not under
stand what had happened.
When Foreman vogel had recovered
from the shock he looked about him and
saw Louis Hunterbrunk lying moaning in
the yard where he had beer hurled. Pick
ing up the injured man Vogel dragged
him from the raging flames, which were
so fierce tina they reached the main build
ing and scorched the windows. Hunter
Drunk was badly injured and a number OF
other workmen who had run to his as
slstance lost no time in getting him to
~ 2oSEAlGA AK aA0 AO al y SA@
ambulance but secured a horse and car
rage from Contractor Patrick FIaherty
and hurried the injured man off to st.
Mary's Hospital. Hunterbrunk's brother
and Boland. although badly shaken up,
escaped with a few slight burns on the
hands and Foreman ,Vogeps injuries did
not compel him to quit work.
All hands then set about to e~Xtinguish
the fire, which was in danger of spreading
to the other buildings. The firemen were
soon on the scene and had Several
streams of water on the shed which had
by this time been reduced to a mass of
,oharred timbers. The infiammable naphtha
however, continued to burn with much
ferceness. While Captain John Green, of
No. 3 Engine was directing the firemen in
their work a tongue Of flame shot out
from the shed and sfnged his eyebrows
and face. The fire, however, was soon IN
der way and finally e~xtinguished.
There were about ninety dozen skins of
various kinds in the Shed and the loss is
estimated at over $1,000. Hunterbrunk is
badly burned about the face and arms. 1t
was said at the. hospital, this morning that
his condition was critical.