New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-05
BLOWN UPIN a STREETCAR.
cry PERSONS KILLED BY AN EXPLOSION
IN BOSTON.

.rx FROM TIE MOTOR OF CAR LIT THE
,r,x,xG GAS IN SUBWAY EXCAVATION
.xn THE CAR WAS BROKEN IN TWO
March An explosion Of gas which
r,ou, tho two great six-inch mains that
A.. s,bvav at fremont and Boylston SITS.
a.. oorsons injured two probably fatally
H"' ., rAarly atty other persons at ll:4o
MI. ..,c morning. A boom like that OF can
oe'V'" .-,,o,,od bv a thick cloud Of smoke. and
NJ" e sbo, inward ard blazed in the midst
.,o ,horoughfares. where there is more uaVei
oi "' - olse in the city. Horses lay dead
' ovemen.s panic-stgiCken passengers
vs. aoavorine to escape with their lives from
,.or,or Of burning cars, and fire engines
wv .ha ecene pourng tons of water upon the
Tho class in the buildings was SHAT
So, o,org Tremont-st. far south as La
-o-st and north beyond the fremont Thea
est N Westinghouse. and west almost TO
Park Square.
The list Of dead follows:
m, " A START. bursar Of TUFTS College
p,crroH. conductor No 233 Northampon-st.
Matilda BATES No 10 Arl!nston-st
,,r y1NA1 No 33 state-st. private secretary
10 Thomas W. ld"so"'
BENJAMIN DOWNING hackdriyer: died on the way 70
C,,v H0sntal: lived AZ NO. ie'f'e'S"
- s1R,ry carriage driver burned beyond recosni'
MI. .v,,osion came Just as three cars were
-. ,r the centre Of the space at the corner
49,. s-st one was on its way across Tremont-st.
,.,;rg straight on BoylstoN The second was
49,. cunning from fremont into Boylston ana the
o., uos close behind It. There was another
80, IN Rovlston waiting for an opportunity 10
.'.. ,r,o fremont, and behind this were several
more. ,,uo -
rha frs, car was precisely in the centre OF
.,e two streets when the explosion came. Tne
,o,o ~ the wooden work which Is used as q
,r,ass oyor the deep excavation at this place was
uf,od with frishtful roar into the air. carrying
tho car with H. and taking along the two horses
~ The second car The other cars were hf'ed
into the air Instantly the air was flled WIN
giving debris and above the shouts or terro'-
stricken pedestrians could be heard the groan'
and cries of the wounded.
The first car. the one in which most or those
who were killed were riding no sooner fell back
unnn the tracks than it broke in two and burst
into flames Then some one sounded fre alarm
which brought large rescue force to the scehe'
Within few minutes the Emergency HOS
ri,al ambulance was on the scene, taxing away
the victims Other ambulances followed anu
the Fire Department responded promptly 10 All
alarm. and cxtinguished the flames. squao
Of = policemen was insufficient to keep pach
the thousands of people who rushed IN from
all sides. and it only by false alarm M oi d
second explosion that they were abie 10 or'Ne
back the crowds and rope off the street.
The fremen. policemen and lapoIers car , !su
the dead to the morgue. and me in1ufeo ~ @ ,ms
hospitals Not only were all the Wriuo"' >
broken in the neighborhood. but from Jew,
ler's window precious stones sald 10 I've "o' =,
SIcOO0 were scattered about the street ahu
The store The foundations OF the hotel Iel-
ham are said TO be shaken badly, Whhe every
window display in the neighborhood was III
-3ured more or less. :,
The immediate cause Of the explosion is, OF
course uncertain, but the most generally acc
cepted theory Is that II was started by spark
from the electric motor Of the Noun: Aupur.l
car which received the full force or the shocx
Complaints have been made since December -
IF gas escaping from the old main that runs aiohs
the south side of Boylston-st. This morning
the leak became much worse. Tor at ~ o cio,
Nr Roberts librarian Of the Masonic Temple
telephoned 10 the gas company mat 'he puiuii,s ,
was so full Of gas that the occupants couc haru,
Iv breathe For some distance up fremont ano
RovIston SITS a great quantity of gas was Ieakne
IN the nlaco in the middle of the crossing OF lne
TWO streets where the subway had been mercy
nlanked over and not permanently rooleu III, III
THE gas was not in the subway itself, put pe
tween the surface Of the street ana this ,en!
rorarv roof and the subway was not seriously
damaged The officials OF the gaslight conpaIs,
refuse TO talk except to deny that any Ioriha
coronlaint had hecn made 70 them OF the leak