The Portland daily press., 1898-12-14
Three Known to be Dead and Many
Injured.
MANY OTHERS WERE PROBABLY
KILLED NOT YET FOUND.

Portion of City's Gas Supply Shut off,
Water Froze Making 1t Difficult to
Search for BOdfes--Tank was the
Largest ofIts Kind In the WorId--
Builders Have Been Arrested for
Homoctde.
New York, December 13.-The great
steel gas tank of the Consolidated Gas
company at Avenue A, and Twentieth
street, the largest of its kind in the world
collapsed at 5. 80 o'clock this afternoon. II
went down with crash and roar like a
great explosion. Masonry of granite
blocks and bricks to the height of fifty
and eight million gallons of water
were let loose which deluged
the streets and in ten
foot tidal wave carried death and destruc-
tion through the neighborhood. 1t is not
known how many were killed and in
The dead So for recovered are: Andrew
Wendt. workman; P. Baum, engineer in
adjacent factory; John Gray, watchman,
72 years old.
The injured are: Catherine O'Con-
nell. flour years old, leg fractured,
contusions; Mary Ann O'Connell,
badly lacerated body; Timothy
Dunn, confusion and submersion by
water; Jacob Wagner, general contusions;
William Kane, face lacerated, general
contusions; Charles Quigg. severely in
jured about the face and body; Peter
Walker, dislocated shoulder
About fifteen others so far as has been
learned were injured more or less severely
or almost drowned. All of the most
severely injured were taken to Bellevue
hospital.
James o. Connor, foreman in Fuldiner's
factory adjoining, and believed to have
been in the basement with Engineer
Beum who was killed, is missing, also
George Bremen and George Winkie.
Many people were caught in the streets
by the rushing waters and were hurled
hither and thiIther 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 the scene within few
minutes after the collapse and was placed
under arrest
William H. Bradley, chief engineer OF
the Consolidated Gas and said to be joint
ly responsible for the work with Contrac-
tor Logan was also placed under arrest
Both were charged with homicide and
their bail was placed at $40, 600 each.
10 make the scene more terrible, the
rushing waters tore up gas mains, de-
stroyed electric light conduits, causing al
most complete darkness. This latter was
partially remedied, but the gas supply
below Grand street was almost totally
shut off for the night The plant of the
Consolidated Gas company occupies several
blocks in the nelghborhood of Avenue A
and Goth street. On avenue A beginning
at goth street is the five story brlck
factory of Henry Fuldiner, manufacturer
of extension tables The other half OF the
brick block is occupied by five story tene'
ments, the property of the Gas compans
and largely tena nted by its employees.
Immediately back of the factory and
tenements was the great steel tank. iac
teet in diameter and l6G feet high. Rising
out of the ground and to height OF fifty
feet was built a great circular wall OF
granite and brick many feet in thickness
This was filled with eight million gallons
of water. The tank was supported by
eight great steel uprights, 2l2 feet high
The water in the pit lifting against the
tank made it ''Has tight. A gang o1
men were at work under foreman, fill
ing the pit with water to make the
Water test.
The tank, wi th a gas capacity of 1900,
600 cubic feet. and costing $50 90 0 seemed
withstand the test well. The represen-
t tives of the company and the foreman