New-York tribune., 1895-12-06
HORSES PUSHED INTO A HOLE
A SUCCESSION OF ACCIDENTS IN CLINTON
PLACE.
MIsHAP TO A sTREETcAR FOLLOWED By AN
EXPLOSION CAUSED BY AN OFFIcIOus
MANS STUPIDITY. CREATES GREAT
EXCITEMENT


A succession Of accidents all traceabe to the
same cause. created great excitement in Clinton
Place last evening The trouble began with
/ inishap to an Elghth-st. car about o'clock
They are making over an old building at No. 30
Clinton Place. That operation consists Of pulling
out the front Of the original building and putting
IN new one with big window. intended for
store on the ground floor. and touching up the
whole with fresh paint.
The work was almost completed yesterday
when a strong odor OF gas became apparent In
the street opposite the renewed building. and
word was conveyed 10 the Department Of Public
Works that one OF the street mains was LEAKING
The gas company and the police were informed
by the Department and yesterday afternoon
laborers appeared on the scene to hunt Tor the
leak They dug big holes In the street on the
west side. opposite the new house. and between
the car tracks. and the Eighih-st cars came
along they had TO be halted near the spot the
horses being led around the holes. on the east
side OF the street while the workmen showed the
car over the bare rails.
II was o'clock when car No. 1872 bound weat.
with passengers packed i'll every avaiaoie men
Of space. bowled briskly ur tc the excavation.
On approa hing 1t the driver jammed on the
brake. Just at the critica. moment the brake
the two horses over into the excavation
The hole was five feet deep and ten or
twelve feet long Patiently digging at the bot
tom Of II where the horses topped over We're
lanes Dalton of No. 25 Eas. Ninety -frst-s' ana
William Hanahan, of No. IS Trinity Place laoor-
ers in the employ Of the gas company. lhey
scrambled out somehow, cut and bruised ana
bleeding, while the bony animals in the bottom
Of the excavation ne!ghed. stamped anu
screamed. and the women in the car yelieh
murder"
An ambulance was called TO dress the injured
mems wounds and the crowd which had quick
" assembled started in to rescue the horses
II was high time for they had already kicked
holes in the bare ga mains. and the gas was
escaping in large quantities.
Earth was thrown into the excavation at the
west end so as to form an incline up which the
frightened horses could be dragged chaln was
procured and then an officious little man III
pilot coat who had been directing the operation
cot down into the hole to fasten the chain around
the horses With greater zeal than judgment ne
lighted a match to enable him to see what he was
doing and the next moment an explosion oc- oc
CURED which shook the houses Tor ten plocks
around The escaping gas had taken iire. anu anu
the man in the pilot coat was as oroWm mains shot
streaks of flame which scorched the horseS anu
nearly drove them Wild
They screamed with pain and terror. ana the
people IN the crowd screamed. too and ran ios
tbeir lives Some one turned In hre alarm, anu
the engines dashing up t. the spot increases .ns
confusion Finally the tremen and the laporers
who mad originally been st work at the eXcaVa-
tion by throwing heaps OF soil INTO the hoie,
succeeded in putting out the flames The man IN
the pilot coat had disappeared but some one with
more sense got down into the hole and sue,
ceeded in fastening the chain round the horses
bodies line Of fifty or sixty persons was az
formed at the other end. and with many cries OF
"Heaye-ho," and "Hi-yi"' the animals were
pulled up to the level of the street. Both were
hadlv scorched and required the treatment OF
veterinary surgeon. .,.,
The were led off to the stables in christopher
{, and a fresh relay took the now deserted car.
,rhen tho crowd and the fire engines went nome,
too and Clinton Place was left in its usual state