The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-02-04
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION.
HALF-InN OF KLASII\G MATERIAL
rNpIt,DES IN NEW YORK.
Zen P"r1"ra W,rc KnIrh, O,." hundred
seriously N"un,irt :,md :. Ncrsl Hundr,d
Wore w"ru ca, by Eiyin, Glt.s--H
Panic Among ,h" People. Firn
Chief Croker N":o-Dnmagc
Estimated nj 81 100000.

q
the result Of II terrible explosion at
Forty First street and Park avenue
today. 1t was caused by two sue
c"ssivo explosions of gas in the rapid
transit tunnel and nearly II half ton
OF dynamite stored IN Il shanty on the
street. The mon were thawing out
some wet dynamite by means Of a
small fire which spread to tho pow.
der. Tn" concnsson caused by the
explosion set off the dynamite. Dis
trirt Attorney Jerome, Deputy Police
Commissioner THIRST, and Fire Chief
Croker hurried to the scene and in
vestigated tn" horror. Chaos reign
eel in that section of the city. Houses
t"ttered for Il quarter Of Il mile
around. Murray Hill and Grand
Union hotels, two OF the finest in the
city, were wrecked. Scores of build
lnHs moved on their unhations and
windows were shnttrr"a for the dis
tame" rf half mile Trains rocked
on their tracks, in the Grand Central
station. Several fires started i'm the
wrecked buildings Three alarms
w"r" sent in. All nmbulnncrs possi
bic were sent to the scono All hos
pltnls in tn" city sent out calls for
all available physicians to report ut
once.
\ Thousand people living in man
SIons along Park avenue, or stopping
AT hotels, waiting to take trains out
OF tn" railroad station or passing
along til" streets ufopt, in cabs, car
r"g"s and trolley cars, wero thrown
into wild panic.
Doz"ns Of horses, terrified by tho
awful roar of the explosion, dashed
mndly through the crowds, running
over mon aud women and ovelturn.
ing wagons Scores Of mon and wo
mem ran hlindly away from the scene
OF confusion with faces cut by flying
glass and streaming with blood.
Guests Of Murray Hill hotel ran ont
Of IN" wrecked structure with faces
and arms wrapped in towels which
they seized in their rooms to stnunch
tn" flow Of blood from cuts mudo by
flying glass. \ man foil dead from
fright rs h" ran away, nnother's head
was blown off. j. Robrrts, Il guest,
Of the Murray Hill hotel, was crushed
III his bed hy falling wall. Tho
ceiling of tho dining room Of tho ho.
tel WAS hurled down on tho guests
at dinner. Every ono of the patients
and nurses in tho Manhattan Eye
and Ear hospital were injured The
clocks in the Grand Central station
w"r" stopped by the shock. Tho
Grand Central station and the Man
haitian hotel were damagad and the
guests were thrown into terror. Per
SONS in the GIand Central Palace
rush"d t. the street in panic. Re-
serves w"r" called from every p ice
fire station in the city. Every pri-
vate house and drug store in tho
nei :hborho"d was turnod into an
emergency hospital.
In one drug store l25 injured we're
treated. a hugo water main burst
and poured flood into tho debris in
the tunnel, drowning any mon who
may have been caught under it. Fire
Chief Croker descended alone to the
bottom Of the tunnel, thirty five feet
below the street and at tho risk of
his life saved six men. 4 trolley car
in Park nvonuo tunnel was crushed
like paper by the impact of mir that
rushed upon it.
Tho passengers were all badly cut
by glass. A workman was hurled a
block and another was thrown three
blocks and picked up dead and
terribly mangled. The property loss
is estimated at one million dollars,
Contractor Schnler, Foreman Brsck.
en-, Assistant Foreman Mcdonald and
H"rllton Jones, negro, who had
charge of the blasting were arrested.
Mayor Low has asked for report
OF the accident aud will take imme.
diate action
The latest reports show ton persons
known to have been killed, nearly
two hundred injured. Some serious.
ly. The force of the explosion broke
a water main which flooded the sub
way tunnel.
Engines are trying to pump the
tunnel out. Three contractors have