The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-07-12
OVERCOME BY AMMONIA
Valve in New York City Apartment
House Bursts.
Vapor Fills the Building - Police and
Ambu1onces Called
Out.

New York City .-Overpowering Fumes
Of ammonia filled every room in the
fashionable Dorilton apartment, at
Broadway and Seventy-irst street,
just before midnight, and many per-
son. were temporarily Frustrated when
a valve Of the ammonia machine in
the cellar burst. Mrs. ]. R. Josephs
was the most seriously affected, and it
required hard work on the part of an
ambulance surgeon from Bellevue Hos
pital and the house doctor to restore
her.
The ~elevato- boys deserted their cars,
and the 200 persons in the apartments
were forced to hold their heads out of
windows or take the Fisk Of dropping
In the Sitting halls in an effort to gain
the street. Many escaped in this way.
The engineer turned a hose into the
cellar and flooded it with water, which
partly absorbed the fumes. Then, with
a suit of diving armor, he worked his
way 70 the broken valve and shut off
the break in the refrigerating plant.
The elevator shaft acted as a distrib-
utor of the volume of burning vapor
and thus spread it through the seven
floors in an instant. Women breathless
and with streaming eyes rushed out on
the Broadway court and on the Sew
enty-irst street side Of the building,
on which the wind was blowing, driv-
ing the flames to the rear Of the apart
ments. Patrolman Sexton jumped
into one of the elevators and ran it up
through the house, stopping at every
floor to open all the windows he could
reach.
The refrigerating plant is used to cool
the apartments, and great are Is
taken to see thai everything is In pro-
per working order. William Hay, the
engineer, cannot account for the blow
ing out of the valve. He had. an as
sistant with him, and both were close
to the engine when the explosion came.
They escaped injury, but were quickly
dazed by the outrush of overpowering,
vapor, and with difficulty struggled to
the windows. Catching a breath Of
air they revived, and ran to the front
Of the cellar.
Hay quickly put on a sort Of divers
armor and his assistant rapidly at
tacbed a hose to the standpipe In the
cellar. A big stream of water vas
turned on. which cleared the atmos-
phere to some extent Protected by,
the armor, Hay pushed through the
ammonia-laden air to the broken valve.
He shut it of and staggered away, to
fall in a stupor. His assistant dragged
him to the street, where he recovered.
While this was taking place in the
cellar the tenants In the apartments
were in a terrible plight. Men, women
and children gasping for breath ran
about in terror. The excitement In
Broadway became intensified by the
arrival Of the reserves from the West
SiZty-eighth street police station and
Of the Roosevelt and New York Hosp1-
tai ambulances. The police believed
1t was not possible for everybody to
escape prostration In that frightful at
mosphere and the two ambulances
were called. Several doctors from the
neighborhood were on hand to lend
their aid.
At the first rush of ammonia gas up
the elevator shafts the boys left their
cars and bolted for the street. Up the
shafts, like smoke up a great fume,
the gas rushed and spread through
every floor. In all stages Of dress and
undress the frightened tenants rushed
into the halls. Those who were able
made their way down the stairs, slid
ing on their faces, keeping noses and
mouths as close to the carpet as posi-
BILE. Mrs. Josephs was n Of those
who escaped in this way. She was
| found sitting on the curb in Broadway
| gasping. Her distress was pitiable
and she was on the verge Of hyster1a.
Patrolman Sexton was the only man
who had the grit to penetrate the build
ing, and he jumped into n Of the
cars. He ran it up to the first floor,
and as quickly as he could u he
opened every window within reach and
repeated the operation at every floor.
That had the effect Of clearing the
halls so that the tenants could breathe
a little more easily. The wind drove
the fumes to the rear of the building,
and the tenants who could not get out
clustered at the front windows on
every floor. Then the blowers in the
cellar were put In motion and started
q current of air which cleared the
building.
Not for an hour were the tenants
able to return to their rooms, and It
was early in the morning before any Of
them recovered from the agonizing SEN
sations that followed the trying expe-
rience.
The windows were left open. but still
the strong odor remained, and those
who were able to sleep were relieved
from the sensation Of blindness that
followed the strain on their eyes. Mrs.
Josephs was very Ill, but the physician
said she would be all right soon.