Here’s a good throwback article from the Brooklyn Eagle about a factory explosion that killed one man on Bushwick Avenue. Originally published on July, 19 1866, the story describes the historic disaster with verses that sometimes sound more like a poem than straight news. Here’s just one of my favorite lines:
“Simultaneous with the explosion there was a loud peal of thunder, which shook the houses in the vicinity, and in several of them upsetting the furniture and causing considerable destruction among the crockery; besides inspiring the inmates with feelings of terror.”
It’s also interesting to point out how the reporter refers to the transfer electricity from one conductive metal to another as “electric fluid” — guess scientists at the time were still figuring out electrons, neutrons and that whole sub-atomic particle thing.
chillinoncentral September 12th, 2009 at 7:33 am
Wow! That has to be one of the most destructive events ever in our area. Poor Mr Boyle may have set the tone in Bushwick for being at the wrong place wrong time. And, thats a great example of mid 19th century wet plate photography. Nice find, D, thanks.