The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-22
SHOWERED BY FIRE FROM AUTO
ELEVEN MEN HURT ny A DOUBLE
EXPLOSION or GASOLINE.
Peter De Wits 5000 Machine blows Up
Twice. the Second Time When Firemen
Poured Cold water ON It-Elevated
Stairs Afire-The Driver Arrested.

An automobile owned by Peter De Witt,
coal dealer, explot ed twice within five min
utes yesterday afternoon, and injured six
men in the first blow-up and five in the
! second
The machine was small ten-horpe-power,
single-seat runsbout. operated by gaso.
lene When it exploded 1t was in charge
Of John Seckerman, Mr.. De Wits driver,
and another man named Bergen. who Ii
employed in the De Witt coal Office at the
foot of East Forty-ninth street as a book
keeper. Neither OF them stayed around
till the excitement was over. but Seeker
man was arrested last night at his home.
PIG West Sixteenth street. on u charge of
criminal negligence.
The two men were going ct st through
Forty-seventh street, and the automobile
got out of gear just IS they reached Third
avenue. Seckerman and his companion
left it under the elevated station stairs
and went into the saloon on the southwest
corner
They came out two or three minutes
later and started to tinker the machine.
The gasolene caught fire and there was
an explosion. Seckerman and Bergen were
both burned on their hands and faces, and
four other men, who were leaning over
Watching were burned too. These others
were Joseph Agrasto OF lbs Mulberry street.
who runs newsstand at the corner; Adolph
Martina of SAT Fast 1885, h street. Richard
Towne of 1454 Amsterdam avenue and
John p. Lynch Of s4s Second avenue. Lynch
wasn't watching the repairs because he
is blnu newsboy but he knew that some
thing was going on and stood close enough
to be in harms way. These men were all
burned on the face and hands.
Seckerrnan ana Bergen disappeared with
out waiting TO have their burns attended to
and left the carriage TO take care Of itself.
1t soon set fire to the elevated stairs end
Policeman Tourney sent In an alarm. Iheo-
dore Vandenberg, who lives across the
way. rem out with long hooked pole with
which he pulled the burning automobile into
the middle of the street
Three engine companies got there just
about that time Vandenburg jumped up
at the firemen and yelled to them not to
turn the water on the automobile,
They did not tske his warning and the
minute strefm of cold water struck the
red hot tank it blew up with bang,
The second explosion was much more
serious than the first. Jets OF flaming geso-
lene shot out in all directions into the crowd
and the chance are that some who didn't
wait to give their names to the police went
home with blistered faces.
Journeys helmet was KNOCKED on, MS
face was badly burned. his hair singed
and his uniform ruined. When he peeled
of his coat it was blazing Firemen Peter
Martin OF Engine 20. William J. Harrie Of
Engine 81 and Harry j. kendrigan Of En-
CINE were all burned in the same way
Morris Sonneblum. in trying to get out
OF the way, stumbled over the curb and
-oraoked hia kpeepan ..s
All whose Injuries were serious enougf,
to attract the attention Of the police We're
was dangerously hurt.
The force OF the explosion was enough
to break windows in the corner houses and
the report was heard ten blocks away. The
police had their hands full in keeping back
a crowd Of 500 persons. who got off the Third
avenue cars and came from all directions
TO look on
Wander berg, the only man who seemed
to know what to do and when to do it. fur
nis!lcd one explanation of tho accident.
He said that when Sackerman and B,rgen
tried TO fix up the machine one Of them
pulled out the stopcock 30 far that the
gar olene poured out on the flame in a stream
instead OF a drop at time.
Seckerman and Be rgen showed up at the
De Witt coal Office at Forty-ninth street and
tie East River later in the afternoon and
said that the explosion vas caused by
somebody's dropping lighted match
from the elevated road platform.
The wreck Of the machine, which was
worth 5000 before the explosion. was
hauled around to the East Fifty-first street
station and later on delivered to man
named Allen. who called with written
order from Mr.. De Witt