The times., 1899-06-09
FIREWORKS GO OFF Too SOON.
TNN" Premature Explosions Diminish
the Fourth of July SuppIy.


New York. June S.-The Fourth OF July
supply of fireworks was considerably di-
minished by two fires that occurred. one
near Coney Island and the other on Staten
Island People living In the Parkville
region were treated to a brilliant spec
tacle when nearly all the plant of the
Pain Fireworks Company at Coney Island
and Avenue C went up in smoke One
man was probably fatally injured and the
various explosions created serious panic
among the seventy-five or eighty girls
employed at the works. The plant occupied
hiteen acres OF land and the buildings
were situated in a grove. They were
mainly small one-story huts. about six
feet square and about FIVE yards apart.
Ihere were twelve of these buildings and
elsht we're destroyed. In Two larger frame
buildings was stored 1000 pounds of gun
powder. The fire started about O'Clock.
Richard l.. Leistman, an employe. was at
work alone in one Of the sheds making
large Roman candles. In charging one OF
them he accidentally struck a spark with
the instrument he was using. The spark
hew into pile of gunpowder and a deaf
ening explosion followed The force OF
the explosion wrecked the little house and
those who were working near it saw Leist-
mans body shoot through the roof to
height of twenty-five feet. He struck
branch of tree and fell to the ground
some distance from the flames After
four storehouses had been consumed and
their contents exploded the flames tackled
the other magazine containing 400 pounds
OF powder. and another big explosion re-
suited. Crowds of people had by this
time come over from Coney Island and
the races and were in time to see four
more storehouses destroyed. while rockets
and Roman candles went sailing up among
the trees and were lost in the sky
The frequency of the explosions led 10
all sorts Of reports being spread about as
10 the number of persons killed and in
1ured. but the ambulances found little 10
do The firemen confined their efforts
mainly to saving the buildings which had
not caught fire by the time they arrived
Mr.. Pain, president of the company who
was at the works when the fire started.
said he thought the loss would aggregate
about $50. eco.
Part of the Nordlinger- Charlton fire.
works factory in Richmond Avenue Gran
iteviile. L. l.. was destroyed by fire this
afternoon, following an explosion in one
of the storage houses. The building in
which the explosion occurred was about
twelve feet long and fourteen feet wide
and stored IN it were Roman candles and
frecrackers. No one was in the building
when it went up. The force of the explo-
sion and the flying sparks played havoc
with twenty other buildings. covering
an area of three acres. The largest of
these buildings were two sheet-iron store
houses, each seventy-five by thirty feet and
two stories high. They were partly fill ed
with fireworks ready for shipment The
office building. finishing room, powder
magazine and small charging and storage
houses made up the rest. One by ore
these buildings were fired. and explosion
after explosion occurred. When the first
explosion was heard the 110 employees in
the several buildings fed in all directions
Fifty OF these were girls, and they ran
screaming to the streets and adjoining lots.
Thomas Brown. one of the chargers,
rushed from a small building with his
clothes aire. His companions threw him
into brook near By. Edward Truyter, a
machinist, was passing a building when it
blew up, and he was badly burned about
the face and arms. Thomas Fox, another
empioye. was also burned about the face
and hands. but not seriously. Mr. Charl-
ton said his loss on buildings will amount
to between s., 0G0 and 50. coo, and on stock
between $50, 600 and $50. GOO.