The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-22
1000 PANES SHATTERED.
xHE WORK OF EIG HIT POUNDS AND
A HALF OF DYNAMITE.

uRplesion In BrooEiyn That Was Felt Threo
Biecks Away and Heard Nearly All over
the Ctty-The Dynamite was to ne Used to
shoot = well FOR Arbpehie Brothers.
A large part Of Brooklyn was shaken by Q
terrific explosion at s:45 o'clock last night. A
stick OF dynamite weighing eight pounds and q
half had been left for safety in the end OF an
eight.inch gas pipe on the property OF Arbuckle
Brothers at John and Pearl streets. At that
place tho Arbuckles are building . largo sugar
refinery. The building Is completely inclosed,
and when the workmen left 1t last evening at 8
o'clock most Of tho window sashes had been set.
Across from the refinery there IL o vacant lot
In which an artesian we'll 10 being drilled to
supply the refinery with wator. In tho corner
nearest tho refinery there was q small shanty Of
rough boards which inclosed the 20-horse power
engine which was used to run tho drill. the
steam being furnished from a coffee mill near
by. The work OF drilling this well has been go
ing on night and day for several weeks. and at
6o'clock last night it had reached o depth Of
$50 feet.
It was noticed then that the drill was working
hard. and an Investigation disclosed the fact
that the hole at tho lower extremity was slightly
out OF plumb. In order to relieve the drill from
side pressure it was determined to shatter the
rock with dynamite. A package containing
eight and q half pounds was secured and. after
being imbeddedi In manure for several hours to
warm 1t, It was thrust into the end of the gas
pipe for safekeeping. The open end of the pipe
was covered with paper.
AZ S:45 o'clock Thomas Lowney, who was
helping S. J. Gallagher with the drill. went out
toward the engine house to get the dynamite.
the time having arrived for setting of the
blast. When he was about thirty feet from the
place In which 1t was stored he saw q peculiar
yellowish flame close to the ground. As quick
as q flash Lowney turned and started to run.
At that instant there was a roar as IL many
cannons had been fred at once, and the air was
hlied with flying boards and clods Of Garth. The
ground trembled violently and Lowney was
pitched forward on his face. At the same time
there was q ter dic crash Of falling glass. and 1t
seemed to Lowney as though every window in
the neighborhood had been shattered. He
managed to crawl to the drill house. where he
found that he had not received q scratch.
Gallagher. who stood beside the drill, had q
harrow escape from the flying splinters which
were hurled through the lightly constructed
walls OF the drill house with the force of pro.
j~ectiles from guns. Waterman Mulcahay. whose
duty 1t is TO guard the lot, was standing in John
street at a point about zoo feet distant from the
point Of the explosion. He says he was lifted
from his feet and hurled violently to the ground.
He escaped. however, with a few slight bruises.
Another Waterman, who stood near the refinery,
was also thrown down.
The explosion aroused thr neighborhood for
blocks around. and a great crowd of men.
women and children poured from the houses,
shrieking with fright. Every pane Of glass in
Goldfish row." q line of tenements in Plymouth
street, near Pearl, was shattered, and in many
Of the rooms the ceilings fell.
Nearly every window in Smith Bros boiler
shop. the building of the Lecomte Manufactur.
ing Company. the Masury Paint Works, the
Arbuokle coffee mill. the saloon of William Nc.
Gowan at Jay and Plymouth streets, and sew
eral other buildings Of the neighborhood was
also broken, and 1t is estimated that no less than
1000 panes of glass suffered. Windows were
broken three blocks from the scene of the ex.
plosion.
The shanty in which the enigma stood was
wrecked, and tho debris was piled high on the
machinery. All the window frames in tho re
finery were loosened by the explosion. and many
of them fell to the ground.
1t could not be Gsccrtained last night whether
or not the walls of the new building had been
injured. No one could be found who knew. OF
was willing to tell, what could have caused the
dynamite 10 explode.