New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-29
GAS EXPLOSIONS HAVOC.
a HOUSE WRECKED AND ONE MAN
KILLED.
MANY OTHER PLACES IN EAST FIFTY
s1xrH-sr. DAMAGED BY THE FORCE
OF THE sHOCK-ORIGIN IN
EXPLAINED.

EXPLAINED.
A +err,oc vas e.nlos,on followed by succession
OF minor explosions. took place few minutes -
fore o'clock Yesterday morning In the three SUI,
brownstone front dwelling house at NO III -
Fifty-sixth-st owned by +. w frlsCne"' 49,
bacconst OF No 1875 Maiden Lane. lie anu -
family are on their way home from Europe ~
entire front % the house vas blown uo""' ~
window in the house shattered the wall "i 50
IL blown into the dining room OF NO li' '''' w.
Ing Of No I2 sent across the street 'h' 49,,
blown up and many houses in the DOCK u'','e
One man was Killed. he having ent''e" !" ,g
almost Immediately before the eNP
Is a complete ruin. . ,,.-o,s
In the absence Of the Frischen family !" 49,
che house has been in the hands OF ueVo so, aos
PAINTERS who have been working for se'''"' ' Co..
there the firm Of Scheuler & Webel' OF no ~ '-
sixtieth-st being In charge OF the WIN -,
,ho,r men the first 10 arrive yesterday MOI ''"e'
entered tho building few minutes before o 0'o "
The explosion followed Immediately. - -
ribe IN It's report and consequences I"' " 49,,
heard for blocks around, and every o"'
t,ock was out in the street almost immru'"'''
MANY were IN time TO every cover % Wv
49, g., the sidewalks blown several feet mo '".
air and sheets Of flare shoot out TO "''t.1 ~
several feet As they watched they s"" 81, t
Of the building from roof 70 area 'op'e r
for an instant and then with treiho""'"7
fell 10 the sidewalk d
A great sheet Of fame flew out Of the are" anu
the basement OF the building, but was Hs'"n"S
covered by the large stoop or Dro"HS'o"' n
down on IT, the stoop and wall carrying O""" '
Iron railing IN front Of the house. ... u,s
All that was LETT Of the front OF the houS' wa"
Some plaster and woodwork SURROUNDING "' 'f
snaces where the windows had been.
Great sheets OF fame shot out from the basement
across 10 Nos JIG and 123. starting niue hres "''
and there There panic among the 'e7'1'"
-, tho block which has handsome houses on DOT"
40
exn,cable TO the residents that terror spread among
them. ,..cr ,,rDrSpPEAD
Emmanuel skheimer. Of No. III East F'',S
s,xth-st said that he was at breakfast "heh INC
.x,los,on occurred. He had not the slightest
knowledge Of what had taken place and he rushed
~ the street TO see. He saw the front OF inc
house topple and fall and the coalhoe covers S'oo'
into the air from end Of the block 10 'he o'"'i
skNlhelmer and nearly all the other occupants -
The block said that they had been complaining an
summer Of the escape OF gas IN that oocK' nc
mains Of the Consolidated Gas Company run
shrousn the street ani their men have neeh "N'"s
mains there recently.
II was believed by the majority that gas ma"
.scsnea from the main through nterstices In the
.ar,b here and there and that the houses had
heen filled with the constantly outfowlng gas Inc
Frischen house being unoccupied ana smut w. NO."
the gas that escaped into 1t. and the hrs' II'e %
env kind that communicated with II set IL OF. us
great quantity, hNcuiuuid'i4b ~ 'i'N''N-'''
with terrible results.
Tho inside OF the house. which had been nearly
finished in It's renovation and redecoration' was "
wreck. The heavy wall between the house and no
JIG was smashed and blown into NO Is. fIoors
and walls suffered terribly. The force 81 the tN-
ioe,on also blew out all part or the mouse
below the second story, leaving a b!,dt
down the fences All the windows Of the houses III
eixth-st. house. from 40. ll2 TO NO ~ were
blown out. - ~. %, O.. Nos 100 124
and l26 great damage was caused by the explo<
eon. The windows were shattered axu Pc, - 80
hung into the areas, and in one case InIoush d
window Of one Of these dwellings, 30 IL II- Is e"een
pssyy,so ~ and No i25 by Mrs Harriet a. Lang Mrs.
L k6s io onsd sG she woS a ' have been killed 6
piece Of rock and part OF an iron raiHg %ere w
bed in which she had slept. 1900, ,,.s ,.o.s,r,,
Mrs Lang.s house at the time Of the explosion, and
q piece Of the gate Of No l2l, which had been blown
s,de s Ss Tas heped by TWO citizens to the drug
store Of r NJ Kelly, at Park-ave and FIFTY
HosR,1ai soon , rf,sed 70 allow the surgeon to
attended her and drove home IN cab She r.
fused her name. but she appeared 10 be injured by
The house at 40 1ls IS occupied by Mrs. Annette
Werhil. widow with her daughter, tweniy-one
e servant Mary Wrshi They were eating break
fast IN ne dnnF room when ing {ron S
wall Of No. III by hal -, me ,, Wn OF the noq u.s.,
was blown down ana INTO lilc uliill4b IOn4 D"t ''
people there escaped
No l23 is uuoccupied. 1t was badly damaged BY
the walls being cracked aHd nre attacking the
house: Flames entered all the houses here inclnd-
ing Nos. 1l9 lG. l23. l25 n l2s and lM. the gas
escaping through the yentilators In the area and
catching FIRE from the main explosion laInes
badly damaged No. 49, owned by Samuel Wei,
which also suffered from the explosion by its
windows and walls being smashed
Every once IN d while minor explosions occurred.
Gas would flare up out ~ the earth I'm this place
and that. 10 the Inconvenience and danger Of the
hremen.
Captain Freii. Of Engine Company No. & was the
first Of the hremen 10 arrive on the scene Hook
and Ladder No. arrived soon. AMI FTeil sent
come Of tho through 30. JIG 10 get down into
No l2 through the scutte and look for the work
Schalk.