The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-12-14
HAVOC WROUGHT
BY BIG GAS TANK.
One Collapsed in New York With
Terrible Results.
NUMBER OF KILLED Is UNKNOWN
Eight Million Gallons Of Water De-
luged the Streets Like Tidal
Wave Hurting Men About Like
Leaves I'm a Whirlpool.

NEW YORK, Dec ia great steel
gas tank Of the Consolidated Gas Com
pany at Avenue A and Twentieth street,
the largest of its kind i'm the world, COL
lapsed at $50 this evening. II went down
with a crash and roar like a great eE-
plosion. Masonry of granite blocks and
bricks to the height Of fifty feet fell like
a chiid's toy hoGse Of blocks. and, loosen
ed from bondage. eight million gallons Of
water deluged the streets, and in a ten-
foot tidal wave carried death ana de-
struction through the surrounding neigh
bOrhoOd.
KILLED UNKNOWN.
IL is not known how many were killed
and injured The list OF injured Is very
large The dead so far are; Andrew Wen
die. workman; Pierce Baum, engineer In
an adjacent factory, John Gray, seventy
five years old. James OConnOr,
foreman in Fuldner's factory, adjoining,
and believed to have been In the base
ment with Engineer Baum, VINO was
killed and George Bremen, timekeeper.
and George Winkfc. aged Hfteen, son OF
Foreman Wrinkle, are missing
Many people were caught on the streets
by the rushing waters. and were hurled
hither and thither, receiving injuries OIL
various kinds. VT.
" j.. Logan. Of the Logan Iron Works
Of Green Point. l.. l.. the contractor VINO
was building the tank, arrived on the
scene within a few minutes aftcr the
collapse and was at once placed Cnder
arrest.
YIN II. Eradi.v. chief engineer OF the
, consolidated Gas Company and said 70
IA. Jointly responsible for the work with
20 ntractor Logan was also placed under
-, est Both men wete charged with
non icide and their hail was placed at
~ make the scene more terrible the
rust, z waters tore up gas mains ana
dest-(, ed electric light conduits, causing
limos complete darkness.
T,yEl' CRASH CAME SUDDENLY.
The a. nix was supported 10y eight great
eteel i-rs- shts ~ feet high. me water
in the III fitting against the tank maze
II gas M IT. 4 gang ~ men were az
water To make the first water test;
,rhe great "a nix with a gas capacity OF >
,oo 0n6 cubic feet and costing S@WVp.
seemed 10 wifi hstand the test Wen WIEN
suddenly there was an aWiu CRASH nc
men had scare ely time TO fly from De
meath the falling walls before they were
rfcked nm nv the mass OF rolling water
and hurled hundr eds Of feet away; mo
tho basement the frst and seconu uoOrS
of factories and teuements rusned inc
ongrv 0oods ana " it'll them went death
ond destruction. Workmen were shot
otIt OF the factory windows and carried
~ b3ors~ 80, f,tore NrODen were washed
out Of the flats from the first hoors ana
almost drowned. - -. ,,r-r->-c
BURIED IN TIE RUINS.
II was learned by the police that Bre-
rner nd Young Wrinkle were standing UNI
der the walls when they fell ana their
bodies are doubtless in the ruins.
The police and firemen are oil lle opih-
ion that there IS Il number oil othef
bodies i'm the ruins as the list OF missing
IS growing. After the masonry or the
tank collapsed the tank proper caree e,so
and fell I'M n battered heap TO one side.
The giant uprights were bent rs If made
of paper. the whole making one great
mass of scrap iron. The loss or the tank
IS said 10 be complete. 81 Ooe
THE DAMAGE HEAVY
s-he damage to Mr. Fuldner factory ~
MIA ced at $4,000 and the damage 10 the
ieuements. the property OF the gas com
many t. placed al $4,000.
II is feared that all must be RACED. Inc
coIIapte OF the tank caused the rupture
of sonp of the great water mains when
were Constructed 10 feed u and Tor some
time th,se poured thsir torrents INTO the
streets Eventually they we're closed
The downtown district suffered g sI ,hg
on account Of the accident Tor all the
gas suDnli,.d by the Consolidat ad Company
in that part OF the city was shut or