Evening star., 1898-02-26
Pieces Of Iron Falling on the Streets
of Washington.
BLASTING ON POWER HOUSE Site
Many Narrow Escapes From Death
or Injury.
THROWN GREAT DISTANCES

At noon today quite a stir was caused in
the neighborhood of 14th street and the
avenue by an explosion cf dynamite in the
IU:ns of the Traction Company's power
building. Under the direction of Contractor
H-xson workmen were engaged In break
Ing up the huge iron hubs of the cable
wheels which were disTantled by the fire
OF last September These hubs are six feet
in diameter and from two to three feet
thick They were keyed on immense steel
shafts which are foot in diameter The
action of the heat and rust made it i'm.
possible to drive out the steel keys which
fasten the hubs to the shafts. Skilled
wcrkmen have been occupied for months;
III trying to disengage these hubs, without
success, and finally it was decided 20 use
dynamite.
A permit for that purpose was obtained
nom the District authorities and work
began this morning on hub which lay
imbedded in debris between two heavy
foundation walls. AS dynamite has been
used good deal in tearing down the walls
without any menace to surrounding prop
erty or TO human life, no more than the
ordinary precautions were taken against
consequent injury from the blast One
stick of dynamite weighing a quarter of a
pound was the charge used. 1t was fired
! IN the ordinary Nay with fuse.
/ The effect was a startling one and sur
prised no one more than the men who had
| charge of the affair. The pieces of the hub
We're blown several blocks distant Three
| large pieces struck the Nailor stables; on
the opposite side of 18th street. One large
piece, weighing about ten pounds, imbeddci
| itself in the brick walls between Two win
| dows. where it will probably remain as !ons;
| as the building stands similar piece fell
| on Pennsylvania avenue near the Southern
railway offices and bounded across the ave-
| nue. to the front of Ogram's drug store
" tclSp cd En&yA Alv-
ham, who fought it at once to the Office
| OF The Evening Star. Another made an
| even longer fight, landing, in Pennsylvalia
avenue in front OF the Raleigh Hotel, where
1t barely missed the head of boy who was
riding bicycle toward the treasury, and
then bounded to the corner of 1ith stree
and Pennsylvania avenue, directly in front
, of Tho Star buildings.
Soon after the explosion Mr. HiXso: was
r.ctified by the police authorities to discon-
true the use of dynamite until an inquiry
could he made into the circumstances of the
explosion and precautions taken TO prevent
any possibility of damage in the future
Under the contractors directions the work
men went on placing heavy timbers over
the hub, on which it IS iuended" TO place
iron weights. By flooring over a large space
aEove the hub it $ expected that no frag
ments of iron could be sent any distance.
AS there are eight of these hubs which
must be broken up by blasting, it is likely
that the work will take several weeks be-
fcre it is completed.
The Permit.
Under the law the use Of explosives is
permitted on private work only after a
permit by the chief of police is granted.
These permits, however, can be issued only
by order Of the Distric: Commissioners
This was the routine in the present case.
Two days ago Maj. Moore received from
the Commissioners the following:
hat bo b,, ba
major and superintendent of police 10
Frank Samuel to dynamite few large
castings at the ruins of the Capital Trac-
tion Companys power house. l4th street
and Pennsylvania avenue northwest; per-
nit to be subject to such conditions the
major and superintendent of police may
deem necessary for safety.
''Otilcial copy furnished major of police.
by order WILLIAM TINDALL,
Secretary
The permit was issued in due form and
the work was allowed to proceed
Soon after the explosion occurred. Lieut..
Amiss called on Maj Moore and acquainted
him with the facts. The major Immediately
directed that the work of blasting should
be stopped.
While the work was going on Lieut..
Amiss had squad of officers in the vicin-
ity of the corner where the blasting took
place. These men he detailed there to keep
away pedestrians In order to protect them,
should the explosion result In sending the
pieces OF 1roE from the big pile OF deprlS.
Maj. Moore, speaking to a Star reporter,
said that the contractor was required by
the terms of the permit to use ell necessary
precautions for the protection of life and
limb.
In addition to this requirement of the
contractor. he sail the police department
had detail of officers there as an extra
precaution.
piece of iron weighing about four
pounds was deliver ed to Officer Vernon at
police headquarters. This piece of iron had
fallen near some street sweepers on Ohio
avenue between 13 1-2 and 14th streets.
Another piece of iron, it was reported, had
fallen In a yard in rear of a pool room near
the scene of the explosion. A number of
other reports Of the finding OF pieces OF
metal in different places were made to the
police.