Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-02
SOME SERIOUS EXPLOSIONS.
One Took Place This Morning in Front Of
MT. Blaine's Residence.


TWO REPORTS WERE HEARD YESTERDAY AFTER
SooS-ALL WERE THE RESULT OF GAS IN THE
ELECTRIC LIGHT WIRE rUBEs-wHAr Is SAID
By DIFFERENT OFFICIALS AS TO THE CAUSE
OF THE EXPLOSIONS.
About O'Clock yesterday afternoon people
in the neighborhood of 9th and streets
northwest were startled by hearing two sharp
and very loud explosions, one following the
other in an instant, and this morning about so
persons in the neighborhood of Mr.. Blaine's
residence, on Madison place, were startled in
/ precisely the same manner.
| In each case the reports which were described
| by those who heard them as resembling the re-
! ports from the firing of good-sized cannon,
we're the r.sult Of explosions in the
conduits of the United States Electric Company,
through which run the wires used by the com
| pany for lighting purposes As to the cause Of
the explosion there is, between the electric COM
/ panv and the Washington Gas Light Company
a difference of opinion. Each company, how
ever agrees that the reports heard were caused
by explosions of gas.
the explosion it is nevertheless an undisputed
| fact that good fortune alone prevented serious
bodily harm or loss of life.
| THE EXPLOSIONS YESTERDAY.
| Compared with the explosion on Madison
place this morning the one at 9th and d streets
| yesterday afternoon was comparatively trifling.
The 9th and d streets explosions yesterday
were in the electric light conduit and were
from gas, and it is thought a spark from cigar
caused the explosions, which blew away the
iron coverings of the manholes, breaking them
INTO pieces. some of which struck thirty feet
away. A Belt line car passing at the time
narrowly escaped being struck and luckily the
pedestrians passing at the time all escaped
injury.
THIS MORNINGS EXPLOSION.
At the explosion this morning the manhole
covers were not only shattered but the concrete
i'll the streets badly cracked and the brick
pavement at the base OF two electric light poles
was blown up. Probably the worst damage
done occurred nearly in front of Mr.. Blaines
residence. There is q manhole about in front
of the alley running out north of his house.
and the heavy iron cover of the manhoie was
blown thirty or forty feet in the air.
1t fell fiat on the concrete street few feet
distant. making nearly perfect impression in
the hard concrete surface. The wires in the hole
and conduits appeared not to be damaged.
although one Of the wires was uncovered
whether that was done previous or subse-
quent to the explosion could not definitely be
learned. The Electric Light Company people
say subsequently. as n result of the explosion
crete ran nearly to the avenue. The ground
about the base of the electric light pole at the
mouth OF the alley was torn up. as was also the
case at the base of the pole at II street. Just in
front of the Cosmos Club. The block at the head
OF the latter pole was blown nearly off and the
lead coverings on the wires in the manhole at
its base were torn off. From the manhole in
front of Mr.. Blaine's residence the concrete
roadway over the conduit was cracked I'D to the
one IN front OF the Cosmos Club and from the
crack followed the conduit across II street TO
nearly in front OF st. Johns Church Nearly in
front of the Arlington Hotel annex
on II street the cover of another man
hole blown high in the air and in
falling indented the concrete to the depth of
about three inches and consider ably more than
that III length. Indeed. in each instance a deep
dent IN the concrete was discovered where the
cover had fallen.
THE TRANSFER AGENTS STORY.
Transfer Agent S. W. Taylor of the Herdic
Company told a STAR reporter that one of the
manhole covers was thrown about fifty feet in
the air, He said that fortunately no one was
passing along the scene Of the explosion al
though one of the herdics passed by q
minute or two afterward He said the people
in the houses of the neighborhood rushed out
of their houses to discover the cause of the
explosion, and q member Of The Cosmos Club
stated that he at first thought it some anarchist
with dynamite bomb.
An inquiry at Mr.. Blaine's residence devel-
oped the fact that Mr.. Blaine was awake at the
time of the explosion. but fortunately suffered no
ill effect from it; did the rest Of the house,
hold. although they were naturally somewhat
startled by the terrific report.
SUPERINTENDENT RENsHAws STATEMENT.
Superintendent Renshaw of the electric COM
pany stated that while he had not personally
investigated the matter he believed that the
explosions of yesterday and this morning were
caused by some one throwing match or cigar
stump into the conduits where the ac-
cumuiated gas from some leak in the pipes of
the gas company had filled them. His com pany
st. Johns Church some time ago
to the gas company and he had
cautioned his men not to work in the conduits in
that neighborhood with light about them.
He was confident that electricity had
not caused the explosions, for there was
no current on the wires either Yesterday or
this morning when the explosions occurred
From what he had been told he supposed the
loss to the company would reach several hun
dred dollars.
SECRETARY BAILEYs VIEWS.
Secretary Bailey of the Washington Gas
Light Company said he had received no reports
from his people in the matter, but smiled in
credulously when told that it was claimed that the
explosions were caused by match or lighted
cigar. uc sitiu IL WAS pfaCt1cailY
impossible to ignite gas by lighted
cigar or Cigarette, and remarked that
the heavy rain of yesterday and the dampness
this morning would hardly have permitted
lighted match to reach the conduits The
electric company frequently fractured their
pipes. leaving the gas company TO discover the
leaks as best they could. If there were any
leaks in the present cases the gas company
would instantly have repaired them.
THE ELECTRICIANS EXPLANATION
An electrician in the employ of the electric
company was standing by the manhole esti-
mating the damage when STAR reporter
reached the spot. The explosion" he said,
Twas evidently caused by the gas. You see,
gas is all the time accommodating in the
conduit, which is practically air-tight except at
these man-holes. The traps have openings cut
in them TO allow the gas to escape. but in this
case the holes were filled up with stuff that
was frozen and put stop to all escape
of the gas. All the gas in the con-
duit rose 70 this point as II is quite high here,
and when the accumulation of gas became too
great the explosion occurred at the weak
est point. That's all there is to it. No one
was hurt and no great amount of dam
was dome Our 1ipbta will mot ha ;,%or