Year: 1868

The coroners inquest on the terrible explo-
Department, in front of the Bowery theatre, was


commenced yesterday at the Bellevue Hospital,
but was adjourned until Monday afternoon,
when Coroner Keenan, will take the evidence
of the witnesses. 1t is hoped that Patrick
Hand, the engineer, will have recovered suffi-
ciently from his wounds to give his testimony
as to the immediate cause of the catastrophe.
Hand bears an honorable reputation as skill
full engineer and an excellent mechanic. 1t is
said that he had visited the repair shop on the
very day of the explosion and urged the speedy
completion of the repairs to which the engine
usually employed was being subjected, protest
ing energetically against even the temporary
use of the old, leaky, dilapidated reserve
engine which exploded on Thursday
evening. Hand is said to have de-
clared that the explosion could not
have resulted from the lack of water in the
boiler, for there were at least three cocks Of
water in it, and one alone would have suficed
to guard against the danger of accident from
that cause. The probability is that the worn
out condition of the steam engine will be
discovered to have occasioned the catas-
trophe by which six unfortunates have lost
their lives and twenty-one were more or less
wounded. The sixth victim, John Beard,
died yesterday at two o'clock at the Belle
vue Hospital. All of the wounded under
the care of the physicians of the New York
Hospital are reported as doing well, except
young John Broderick, whose right leg, it is
feared, will have to be amputated. The bodies
of all the persons killed have been identified
except one, who appears to have been sailor,
about thirty-fv years old The large proper
ton of boys among those injured by the explo-
sion suggests the duty of increased vigilance on
the part of the police, who are required to keep
the crowd at a certain distance from the engines
as well as the fire. As it is, the efforts of the
police to comply with this requirement proba-
bly, account for the comparatively small num-
Der of victims. That, Notwithstanding these
efforts, there were, unhappiy, so many vic
tins is accounted for by the crowd which was
pouring out from the Bowery theatre at the
moment of the explosion.


Death and wounds and mourning in many
families are the lamentable consequences of
using as a reserve engine one that came
indeed from the repair shop, but which had
not, it seems, been repaired there. Even if
it had been repaired it would still have been
unfit for use. No language could be too
strong to condemn the fatal, mistaken economy
which has led to so shocking a result. The
fact that this is the first explosion since the
introduction of steam fire engines in the New
York department should redouble the precau-
tions against the occurrences of so direful
scene as that which was presented in front of
the Bowery theatre on Thursday evening. All
the steam engines should be regularly and
thoroughly and frequently inspected. Increased
control over the repair shop should be given
to the Chief Engineer, and all persons en-
ployed in that shop should be competent and
skilful workmen. In fine, no means should be
spared to make this the last as it has been the
first explosion of steam fire engine in New
York