The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-24
GASBL0W- UPIN BROADWAY
AIR run or FILING PLiNKS AND
SHELTERED GLASS
Pillar Of Flame Forty Feet High One Man
Killed, one Severely Burned, and Other.
Hurt - Railroad subway EScayators
Brokc Into Gas Main ut Canal Street.


urokc Into n Gas Main mt Canal Street.
Glas. fell with a crash from hundreds OF win
dow at Broadway and Canal street. when. at
so'cock Yesterday afternoon. an explosion OF
qas in the subway trenches sent scores Of
timners and planks sailing skyward and q col
umn Of flame foot In diameter shot up forty
feet. broadway was the usual Jam OF pedcs-
TRANS cable cars and trucks. and everywhere
men aud women wero lodging aud duckirg
their heads ne debris oi all sorts came down.
Some were struck and hurt slightly. others
were injured moro seriously. and one man was
Instantly Killed His head was smashed by q
plank that came sailing down at him.
The column OF burning gas made magnif-
cent SPECTACLE. and thousands gathered to
watch Il. The police sent word TO the Offices
o, the Consolidated Gas Company to shut of
the gas, but Us this was not done instantly
Foreman Robert Bracken. who was in charge
o, the gang which had been working In the ex-
cayaton set his men at work pllng dirt on top
Of q 4.inch gas main that they had broken
into in this way the flames were extlnguished
and shortly aiterward employees Of the gas
company came and repaired the broken main
The Construction Department OF the Metro
Io'an street Railway Comrany has been
t.nkcring with the roadway at Broadway and
Canal street FOR the past week. Sixteen men
under Bracken have been ut work excavating
ior the laying Of electric ducts. They made q
trench clear across Canal street on the west
sie Of Broadway. alongside OF the downtown
track. and another at right angles. running
west for about twenty feet. Both excavations
were boarded over so that wagons aud pcdeS.
TRANS could pass.
Policemen Donnelly and Kurtz. who are
Stationed at Canal street. say that the odor
o gas from the excavation could be detected
several days ago and had been increasing ON
Wednesday they complained to the workmen
tha; gas main was leaking somewhere. an 4.
according 10 Dounclly. one OF tho men saii
that Il was an old tour-inch main that was not
in use. although Il still contained gas. Yester-
day morning Donne,ly again complained. this
time TO Foreman Bracken, about the odor Of
gas In the street. bu, the foreman replied that
more or less gas always escapes while work OF
the kind IL being done
When the explosion occurred most o,
B-acken's sixteen men were at work under
the boards in the excavation near the south
side OF Canal street Two Italians and two
Irish aborers under John keeic were
lJoseuiue the dirt around the gas and water
mains near the north side OF Canal street
en- man was wslirca rrkaxe. but was 50
doubled m In the hole that he couldn't always
see whore h. was going To- strike. Another
Lan was hoI!nG a lighted lantern close 10 the
ground while others were shotelling away
the ,oo~crel lir,
The man wiki the pick struck the four-inch
81. ma.@. Sh.rh runs up and down Broadway.
heavy blow. hteasirE ont a section about
~" nHh"s .o'g Tn" Gas came out 50 fast
INA, mot instantly IN. men were gaspng
". ''n. t""I. hwan dropped his pick and
r. n1 i.Ar TX hn." ~ hurry; The man with
re ahtaaf 90 S SWeS MICH Nh othcr rN'1TnSusn
-'t.hl- su' our also and Just as the last man
VIZ climbing out OF the hole the explosion
The noise OFT was heard downtown as far as
.,.lLy ma. ana g"a'9n"d people who w"."
ri'E- Of IN" corner wern fitted ofT their fcef.
