The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-02-04
Chr I(cyald and S:0rGs
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION.
A AnaIF-rz.S HF BLASTING MalEE1 l.
EX1LHDES IN NEW YORK.
Ten fer>ons W.re KILLED, One Hundrrd
Seriously NoundrG and 5. veral Hundred
More were Cut by Flying Gla>a-A
Panic Among the People. Fire
Chief Croker Hero-Damage
Estimated at ST. 100000.

NE" 1OIh, Oous -. HlSho @Ao
dead almost one hundred are serious
ly injured and several hundred more
g shed by flying rocks and glass, as
the result of terrible explosion at
Forty First street and Park avenue
today. It was caused by two sue
cessive explosions of gas in the rapid
transit tunnel and nearly a half ton
of dynamite stored in shanty on the
street. The men we're thawing out
some wet dynamite by means OF q
small fire which spread to the pow
der. The conclusion caused by the
explosion set off the dynamite. Dis
trict Attorney Jerome, Deputy Police
Commissioner Thurst, and Fire Chief
Croker hurried to the scene and in
vestigated the horror. Chaos reign
ed in that section of the city. Houses
tottered for quarter of a mile
around. Murray Hill and Grand
Union hotels, two of the finest in the
city, were wrecked. Scores Of build
ings moved on their foundations and
windows we're shattered for the dis
tance of half mile. Trains rocked
on their tracks in the Grand Central
station. Several fires started IN the
wrecked buildings. Three alarms
were sent in. All ambulances posi-
BILE we're sent to the scene. All hos
pitals in the city sent out calls for
all available physicians to report at
once.
A thousand people living in man
sions along Park avenue, or stopping
at hotels, waiting to take trains out
of the railroad station or passing
along the streets afoot, in cabs, car
riages and trolley cars, were thrown
into wild panic.
Dozens of horses, terrified by the
awful roar of the explosion, dashed
madly through the crowds, running
over men and women and overturn-
ing wagons. Scores of men and wo-
men ran blindly away from the scene
of confusion with faces cut by flying
glass and streaming with blood.
Guests of Murray Hill hotel ran out
of the wrecked structure with faces
and arms wrapped in towels which
they seized in their rooms to staunch
the flow of blood from cuts made by
flying glass. A man fell dead from
fright as he ran away, another's head
was blown off. J. Roberts, a guest
of the Murray Hill hotel, was crushed
in his bed by falling wall. The
ceiling of the dining room of the no.
tel was hurled down on the guests
at dinner. Every one of the patients
and nurses in the Manhattan E Eye
and Ear hospital we're injured. The
clocks in the Grand Central station
were stopped by the shock. The
Grand Central station and the Man
haitian hotel were damagad and the
guests were thrown into terror. Per
sons in the Gland Central Palace
rushed to the street in panic. Re-
serves were called from every police
fire station in the city. Every pri-
vate house and drug store in the
nei ghborhood was turned into an
emergency hospital.
In one drug store 125 injured were
treated. A huge water main burst
and poured food into the debris in
the tunnel, drowning any men 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 the risk Of
his life saved six men. A trolley car
in Park avenue tunne9 was crushed
like paper by the impact of air that
rushed upon it.
The passengers we're all badly cut
by glass. A workman was hurled q
block and another was thrown three
blocks and picked up dead and
terribly mangled. The property loss
is estimated at one million dollars.
Contractor Schaler, Foreman Brack-
en-, Assistant Foreman Mcdonald and
Ha ilton Jones, negro, who had
charge of the blasting were arrested.
Mayor Low has asked for report
of the accident and will take imme-
diate action.
The latest reports show ten persons
known to have been killed, nearly