Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-14
FLOOD IN NEW YORK.
Eight Million Gallons Of Water
DeIUge the Streets
COLLAPSE OF GREAT GAS TANK
Structure Of Granite Fifty Feet High
Crashes Down.
DEAD AND MISSING MANY
worl,men shot Out OF Factory-wIn-
dows and Carried a Block or More
Women Washed Out of Flats from
first Floors.
DEAD AND MISSING


NEW YORK. December ia great
Fs. eas tank of the Consolidated Gas
Company, az Avenue a and Twentieth
street., the largest Of its kind in the
world. collapsed at $50 O'Clock this eve
rEr. Il went down with a crash and a
r..~ uke those OF a great explosion. Ma
s.rrr Of cranite blocks and bricks TO the
lea. of fifty feet fell like a child's toy
house of blocks and loosed from bond
.-.. >N1oo gallons Of water deluged the
Streets and i'm a 1o-foot tidal wave car
I.l death and destruction through the
surrounding neighborhood.
], is not known how many were killed
al. injured. The list Of injured is very
iar-e. The dead, so far as known, are:
ANDREW WENDLE, workman.
PIERCE BAUM, engineer in an ada
cent factory
JOHN GRAY. Is years old.
Missing: George Bremen, time-keeper:
George Winkie. Is years old. son Of Fore
man Winkie.
James OCOnnOr foreman in Fuldners
factory, adjoining and believed to have
been in the basement with Engineer
Baum, who was killed. is missing.
Many people were caught on the streets
ay the rushing waters. and were hurled
Atasr and thither. receiving injuries of
various kinds.
CONTRACTOR ARRESTED.
W.. J. Logan, of the Logan Iron-Works.
o' Green Point, l.. l., the contractor who
Was building the tank, arrived on the
scene within a few minutes after the col
lapse, and was at once placed under ar
T.5t
William H Bradley, chief engineer of
t-- Consolidated Gas Company. and said
O. ha Jointly responsible for the work with
Contractor Logan, was also placed under
arrest Both men were charged with
homicide. and their bail was placed at
glV0J
Io make the scene more terrible. the
rushing waters tore up gas mains and
destroyed e.ectric-light conduits, causing
almost complete darkness.
The tank was supported by eight great
s'eo. upushts, III feet high. The water in
t.a l.t fitting against the tank made IL
-s--sht a gang Of men were at work.
under foreman. filing the pit with water
O., make the first "water-test." The great
tank. with gas capacity of 3.50O.OOO cubic
t.st and costing $4,000 seemed to with
stand the test well. when suddenly there
E.s an awful crash.
FACTORIES AND TENEMENTS
FLOODED.
Tho men had scarcely time 10 fly from
beneath the falling walls before they were
picked up by the mass of rolling water
t"I hurled hundreds OF feet away. Into
ta easements and the first and second
II- " factories and tenements rushed
,ae angry flood, and with it went death
a.- destruction. Workmen were shot out
az The factory windows and carried a
block or more. Women were washed out
M t.ts from the first floors and almost
drowned
BODIES IN THE RUINS.
il was learned by the police that Bre-
I.- and young Wiukie were standing un-
der the walls when they fell, and their
bodies are doubtless in the ruins.
lLe police and firemen. are OF the opin-
Son Thar there are a number Of orner |
bodies in the ruins as the list of missing |
s. growing.
After the masonry Of the tank collapsed |
te tank proper careened and fel in a |
battered heap TO one side. The giant up |
l-.'s were bent as If made of paper, The |
G.l.
MONEY LOSSES.
l-a loss Of the tank is said TO be com
O. .e and amounts - $4,000. The dam
.-. 90 AIR. Fuldners factory is placed at |
ZOO and the damage 10 the tenements, /
.a property Of the gas company, is |
placed al 5000. Ii is feared that all
mls. bg Tazed.
RUPTURE OF WATER MAIN.
.ue collapse Of the tank caused the
Rupture OF some of the great water mains
N..ol were constructed TO feed 1t, and
some time these poured their torrents
l'0 the streets. Eventually they were
closed.
DOWNTOWN" IN DARKNESS.
I.e downtown district suffered greatly
D account Of the accident, for all the
e aIpled by the Consolidated Company
l- .l-t part OF the city was shut Off.