The evening world., 1891-05-15
LAST edition.
SEWER EXPLOSION.
Six Men Seriously Injured In South
Street This Morning.
Buildings Shaken for Blocks
Around by the Defamation:
Horses Stampeded and n Panic In
tho Crowded Thoroughfare.

An explosion OF sewer gas resulted In the
serious injury OF six men and panic on South
street. near Beekman, this morning.
There was a terrific detonaton ct as
O'Clock. Buildings were shaken for blocks
around and flames-a seethinR. Kissing mass
OF flre--burst from the sewer manhole In front
Of 1Oi South street, setting nre to the awning
In front OF the building.
The frightened occupants of the houses In the
neighborhood rushed into the street. and TO
add to the excite ement tue manhoie covers from
Beekman street to Peck slip were blown In tho
air. which caused a stampede of horses In thas
crowded ihoroughfare.
Had there really been more danger amer the
explosion occurred the loss OF life would have
been awful, as hundreds OF men were praoti-
cally hemmed In and cut OF from escape By
the barrier Of wagons in the blockade
| shonts, curses and shrieks filled the air.
| The snouts and curses came from the drivers,
the wheels OF whose vehicles appeared to be
inex,rcably mixed up
The shrieks came from the unfortunate men
in the sewer, enveloped In smoke and IRE.
They had been cleaning the sewer and the
lighted lamp one of them held ignited the gas
which had accumulated in the underground
hole.
The smell of burning nesh which arose with
the other sickening odors from the sewers
told plainly the fate the victims would meet.
II some were not already dead, unless they
were rescued at once.
| Policemen Albert Kule and Thomas II.
Gfhooiy, OF Capt. IO'Connor's command. were
promptly on hand and acted promptly.
They called for volunteers, and led the way
down the ladders In the stifling smoke.
Crowds surrounded the manholes, but no one
seemed willing to follow the brave policeman.
"Irs sure death by suffocation TO 90 down
there. said one.
rNo, It Ia not, replied Kulle. "Donv you
hear the means and groans OF the poor fel-
D lows! They are alive YET. Don't let them
perish"
This appeal brought volunteers. Morris Kohn,
James Grfln aud William Randall.
They worked systematically. Arranged IN
line, one by one the victims were passed from
one of the rescuing party to the other until
they were safely on top, where kind and Will
Ing hands cared for them.
They were all unconscious, but the air re-
vived them, only to make them conscious of
! their pains, and their means and groans were
( renewed.
1 The rescuers themselves were nearly caoked
by the smoke and gas.
All of the men were burned about the face
= and arms, some OF them so badly that their
4 features were unrecognizable Their names
are:
JOHN MITCHELL, aged twenty-eight. Of "a
q East Seventeenth street.
JoHS CLARK, aged for;y-nve, of 800 West
. tiftieth street.
JOHN DALTON, aged thirty. of Sol West
Twenty-seventh street.
THOMAS CAPELEY, aged thirty, OF lO7 West
Twenty-sixth street.
JOIN CLARK. aged forty-nve, of 800 West
: Fiftieth street
TIMOTHY 7. SULLIVAN, aged twenty eight, Of
65 Cherry street, who was standing near the
d nanhole when the explosion took place, had
his face burned and the lett portion of his mus
tacne and hair on his head singed on.
The injured were taken 10 the Oak street po-
y lice station, where an ambulance surgeon
u dressed their wounds, after which they were
{ all removed 10 the Chambers Street Hospital
Mitchell and Clark are in q dangerous condi-
= tion.
CLARK held the light which caused the explo-
@ sion. and Mitchell, who stood next TO him, re-
4 celved the contents Of the lamp over his
clothes, which set him on fire. He may die.
II
who has the contract from the city for clean
ing the sewer on South street Foreman
n Edward Kelly, who was in charge OF the
Z work. told the folio wing story to an EVENING
WORLD reporter:
ave went TO work at O'Clock this morning
to clean the sewer on South street from Fulton
10 Roosevelt. The manhole covers had all
been taken OF as far as Beekman street. where
i the explosion occurred, half an hour before
the men entered the sewer There must have
been an unusual quantity Of gas accumulated.
), "The manhole covers are taken on 10 give
: light and purify the air.
II 1.-THE men usually carry lamp when they
10 go down a sewer. such a thing has never oc-
cured before in my experience. No one ls to
blame. The danger was not suspected, for the
gas had plenty OF time TO escape IN thirty nm
g utes.
d ~ was in the sewer myAelf, but half q
e block from where the men were working.
. There was no gas where stood and the
II names did not reach me. / saw the nash. II
9 shot up ike lightning, and next the sewer was
~ filed with smoke"
Elken Sachs, an assistant sewer inspector, in
the city's employ, was also In the sewer at the
It time OF the explosion. about block away from
ID the men. The force OF tho shock threw him
down aud be was nearly drowned in mud.
City sewer IOspector Michael Cornely, whose
duty 1t is TO examine the work Of the con-
tractor, was about to go down the hole when
the accident occurred. He changed his mind
\ then, but assisted In the rescue afterW ards.
p He said the sewer was one OF the largest IN
, the city, built last year. There was room
enough for three men 10 walk through 70
abreast with heads erect. lie could NOT 40.
; count for the accumulation OF so much gas a.
,. the place where 1t ignited
The matter will be investigated.
HCommissloner OF Public Works Gtroy
ordered Engineer Horace LOomis. IN charge OF
"a tue Bureau OF Sewers, 10 make an tnVestiga-
I ton NJ once as TO the cause OF the explosion.