Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-01-28
SIX KILLED
And 100 Injured by Terrific
Explosion at New York
In the Rapid Transit Tunnel at the
Park Avenue Shaft.
Enormous Damage to Property-Some
Buildings Abandoned.

New York, Jan. 21.-The reserve sup
ply Of high explosives stored at the
Park Avenue shaft of the rapid transit
tunnel. blew up shortly after noon, to-
day, and carried death to six persons.
injury to 100 others and serious damage
to much property which suffered from
q huge volley Of debris and the vibra-
zion of the defamation.
The irregular square formed by the
Murray Hill Hotel on the west, the
Manhattan Eye and Ear hospital and
the Grand Union Hotel on the east and
the Grand Central station on the north
was the scene of the explosion. The
BUILDINGS named sustained the great
est damage. but the area affected eX-
tended for several blocks in the four
directions from the center.
TIE dead
Adams. Cyrus. a cigar man at the
Murray Hill Hotel.
Carr. James. 80 years. a waiter en-
ployed at the Murray Hill Hotel.
\ Hino. Lawrence. IS years, Of Anso-
mia. Conn.
Robertson, J. Roderick, of Nelson, b.
c.. guest at the Murray Hill Hotel.
Thompson. Ralph, assistant engineer.
tAll outside reports seem TO agree as to
his death. but the finding of his body is
not reported by the police or by the
hcspitalsl.
The list of injured is an exceedingly
long one but most of them were simply
cut by flying glass. Among those most
serious hurt from places other than
New York are:
Best, Miss. IS. Newport, r. T.. Murray
Hill Hotel. face and head cut.
Best. Mrs. 40, Newport, r. L.. Muir
ray Hill Hotel. face and head cut.
Bristol. VIM. r., IS, Meriden, Conn.
Murray Hill Hotel, face and head cut.
Hunting, Mrs. James f.. Boston. face
ard hands cut.
Chaplin. George, Stamford, Conn,
cuts.
Ryan. the Rev. Father, New England,
head. face and arms cut.
Stanton. Jefferson, Bridgeport, Conn,
shock and slight cuts on face
Tubbs Thomas, master mechanic for.
Contractor IRA A. Shaler.
]. Roderick Robertson of Nelson. B.
c.. was killed by debris hurled into the
room in the Murray Hill Hotel which
he occupied. He was the general man.
ager in Canada for the British Column
bia Gold Fields. Co., Limited and
prominent citizen in the community
where he lived. He was a Scotchman
and widow and four children survive
MIN. He is said to have been quite
wealthy.
The sunken approach to the street
railway nv fha To
Avenue line cuts through Park avenue
anG the shaft for the rapid transit SUBJ
way was run down beside it at the in
tersection of East fist street. The
street railway approach was housed
over with superstructure that was
used for the operating plant of the
Rapid Transit contractors. Temporary
buildings for storage purposes We're
thrown up against the superstructure
at the mouth of the shaft and there the
explosion occurred. 1t tore a great
gorge in the street, demolishing the
temporary buildings and part of the
superstructure. and sent mass of
splintered timber and twisted iron high
in the air.
Much of it went crashing against the
front Of the Murray Hill Hotel and al
though the walls and main structure Of
that building stood the shock, nearly
every room in the front of the house
was wrecked. The Manhattan Eye and
Ear hospital on the east side of the av-
cnue Jared nearly as badly and had to
he abandoned by the management
The Grand Union Hotel lost all of its
windows and glass partitions and prac-
tically every front window in the Grand
Central was shattered. The great clocks
on it's front towers were blown from
their cases. Thousands of windows,
some of them seven blocks from the
tunnel shaft, fell in fragments. 1t was ,
the showers Of broken glass and falling
debris which injured so many persons
General alarms brought firenen. police
reserves and ambulances. and the in
jUred were speedily cared for.
Fortunately the explosion occurred at
the noon hour, one Of the slackest
hours in the day at the Grand Central
station. III the smoking room at the |
southwest corner. a number of men
were slightly injured by bits of glass. |
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