Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-01-30
DYNAMITE LETS GO
AND TERRIFIC HAVOC is
WROUGHT IN NEW YORK.
ANOTHER TUNNEL HORROR
Eight Persons Killed and Over One
Hundred Injured While the Prop
erty Loss Will Reap Over Million
Cause of Explosion Not Yet
acknowledgement Arrested.

New York. Jan. 28.-The reserve
supply of high explosives stored at the
Park avenue shaft Of the rapid transit
tunnel, now in course of contraction.
blew up shortly after noon yesterday.
The giant blast killed eight persons,
injured 100 others and seriously dam
aged all property reached by the fly
ing debris and vibration of the shock
The sunken approach to the street
railway tunnel used by the Madison
avenue line cuts through Park avenue
and the shaft for the rapid transit sub
way was run down beside it at an I'M
tersectiOn east Of Forty-fTst street
The street railway approach was
housed over with a superstructure used
for operating the plant by the rapid
transit contractors. Temporary build
ings for storage purposes were thrown
up against the superstructure at the
mouth of the shaft and there the ex-
DlOSiOn occurred. 1t tore great
gorge in the street, demolished the
temporary buildings and part of the
superstructure, and sent d mass of
EARTH splintered timbers and twisted
iron high in the air Much of it went
battering against the front of the Muir
ray Hall hotel and although the walls
and main structure of the building
stood the shock, nearly every room in
front of the house was wrecked.
The Manhattan eye and ear hospital
on the east side of the avenue Jared
nearly as bad and had to be aban-
dOned. The Grand Union hotel lost
all its windows and glass partitions
and practically every front window in
the Grand Central Station was shat.
tered. The great clocks on its front
overs were blown from the cases.
Thousands of windows, some Of them
seven blocks from the tunnel shaft
fell in fragments. 1t was the shower
Of broken glass and falling debris that
injured the greatest number.
General alarms brought firemen, 20
lice reserves and every available am
bulance to the district and the injured
were speedily cared for. A majority
Of the injured were treated on the spot
and surgeons worked for an hour in
the debris-streWn street. The cause
Of the explosion and quantity OF expIo-
siVes that blew up are not definitely
known. Several causes were ad-
vanced, but it will probably take an
official investigation to reveal the
truth. DISTRICT Attorney Jerome Wis
tied the scene and made an investiga-
ton to guide him in the official inquiry
and possible criminal prosecutor that
will follow
Ira A. Shaler, the engineer in charge
Of the work at Park avenue; John
Bracken foreman, and Martin Nc
Grath, assistant foreman, were arrest
ed and charged with homicide
The damage may exceed a million
dollars. The first estimated on the
Murray Hall hotel placed the loss at
$780, 900 but later the hotel was aban-
dOned as unsafe. If the building is
condemned the loss on it alone will
approach $1OOO,0OO. The damage 20
the Grand Union is estimated at $40
600 and the Manhattan hospital r-y.-
600. The loss at the Grand Central
station was entirely in glass as was
that of the 100 or more other buildings
affected by the explosion. No estimate
was made of the losses sustained by
the rapid transit contractors.