The Morris County chronicle., 1905-03-21
BoULDERs SMASH WALLS
Apartment House in New York City
Partly Demolished.
CareIessly Controlled Dynamiting Causes
Havoc-No People KiIlad
or Injured.

New York City. Big boulders, nurled
BY the force of dynamite, crashed
against the rear walls of three fat
houses in Lexington avenue, near 1O1st
street, and smashed them in from the
foundation to the second floors The
living rooms Of the occupants were ex-
posed to view, and there were many
narrow escapes from death.
The entire neighbOrhood was thrown
into panic In the bombarded houses
women and children ran to the front
windows screaming for help. Into one
of the rear rooms a rock weighing
about 400 pounds was hurled with ter
rife force fell on dining room table,
smashed it into kindling wood, crashed
through the second floor to the first and
wrecked the furniture there.
A stove was demolished and started
a blaze, which was put out quickly.
Jagged rocks weighing from fifty to
100 pounds crashed into other rooms
For all this wreeking, it is said, con-
tractor, blasting out rock in lot at the
rear of the houses, was responsible.
Frederick Lamura had been blasting
for four weeks, and protests had been
made against the way he was doing
the work, for fragments of stone had
broken windows. Still, it is said, he
took no precautions to prevent such an
accident as that which happened 1t is
supposed he expected to make short
work of what remained of the giant
boulder, and put heavy charge of dy-
Mantle into drilled hole
The heavy charge was exploded and
the earth seemed to rise up all around.
Two blocks away two members of Sem
ator Frawley's Miami Club were
thrown from their seats in the club
house. The force Of the concussion
close to the rock was terrific Big sec
tions of the rock torn away by the
blast shot straight at the rear walls OF
Nos. 1898, 1895 and 1897 Lexington ave-
nue.. Like eggshells the walls gave
way before the fearful force of the
missiles. Not brick stood In position
from the foundation to the window
lodges Of the second floors of the three
houses. The sound of crashing glass
echoed through the district for several
minutes after the roar of the explosion
had ceased.
The biggest rock landed in Edward
J. Cahilrs home, in No. 1893. His wife
and children were out. Cahill bad
just left the rear bedroom when the
400-pound stone tore its way through
the wall and wrecked everything in the
place. On the same floor lived Julius
Neiburg and his family. Luckily all
were out Every bic of furniture in
the rear rooms was crushed The big
stone kept on into the apartment of
William Crane, then smashed through
the floor.
Mrs. Daniel Reardon, on the second
floor of No. 1896, had just called her
husband and children from the front
room to dinner A stone weighing 100
pounds flew into the dining room and
smashed q sideboard and dining table
to fragments.
After the hubbub ended it was seen
the walls gave signs of collapsing An
emergency force was sent by the Build
ing Department to shore them up. La
mura tried to escape, but was caught
by an angry crowd He would have
been beaten only for the police. He
was locked up, charged with criminal
negligence.
The scene after the blast looked as
if that section of Harlem had been un-
der bombardment by a hostile army.
Windows were broken for at least a
block in every direction.