New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-17
A SIDEWALK BLOWN UP.

The boiler under the sidewalk in Eleventh-st.,
just off Broadway. exploded yesterday
about half-past in the afternoon,
and the fagstones and debris were
thrown a considerable distance. A chasm
was left, fifteen feet in diameter. Part of the
boiler was blown into private house at No.
1G West Eleventh-st., and it did some
damage. The building at Eleventh-st. and
Broadway belongs to the Methodist Book
Concern, the offices of which are in the upper
stories. James McCreery g. Co. occupy the
first floor. The plate glass in the front Of the
building was broken. No person was injured.
The damage seemed extravagantly esti-
mated at $1,000 The cause of the explosion
could not be learned.
McCREERY g. CO.'S STORE DAMAGED.
| loud noise, like the report OF a cannon, accom-
panied by perceptible shaking of buildings and
the SCATTERING OF window-glass. startled the people
in the neghborhood of the large dry goods
store of James McCreery & Co., at Broad
way and Eeventh-st., at 520 p. m. yesterday.
| Men and won en- rushed out of their dwellings in
Eleventh-st., from the St. Andres HOTEL adjoining
the store and froS the st. Denis and ST. Stephens
| Hotels. The excitement and alarm were intense.
II was soon discovered that the boiler which fur
nished steam for the had exploded 1t under
the sidewalk on the Eleventh-st. side of the large
tivestOry iron building, at the end furthest from
Broadway and close to the 81. Andres Hotel.
Heavy granite fagstones, supported bv iron beams
and brick work. had covered the boiler. The
| stones were broken, the fragments were thrown
| into the air. Some of them fell many feet away.
| The iron beams, weighing about 500 pounds each,
| were hHled into the middle of the street. The
| bricks were scattered in all directions, some of
l,, boy fo tba dicfo aofa
| from the store.
The open place made by the explosion was about
fifteen feet in diameter. Looking into it, could
sec portion of the boiler, the dome only having
been blown out partition between the boiler
and the basement of the store had been thrown
down. so that from the street the observer could see
| heaps of debris on the basement floor. The street
| near the scene of the explosion was strcwn with
| fragments of broken glass. TIE windows above the
boiler were all broken, aud while the windows to-
| ward Broadway, on the Eeventh-st. side OF the
store remained uninured the large and costly plate
glass windows in the Broadway front, fully 200 feet
from the boiler, shattered into fragments Tho
| St. Andres Hotel was not damaged; even the
| lamps in front of the hotel were not touched
| PRIVATE HOUSES DAMAGED.
The houses at Nos. Ii, 16 ald 1S West Eleventh.
ST. directly opposite the scene of the explosion had
been pelted freely with flying bricks and fragments
| of the sidewalk. The family of d. l.. Reid at No.
l6, had narrow escape from injury. The plate
| which capped the dome of the boiler was thrown
into the paror OF the house. Ii passed through and
demolished the window and pair OF lace curtains,
and struck the partition between the front and rear
parors with so much force as to break down the
doors; 1t fell on a handicapped table,
| which it shattered aud thence to the floor.
n P
| the floors were broken by bricks The members OF
the family were all in the rear part OF the house
that of Mrs. s. A. Moody, at No. IA, were despoiied
of their window glass, but no one was Injured in
Ii was believed for time that some person on the
street in the store had been injured by the expo-
sion. but all tears to that effect were dspeed after
anxious inquiry Three men, whose names wero
not ascertaIned, passed the store less than hye
minutes before the explosion occurred, and tele:
| graph messenger boy was within u dozen yards OK
| the st. Anureas Hotel. He sprdng into doorway
| and remained quiet until the shower Of bricks and
stones had ceased.
| The Fire Department was summoned andathough
| there were flames to be extnguIshed the lire
men were useful. The gas pipes leading into the
store La been broken 6X me ta Ma sar is Il
might take fire inside the building. Chief Breslau
at a hint from ex- Alderman Morris procured some
white lead aud the fremen stopped the leaks In
the pines until w0rkmen from the Municipal Gas
light Company arrived aud turned Oh the gas az
the street connection
WHAT THE EMPLOYEES SAY.
Cured except the watchman, Patrick CIsry. The
engineer and fireman. who had charge OF the boiler
were both absent according to their usual custom,
on sundays. The fireman had not been near the
building all day. and the engineer lett his post a2
p. III. Cieary, the watchnan, said he was lying on
bench IN the store, and had fallen into uOze, wien
he heard the crash. He had let the engineer out or
the building at D. M. and hal locked the dOor 80
that ne was sure no one except binsclf was IN the
STORE -, 4.
The engineer, Samuel Rushworib, con!d not be
fonnd for some time after the explosion, aud 1t was
about 73O p M wLe le mnde d; appearance ssI af
happened The boiler, he SAID, Wai of sixty Dorse,
power 1t furnished steam TO heat the building an9
also to run The elevators. Ii was twelve years OLD
and it had been inspected every year. The last VISIT
made by boiler inspector was IN the month OK
G''0Gs,' to ba on m' duty S ON on Sundays but as
a prccauton against accident he usually visited
the building each Sunday ~ tie middle OF tue day.
Yesterday Rushworth said he was in the building
during considerable portion of the forenoon. be-
fore lie went away, at 2 o'clock, he saw that tho
and he banked the fires and lett the dampers turned
down. The gauge showed pressure OF only Two
pounds of steam He was utterly unable 10 accOIne in
yestigation would show that 1t MAS not que " any
careleSsness on his part.
Some OF the firemen who were summoned ex,
pressed their belief last nigh. that Rushwerth had
not left the dampen of the boiler furnace turned as
they should be- aud that tue fires Lad thus been al
The building, of which the store Of James
McCreery & Co forms part, ls owned a,nS 0y nre se
tion is occupied 1t has frontage Of seventy;hye
feet on Broadway and extends 225 feet 10 West
Eleventh-st. As the explosion caused no Iamage
ploson will be borne by the Methodist Book Com
Germ. The damage consists chiefly 10 the breaking
Hf ast tine at is preSS this
figure is much too high. The amount OF insurance
on the building could not be learned last night;
The damage to the house of Mr.; Reid. at No. ~
West Elevsnth-at was estimated at $780, and that