New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-03

HE FOUND MORE TROUBLE THAN HE WAS
LOOKING FOR.
EXPLOSION IN THIRTY NINTH-sT. DUE TO CARE
LESSNESs CAUSES DAMAGE TO PROPERTY

EXPLOSION IN THIRTY NINTH-sT., DUE TO CARE
LEssNEss CAUSES DAMAGE TO PROPERTY
AND INJURY TO SEVERAL PERSONS.
serious explosion caused by the careless igniting
OF Illuminating gas escaping from main in front
Of No 32 West Thirty -nnth-st.. occurred Just be-
fore daybreak yesterday morning. The force OF the
explosion shook the houses in the immediate neigh
borhood to tEelr foundations and sent the glass IN
the front windows of the six tenement-houses. run
ming from No 30s to 3s. flying in all directions,
causing injury to number of the tenants.
Miss Asher the owner of No. 3l2. and Henry Nogt'
who keeps a saloon in the basement. both live IN
this building. which, unlike the adjacent brcK 'ene-
ments. Is four-story frame structure. A ihoh'h
ago the Board of Health ordered Miss Asher uhuer
penalties to connect the basement OF the saloon WIN
the sewer She gave the contract for the WORK 10
James Flood. a plumber at Sixth-ave. and Forteth-
st. and on Tuesday evening at Z O'Clock floou )
men completed the job. 1t is suspected that the
workmen cracked The gas main when hhng Ill 'he
excavation made for the laying of the sewer-ppe'
Shortly after the men left the work strong door
Of gas became noticeable.
At go o'clock yesterday morning Policeman John
Atherton. OF the West Thirty-seventh-st station
who Is on duty in Thlrty-nnth-st., heard woman
voice screaming for help from the second-story
window of No. 80 the house next TO the saloon
He ran to the house noticing me strong smeh Oh
escapnp gas Tpon entering the house the officer
nearv suffocated and her four children lying near
the open window in an unconscious condition Atm
erton obtained assistance to remove the children 70
a saloon opposite the tenement-hou where the!
were soon restored consciousness through the ef
forts Of an ambulance 81 rgeon.
Nv this time most of the people living In the
nearby tenement houses awakened by the smell OF
gas or warned by their friends, had left their houses
and were gathered upon the sidewa KS
About o'clock an expert, said to have been sent
by the Public Works Department to make an m
vestiration appeared upon the scene. and after
making superficial examination within the houses
and out in the streets. suddenly struck match ana
In the gas escaping from the site OF the recent ex-
cavation. In instant the blue flame was running
along between the chinks in the stones toward
Vogts saloon. Mr. Nogt, seeing the danger rushed
into the house and turned off the meter
He was halfway out again when "A sheet OF name
passed him and explosion followed Amid inc
crashing Of glass and the flying Of wood he worked
his way out into the street his hands and Knees
badly and scorched.
Inside the tenements a number Of people were
scorched by the flames. The peope on the side
walks Jared better Policeman Atherton was
knocked senseless by piece of flying debris, and
was taken in ambulance to Roosevelt Hospital
The principal loss sustained by the proprletors
OF small stores in the Easements of the tenement
houses. The losses estimated at about R.5D.
James Flood the plumber. could not be found
Yesterday The expert to whose rashness the ex-
plosion is attributed also disappeared Immediately
afterward. and could not be found. The gas COM
panes investigating the cause OF the accident