The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-14
COLLAPSE CARRIES DEATH.
LARGEST GAS TANK IN THE WORLD
GOES DOWN WITH A CRASH.

AUAsH bONN W lIH \ CRASH.
NCw York streets DeIuged Nith
eight Million Gallons of Water.
Three of the Dead Recovered ana
Others Missing-EIectric COnduits
Destroyed, and Darkness FoIIoVv-
ed-COntractor W. j. Logan Placed
Under Arrest.
New York. Dec 13.-A great steel gas
tank OF the Consolidated Gas Company at
avenue A and Twentieth street, the largest
of It's kind in the world, collapsed at 500
O'Clock this evening. IT went down with
a crash and a roar like a great explosion.
Masonry Of granite blocks and bricks, "a
the hight Of hfty feet, fell like childs
toy house of blocks, and loosened from
bondage 100000 gallons Of water which
deluged the streets, an in a ten-foot tidal
wave carried death and destruction
through a surrounding neighborhood. It is
not known how many were killed and in
jured. The list of injured is very large.
The dead, so far recovered. are:
Andrew Wendell workman.
r Baum, engineer in adjacent factory.
John Gray. Is years old.
James O'Connor, foreman in Fuldener's
factory adjoining and believed to have
been in the basement with Engineer Baum.
who was killed, is missing, as are also
George Bremen, time keeper, and Georgs
WinSle. Is years old, son OF Foreman
Wrinkle
It was learned by the police that Bromer
and young Winkie were standing under
the walls when they fell and their bodies
are doubtless in the ruins. The police and
hremcn are of the opinion that there is a
number OF other bodies in the ruins, as
the list of missing Is growing.
Many people were caught In the streets
by the rushing waters and were hurled
hither and thither, receiving injuries Of
various kinds
w. J. Logan, OF the Logan Iron Works.
Of Green Point. l.. l., the contractor who
was building the tank, arrived on tho
scene within few minutes after the coi-
lapse. and was at once placed under arr
rest
William II. Bradley, chief engineer oe
the Consolidated Gas Company, and said
to be Jointly responsible for the work with
Contractor Logan, was also placed under
arrest Both were charged with homicides
and their bail was placed at $4,000 each.
To make the scene more terrible the
rushing waters tore mp gas mains ana .e-
stroyed electric light conduits, causing al
most complete darkness. The tank was
supported by eight great steel uprights, 2l2
feet high. The water IN the pit fitting
against the tank made il "gas tight A
gang of men were at work under foreman
filing the pit with water TO make the first
water test"
The great tank, with a gas capacity OF
5000, 900 cubic feet and costing 100000 Seems
ed to Withstand the test well. when sudden-
ly there was an awful crash. The men
below had scarcely time to fly from be-
meath the falling walls before they were
picked up by the mass of rolling water
and hurled hundreds Of feet away Into
the basement, the first and second loors
OF the factories and tenements, rushed the
angry floods and with them went death
and destruction.
Worknen were shot out of factory win-
dows and carried a block or more.
Women were dashed out of the fats from
the first floors ana almost drowned.
After the masonry Of the tank collapsed
the tank proper careened and fell in a
battered heap TO one side. The giant up-
rights were bent as If made of paper, the
whole making one great mass Of scrap
iron.
The loss of the tank Is said 10 be com-
pete 100000 The damage to Mr.. Full
dener's factory Is placed at $25,000. anl
the damage to the tenements, the prop
erty OF the gas company. is placed al $2e,-
0O9 it Is feared that all must be razed.
The collapse Of the tank caused the rup-
ture Of some of the great water mains.
which were constructed 10 feed II, and
for some time these poured their torrents
into the streets Eventually they were
closed
The downtown district suffered greatly
on account OF the accident, for all the gas
supplied by the Consolidated company in
that part Of the city was shut off.