W. me 52Ieh "r more ras,enfers In broad
tN'tva'ion. were badly shasen up Al the
So, IN ne car wa smashed
when The column 2f NJ" -hot cut o. the
Ef@HI II threw q sudden light into IN" nearby
IH.'inG- with DISASTROUS eject on girl. who
w king n them. or - tw cnty, g.rl, at
H.: I've tainted at Once. and m. rest set M n
sr-a' screaming In the building on The
torhwe.t corner a number ofgirl. also fa,nteL
iiom right and some went rushing down the
s,nlrS and into tie street. crying IRE" In
fhn1n shoe store on M" ground floor in this
iaAlins the two IIh'" glass windows on
broadway were demo i-hcd, while the one on
w,L.! S.tr"et va not even cracked. In the
f.or o. the Branirrth Building fye Wiat6.g nss
windows on the Canal street side were bro tnn
e.I one y ne front on Broadway. Almost
t'eTy wlnGo- IN thu upper floors Of hO'h ui
these building aud dozens Of other windows
,Trte sna-4gi' AM Tor several minu'es after
on the sidewalks could be heard
lo.cemai kGrtz was hit on the head by a
fanTd a5i disabled Policeman Do4nsly; b.
{Ish"d over there Just in time 10 haul out
farp bgrb!dg" the last Of the w6rkmen.
fSG5iIy!d r. G,',hirg was on fire and hc va. 50
htm-elI. Dcnnelly carried him into hallway
where he was attended later bY ambulance
Charles oNeli. tho starter OF the Eighth
venue me At Canal street. was tho man who
vas, Vas Killed: A pank. which had been blown
and 2gzacrd a. il fo struck Him W ON sn
}eamape and smashed in tn, whole slie ~ his
along Canal stree, lust as the cxri"sio noe oc.
snrreh ;ays h" went fifteen feet into the air.
ne paGEinS GpsS" On MS truck We're sent ny.
Ltt ana W"r" so badly burned rs 10 be aimO,t
'I To,,',. II" horses were not injured tall,
., u Fat siyy-thi Il street, Wa struck in the
sh"s' BY o. Ing timber and was slightly hurt,
T." te'nsel 10 20 TO hospital and went home
,L Jonn k"etc. who was in tho excavation when
'rs nan VS. broken, sail that he had told
bftcE~u had told him It was an old one and to |
frS1gskSo " Int Gi ,hs way i i proved an obstacle
~" hnfke. but parolcd in the custody Of his |
counsel later on, k"efr refused to say whether
o. t'n ht was the man who was welding the |
" \ a. the TIN" Of the explosion.
NrN"fa' Cons li,lntcd Gas men who came |
wv -hi tlih' the hr"aking OF the main was |
II I.olIi ~ rank Carel"-sncss on the part OF |
~ 'I"h,l 'nmrhny'S mon.
s,i' 't' "I cur men was NJ work here at all." |
snl,l On" Official. The main was In plhin |
s'-hl anu No ne but "a blind man would hi IT, |
s".'rH u" WIS try ngto. We shut of the gas
a. '"nll II We heard Of the accident and nTn |
xI,..thE ~" ,'nmGCC ! 10 not care to say |
4 met b"y"ry said that the principle damage |
" P" ~ 'h" EXPLOSION was 10 Rinss He |
h,.Is-h 'NIy $4,000 worth OF glass had been |
those are The casualties:
KILLED.
H. MN. CHARLES, starter On the Eiyhtli avenue |
aye u u a. broadway and Canal street ~ |
= T. ~ 10. 81 Ia Fyfy- .ghth street. Wa. mar.
-, o., ~lntE IA ~" slhr Of the head by ffvinr |
'''"" 'hl KILLED IN family. BODY taken TO his home
INJURED.
NJ "'h"E HAIRY, u lahorer employed BY the |
a. ! .HHh street Hallway Company was In tho |
II. ' . ,"h,h n" explosion occurred and has
W. bhrk. abrddrd face and body burns and
b., ~ 'h.eIEa injuries. Hudson street Hospital,
J'> ,. ms ~ wears old OF 30 East IO7th street,
4, ... '''I ana eye cut, GuuNcrHuur HOspital,
bnr, ~ Ih"Nh-, lHburnr l2p Avenue Is. Face
D, Ait,L J"uN.a IlaIor.r employed by the Metro.