The herald., 1898-12-14
The TANK COLLAPSED
THE FREED WATER CARRIED
DEATH WITH IT
WALLS OF STONE DEMOLISHED
A Water Test of New York Gas Tank
Proves Fatal to the
Workmen
Associated Press Special Wire


NEW YORK, Dec. l3.-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 $3.50 o'clock this afternooon. 1t went
down with crash and roar like a great
explosion.
Masonry of granite blocks and bricks to
the height of fifty feet fell like child S
toy house of blocks and loosened from
bondage eight millions OF gallons OF water,
which deluged the streets and in ten
foot tidal wave carried death and destruc-
ton through the surrounding neighborhood:
1t is not known how many were killed and
injured.
The dead so far recovered:
Andrew Wendt, workman.
John Gray, 75 years old.
Plus Baum, engineer in adjacent factory.
Seriously injured: A
Catherine O'Connell, leg fractured.
Peter Walker, dislocated shoulder.
About fifteen others, so far as has been
learned, were more or less seriously injured
or almost drowned.
Missing:
George Brewer, timekeeper.
George Winllie, Is years old, son of Fore
man Winke
James O'Connor, foreman in Fuldner' S
factory, adjoining and believed to have been
in the basement with Engineer Baum, who
was killed. is missing.
The steel tank was l7S feet in diameter
and l60 feet high. Rising out of the
ground to height of fifty feet was great
circular wall of granite and brick, many
feet in thickness.
This was filled with eight million gallons
OF water. A gang of men were at work
under foreman filling the pit with water
to make the first "Water test "
Suddenly there came an awful crash. The
men below had scarcely time to fly from
beneath the falling walls ere, they were
picked up by the rolling mass of water
hurled hundreds of feet away Into the
Easements and the first and second floors
OF factories and tenements rushed the food
Workmen were shout out of factory win.
dows and carried block or more as if mere
straws.
Women were dashed out of flats from the
floors and almost drowned.
Mary Ann OConnell and her little four.
yaar-old sister Catherine were seated at the
trent window of the second floor of No. 39
Avenue A. Before they could turn to flee
a rush OF water struck them both, smashing
mem through the door and carrying them
half a block distant. Both were terribly
injured the little one perhaps fatally.
Henry Fulder was taken up bodily and
carried almost to Twenty-first street. His
son was carried out of his office by the water
but as caught in the debris and but for the
timely arrival of some workmen with axes,
he would have been drowned.
Andrew 'W,endt, one of the killed, was near
the base Of the tank when it collapsed He
was caught by. the rushing waters. His
mangled and almost naked body was found
against an elevated railroad pillar at Twenty
first, street and First avenue, more than a
block away.
w. j. Logan of the Logan iron works OF
Greenpoint, l.. l., the contractor who was
building the tank, arrived on the scene with.
IN few minutes after the collapse and was
placed under arrest.
W. II. Bradley, chief engineer of the Con.
soldated Gas company and said to be Joint
y responsible for the work with Contractor
Logan, was also placed under arrest. They
were charged with homicide and their bail
was fixed at $4,000 each.