The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-28
THE DEAD.

The killed were:
cyrus a Adams. cigar man at the
Murray Hill Hotel.
James Carr, 80 years. = waiter en-
plovcd at the Murray Hill Hotel.
Heln, 2S years, of .Ansonia, Conn.
Robertson j. Rodericll. of Nelson. b. c..
Z, guest at the Murray Hill Hotel.
John II. Thompson, assistant engineer.
fAll outside reports seem TO agree as 10
his death, but his body is not reported
hy the police or by the hospitnis.l
William COR Charlcsy Tubbs, master ma
cnanic for Contractor Ira a Shalcr.
Robertson ]. Roderick, of Nelson B. g,
wss killed by debris hurled with the force
sf artillery into his room at the murray
1Iill Hotel. He was general manager Ia
Canada for the British Columbia Holu
irields Company, Limited, and proml-
peut citizen in flre community where no
li,-e1 He was a Scotchman and lett a
7.tdoyy and four children. He was said TO
nave been quite wealthy
The s1Inlien approach 20 the street rail-
yyay tunnel used by the Madison Avenue
line cuts through Park Avenue ana Li'e
shaft for the rapid transit subway was
,1,n down AT the side of it at the intersec-
ZION at East Forty-first Street me street
railway approaCh was housed over WIN
f. superstructIre used for the operating
;lant of the rapid transit contractors.
Temporary buildings for storage pur poses
were thrown up against the Sni2efStIuc- ,''S
t,lre at the mouth OF the saa1t ana 'itei
the explosion occurred
TORE GORGE IN STREET
II tore g. great gorge in the street oe-
,,,,riehed the temporary buildings ana
mart of the superstruCturc and sent
nsss of earth. splintered timber ana
twisted iron high in the air Nnch on ~
Uant batterng against The front ol INT
Murray AN Hotel, and although iic
walls and main structure of that huliultis -
stood the shock nearly every io1i'' -
no front of the house was wrecked
-hn Manhattan Eve and Ear Hospital
a., The east side of the avenue 1ared
nearly as bad and had 10 lac abandoned
b,, tho 1nanaEement. The Grand Union
Hotel lost all of its windows ana glass
partitions and practically every front
window in the Grand Central station
Was shattered. The great clocks on us
fron+ towers were blown from thelf
.asas Thousands Of windows, some of
,bc,,Y even blocks from the tunnel shalt
fou In fragments. IT was the shower OF
broken glass and falling debris that III
jured the greatest number.
GENERAL ALARNI-
General alarms brought firemen, police
reserves and every available ambulance
Ia the district and the injured We're
y
i,IIur,ed were treated on the spot and the
Dbjte-coatcd ambulance sergecns worked
f,r am hour in the debris Strewn streets.
i,olice lines were thrown across either
end of Park Avenue and across the IN
lersertinc streets. Several times the Ipo-
lice cleared the street of people IN lfoht
ul the Murray IInl Hotel, Torrents OF
sster from broken mains nourheo lh'o
;he tunnel shaft, while the wreckaSe was
y.srp cleared from the street railway sub
way and il was feared that street might
cere la
The cause Of the explosion and the
quantity of explosives that blew up are
not definitely known. Several causes
have been advanced. One was that a
inc started near the powder-room, and
saat Master Mechanic William Tubbs
lost his life in a desperate attempt 10
uuench IL before it reached the o"ddly
fuel. Another was that ii started from
a spark produced by a stray current OF
electricity. a third placed the blame
,lgon a blast in the tunnel. Still another
gave II gas explosion from electrical con-
Tact IN the trolley conduit of the street
railway subway. 1t will probably take
a., official investigation TO reveal the true
summation. Several men who We're vegy
close 10 the shaft escaped, While others
b,,,,drcds of feet away wereikaoclied down
.sud seriously injured.
District Attorney Jerome visited the
scene and made am investigation 10 guide
ni,n in the official inquiry and possible
criminal prosecution tina, will follow
ARRESTS MADE.
Ira A Shaier, engineer in charge OF the
work at Park Avenue; John Bracken,
forcnan and Martin McGrath, an ASSIST,
ali, foreman. We're placed under arEeS'
and charged with homicide. William bar.
clay Parsons. chief engineer OF the fSapic
Transit Commission, said that ShaieF was
one of the most competent and careful
engineers he ever knew.
The damage may exceed Si,oo.coa.
The ffst estimate on the Murray HI
5ioto, placed the loss at 100000, but later
The hotel was abandoned as unsafe II
.ae building IS condemned, the loss of II
alone will approach sl.0oo,ooo. The damage