The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-01-29
Investigation Into Destructive
Explosion al New York.
TIE STORAGE CT EXPLOSIVES
win Be Tho Particular Suhlct Of InuIIn.
Law MAY Have 6ssn Violated BY The
SuhwaJ Contractors.

New York. Jan. ss-An the Inquiries
and Investigations begun by the city ana
county authorities into the disastrous ex-
ploSion IN the subway at Fourth avenue
and Forty-hrst street with a view 10 de-
termining the cause and fixing the ro.
sponsibility. were continued actively 70.
day.
In these and other Investigations tho
mayor. the police department. the dis.
trict attorney. the FIRE department. the
borough president and the superintend-
ent OF buildings all PLAYED important
parts. Evidence was collected for the pur-
pose or satisfying the criminal law. and
In tho inquiries attention was paid also
20 the question OF civil liability.
Efforts were directed particularly 20
ward the matter OF the storage OF eXrlo-
slves IN order 20 ASCERTAIN II the law had
been Violated at the point where the cX-
plosion took place, The borough authorl-
ties were more especially concerned with
the extent Of damage to the Murray li.l
Hotel and other buildings, some OF which.
At was thought, might have been render
ed unsafe as a result OF the tremendous
blast which shook dozens OF city blocks.
W Ille all iutht dulnpTlAieS were ltlNtN-
figating the work OF clearing away the
debris and repairing the extensive dam
age 70 property was prosecuted vigorous
~.
District Attorney Jerome said last
night that he had come 20 the conclusion
that fire undoubtedly caused the explo-
sion. He had sscertained that bpps. the
powder man. had a candle in the dyna-
mite house, and with II had lit another
and longer candle. In doing this the dis
srict attorney thinks a fire may have
started which ignited the paraffined pa
per IN which the cartridges were wrap
ped.
LARGE STOCK or EXPLOSIVES.
Mr. Jerome has concluded from inform
alton from various sources that at the
time OF the explosion there were be-
tween l25 and 200 pounds OF explosives I'm
the house at the time OF the supposed
lre
Conflicting stories and theories were
chiefly what the authorities had 10 work
ON today. The most generally accepted ac-
count of the explosion was that Il had
been caused by fire, but there was a con-
cussion story and theory extant which
found credence. in the matter OF the
quantity OF explosives in storage at this
particular point there was also conflict
ing evidence.
IL was alleged on behalf of the Rapid
Transit commission and the subway
contractors that the law had not been
violated in respect 20 the limited amount
which st-was permitted -ta-store-- 49, Yet
statements were made TO the contrary.
The law allows ~ pounds of dynamite or
other high explosive 10 be stored at q
given point.
IL Is said in behalf OF the contractors
that only enough was kept on hand for
n days work-nowhere near the permit
ted amount Fire Chief Croker says that
he has been informed that an illegal
quantity OF explosives. $50 pounds. per-
haps, was indicated by reports 20 him as
having been stored. Chief Croker also
holds 10 the fire theory as the cause OF
the explosion.
The damage wrought By the explosion
cannot yet be accurately estimated What
IS considered a conservative figure is ST.
100 but the damage may exceed that
considerably. The greatest force OF the
blast was felt by the Murray Hill Hotel
But the Grand Union hotel. the Manhat-
tan Eye and Ear lnhrmary and the
Grand Central station also suffered se-
verely. The walls OF the Murray Hill hvtei
were severely shaken, but the building is
structurally all right though the interior
is a wretk.
EPP'S STATEMENT.
There are varying estimates of the
Amount OF explosives that could have
caused the havoc wrought Moses Epps.
the negro In charge OF the powder house.
said that there were COO pounds of blast
Ing selatine in the shanty. He said that
there were Is boxes containing from 90
10 ~ cartridges
william Barclay Parsons, chief ongi-
neer OF the Rapid Transit commission.
says that he believes that there was not
more than case Of dynamite there, and
the reason that IL did such damage was
because AZ went OF practically In the
open. II ~ bad been set in a rock it's
force would have bten spent IN shGtter-
fng the rock.
Mr.. Parsons says that the rule has been
adopted of storing az any one point only
sufficient explosives for one days work,
and Tho stories OF large quantities OF
dynamite on the line Of ihe subway are
untrue. The conflicting theories about tho
amount OF dynamite which could ~have
caused the destruction wrought by the
explosion OF Monday leaves this point
open, and IL Is one that Is regarded by
many az decidedly important
Blasting, according 10 Mr.. Parsons,
should end az 1890 o'clock and az the
time of The explosion yesterday there
should have been very little explosive
material In storage II there was only
one days supply stord at that point
Could that small amount have caused
the wreck waa g question that many
persons were trying today 20 answer.
Even ~ tho fun amount allowed by the
permit wax stored there. could that have
caIised such destruction was another
question that engaged the attonuon Of
the authorities.
Mai Ira A shaler. the sub-contraotor
who had charge Of the work on that
restion of the tunnel said that there
wsg not great denl az dynamite stored
~ that point. n0t more than ~ sticks.
Mr.. Shaler advanced the theory that a
rpnrk from a passing trolley car might
have caused the explosion by setting on
the blast prcmaturclv OF exploding q
loose stick Of dynamite
The story told bv Epps the powder
holEe man. gives The most detailed ac-
count Of how the explosion occurred lie
had charge ~ the rxnlOslvc which was
stored IN little shanty just south OF
Forfy-hrst street on the west side of
PARK avenue. ~ wn7 near the guard
fence 81 the street RAILWAY subway The
sxplosive was stored on shelves In the
shanty. which was lighted By "a caudie
IN a small lantern. placed on a shelf
shove the dynamite.
Tppe says that the blast which Jones
oct on IN the subway excavation iarred
Haoic Hair Stain