FIFTY BOYS AND GIRLS BURNED TO DEATH IN A CANDY FACTORY.

Inangahua Times, Volume V, Issue 37, 22 February 1878, Page 2

FIFTY BOYS AND GIRLS BURNED TO DEATH IN A CANDY FACTORY.

Now York, December 20,— An. oxobsion, immediately followed by fire, oeourrod at, tho immense enndy manufactory oj Green* field and Son, G3 l^nrclay utroct, which, extends in the shnpo of an L to. College plnco. '1 ho boiler, which was under tho. sidowalk of tho harelaj-Htreot side, burst, tonringawny the front, nu.d scattering tho wreck in all directions. A large number of . «irl» of nil a^es, woro employed at llio. time in tho luilding. Tho 'vnll.i fell in a low minutes after tho oxplosion, Fifty six wounded nnd dead wero reported nt tho Olinmber«streot Hospital nt 6, to". It is ostimated tho number of wounded will reach one hundred nnd twentyfivo. About 30 escaped by the College pin™ ontranco, and a small number got ou£ through skylights and walked over r«ofs and got down by tho skylights of other buildings. Several persons jumped from, the socoud storey and escaped wjth slight injuries. Tue parties employed in th« factory wero principally boys and young girls from Bto 20 years of ago. Owing to tho approach of holidays a double force was employed. Tho numbor in tho building at tho timo of tho disaster is. variously esti.nnlod at fro-n 0110 hundred to throo hundred. The flamea spreud ro. rnpidly flint it is feared many not injured by tho oxplosion were burned to death. Tho greatest sncrilicoof life wna.nmong. young girls, many of whom were from, Bto J. 5 years. At tho lowest, calculation there must bo 40 or 50 bodies in tho ruins Some of tho girls had their luvir burned, totally ofF their heads, Tho fire was ono. of tho quickest over scon. In loss lhau three minutes tho flumes had asconded. completely to tlio roof. Stndtmiller snid ho bolievod there wero nenrly 300 person*, employed in tho building nt the times. He is positivo that not more than six girl, nnd n dozen men came out alive through, the Barclay-street entrance Tho boiler, had been im me five yeurs, nnd it is mtid. Greenfield hud been several times warned* that it wns unsafe. The Tribuno says, 29 injured are in the Hospital, and 21 aro missing. It is believed fully forfy bodies now lio. burnod beneath tho ruim. Phillip Hertzcbiick, tho engineer of tho factory, bus not beon soon since MlO explosion. His. wif'o says that ou his return from work on .Monday, he told her c-ic of the luiws of tho built-r, or some other pipe connected, with it had burst. Yesterday morning,, when lio feft homo, h« told her ho nefor. o"xpcoUd"»o sec tier R£*TTr. T«l> men w!fTT" * roscued two girls say tliut they had been, told by workmen in ibo stnrcli room on, ihe sccoud floor that the fire was caused by tho upsetting of a keroseno lamp in, tho room. Boiler Inspector Horton, of the Sanitary Squad, has informed Superintendent Wai--1 ng thu he sueocedod in finding the steam, apparatus, nnd it wus in good order. The Inspector said one of tho copper tanks filled with material for making eiuidy, must have exploded, breaking the kerosono lamps with which the building wns lighted scattering the burning fluid in, every direction. The total loss is 428,000, dollars ; insurance, 335,000 dollars.