The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-18
BIG EXPLOSION IN HARLEM.
FIFTY PEOPLE MORE OR LESS HURT
AND MUCH DAMAGE DONE.


der in n Box in n Vacant Lot-Boys
Built q Bonfire on the Lid-Contractor
and n Janitor Waterman Arrested.
People living in the Morrisiania district OF
the city. were startled last night by an ex-
plosion. the force OF which shook half q
hundred buildings In the nelghborhood. de-
molshed household furniture. upset supper
tables. smashed dishes and broke the glass OF
all the windows in the fat houses for mile
around. The police reserves OF the Alexander
avenue station and ambulances from two
hospitals were summoned to care for the per-
sons who were injured Most OF these were
only hurt slightly by being cut by broken
glass
The explosion occurred in the centre OF a
vacant lot that extends from 135th street to
18th street and from Brooke avenue to Brown
place. 1t was caused by three boys who built
a bonfire on top OF n contractors toolbox which
was filled with high explosive supposed to
have been giant powder 1t may have been
dynamite. The police were unable to learn
last night Just what the explosive was. but
were told that it was $50 pounds OF giant
powder
For several weeks the firm OF Roddy Nc
Laughlins Sons. contractors. OF 1886 Brook
avenue. has had largo force OF men at work
at the southwest corner OF the lot excavatng
cellars for a new row OF apartment houses.
The men have done considerable blasting and
the explosive used for that purpose has been
kept in q large wooden tool box left on a little
knoll just IN the rear OF the lot where the exca-
walton had been going on. The boys OF the
neighborhood have been accustomed to play in
the lot at nights. and recently tho police have
been kept busy driving them away from the
vicinity OF the box.
About 7 an ~ laof pipht palican,o n Mar.
rift. of the Alexander avenue station. saw the
bows building bonfire near the box. Running
into the lot he drove them away and eXtin-
guished the fire they had started. He walked
on up 13oth street. and returned in half an
hour to find that the boys had again built fire.
this time on the top OF the box. Several OF the
boys were within fifty feet OF the fire. and the
policeman. knowing that an explosion would
surely follow. ran into the lot and shouted to
them to run for their lives. The boys ran and
so did the policeman.
A minute later. an explosion was heard. fol-
lowed quickly by another that shook all the
houses in the neiGhborhood and knocked
down men and women two blocks away. Win
dows were smashed. dishes dropped from
shelves in pantries. and persons were thrown
from their chairs. Policeman Merritt
sent an alarm to the Alexander avenue
station with request for nmbulances. When
the police arrived they found the sidewalks
in the vicinity OF Brook avenue and both
street covered with glass The box that had
oan MI, 80, ~. -, T., ,o,,
~. III I'd 49,, r,r,oa T., ,ho =. r,h ond .hn
ourhstonos ord orttaro cIosa hv hod boor
thrown out OF place.
Ambulances from the Harlem Hospital soon
arrived with Drs. Howell and Muller and an
ambulance came from the Fordham Hospital
were driven nm and down through the various
s,roa,o ond ,ba doctors wars kent husv attend-
inc 70 nersons who had heen ont nv broken
a,a.s A,toeather tho ombulanca surgeons
dressad the ininries NJ about f,ftv nersons hut
ohtainod or,y !, fory y, tho names NJ tboso that
tbov attended, "a uost ~ the natiants wera
oufy.r;no onlv fron, SLIGHT hruises and cuts
about the face and hands For abouttw hours
thew worked hut found only one man willing to
goto the bosnitaI He ind been stonr,inp Mt the
corner Of 13Stb street and Brook avenue when
the expIosion ocurred. and his nose WAS ont off
nv broken ploss from windows that had been
shattered near where he stood
40 aeon ne the f,rst ercitement has nassed
AWAY, the poljce got to work 10 see what
domapa had been done Tbev soon found that
thew had a hIp iob on hand and that II would
take n dav Mt least 10 get a list Of the houses
d,r,oyed and dot,ils NJ the damnoo Everv
bonsa.on the Southern boulevard from ST
AIMS avenue 70 Willis avenue. and all ON 139th
atroot ho,woon ~ Anr,s ayenua md Wiuis
ayenna had heen moro or lass damaged some
~ tho houses in ST Ann,s and Willis avenues
ware in many cosea so badly shaken that the
RuiIdine Don,rtment NAV order the tenants 70
| vacats them Fverywbere there was 40 much
broken glass ON the sidewalks that pedestrians
| found n hest N walk In the middle Of the road
The most damage was done directly ncross
tho straet from WHARF the exnlosion occurred,
! Thera ia situ,ted a row NJ fat houses num-
bered from 75O 70 756 Fast 138th street and
aItending 70 - Rrown Mace All were occu.
njad The ceiings in some Of these bouses
te,, down and n great denl Of furniture was
overturned and broken. In some cases.
| window curtains and shades were drawn out
Of the windows az ~ by an air pump and
| landed blocks avay. One window shade
| ,an1od On n tolagranb wira Tho window in
n,hioh n was hanoing was closed wban tho ay-
,aI aa,aa 7, u,any oasao v,raov
''o1toH A"' ~ "0"