New-York tribune., 1900-08-14
THREE KILLED BY STEAM.
ELBOW IN MAIN OF NETWORK STEAM
COMPANY BLOWS OUT.


Three men were killed and four others were
badly scalded yesterday morning by the blowing
but of a fifteen inch elbow in one of the central
steam mains of the plant Of the New-York Steam
Company. at No IA Greenwich-st.
The dead
JACKSON George, oolored ashman thirty old of
GROWN Edward coorea ashman. thirtytour years old.
SHERRY Frank ashman forty-hve years old, Of No.
az Jersey-ave- Jersey city
The injured are:
GOLDEN Frank twenty-five old Of No let ,5s stsun
Street Hospital
KELLEHER. John. Of No le4 steuhenst Jersey City:
ARzBERGER Frank. Of No 32s Grand-st Jersey .d CITY,
sosids and shock; attended by ambulance surgeon
PETERSON A OF No 1a5 Carton-ave.. Brooklyn.
scads ana shock: attended by surgeon: home
The explosion occurred a few minutes before
Z O'Clock The three men killed belonged to the
night shift Of workmen. and were about to be
relieved by the day workmen. They were stand
ing near the big steampipe which forms one OF
the feeders of steam power to many big down
town Office buildings. There was a sudden sharp
report that was heard block away, and then
a dense cloud of steam filed the big basement
room il which the men were working Jackson
Brown and Golden were together. They made a
rush 10 get out. but the first two named fell
exhausted and were suffocated Golden was
more fortunate and managed to crawl to an
open grating, where he could get fresh air. and
finally got outside.
The steam quickly filled the building On the
second floor was Frank Sherry. Before he could
get TO the fresh air he fell exhausted and was
suffocated.
AS soon as the steam began to fill the building
the men at work nearly hundred in number,
,H,1a 7oov and indn
Some forced their way out into the street from
the first floor through heavy wire gratings, and
shouted for aid for the worl1men left behind.
Policeman Kelly of the Church-st- station. ar
rived, and sent in call for the Hudson Street
Hospital ambulance. Golden was at once taken
TO the hospital. His injuries are not thought
fatal
4 rescue party was quickly formed by the
workmen, and efforts were made to get into the
basement and turn the steam off. This was
found to be impossible. owing to the dense vol
unle Of steam escaping. Finally ]. Johnson ran
Up TO the fourth floor. where he shut off the
valves Of all the steam mains. and stopped the
escape.
first floor where is situated the battery of sixty
boilers, fifty of which were under steam press
ure Of nearly a hundred pounds. Keleher. ARR
berger and Peterson were taken out almost ex-
hausted and badly scalded about the face and
hands.
In the mean time Policeman Kelly had turned
in an alarm Of fire and a call for ambulances
from the New-YOrk Hospital. The steam caused
some delay on the elevated railroad rolling out
in great clouds over the structure. The fremen
went into the building from the Washington-st.
entrance, but found no work to do.
The engineer, W. J. Davis of No 242 Thir-
teenth-st-, Jersey City was arrested and taken
20 the Churcll-st. station Later he
raigned in the Centre-st. police court the
technical charge of homicide. He
manded 10 the custody of the Coroner. Superin-
tendent F. A. Rankin was also taken to the
Police station, but not placed under arrest.
How the accident occurred could not be
place about year and had only recently been
tested, and found to be safe.
Il don't think any to blame for the
accident" said the sergeant OF the Church-st.
station. Davis was arrested. but il was merely
a formal charge, and he will be discharged"
But Davis not discharged.
Frank Golden, one Of the injured men, said:
II tell you it was hot down there. and live steam
amt a good thing to fill your lungs with I
just knocked over, and found my shoes had been
blown off my feet
The officers Of the company, when inquiries
were made at the Office, in the Central Building
ir Liberty-st., would not give any statement as
70 the accident.
The steam was shut off for about half an
hour, and the elevators in many of the down
town buildings We're stopped.
Davis was held in 1900 bail by the Coroner
Bail was furnished by Alderman Kennedy.
Davis stated that he could not see that any one
was to blame, the accident being one that could
not have been avoided