The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-08-09
AWFUL EXPLOSION
Which. Carried Instant reath and
Destruction Over Wide Area.
Remarkable Accidents Due 20 Flying
Iron and Rock. Woman Blown
Into River. Man ScaIded.
Destruction Over Wide Area.
Remarkable Accidents Due 20 Flyine

Iron and Rock. Woman Blown
Into River. Man scalded.
Exploding and flying high In air, ;
big boiler Of the New York city sub
way tunnel palntnear the North rive
recently scattered jagged iron and in
jury for blocks around ane left in thu
ruins behind 1t a man scalded almost
to death. Brave volunteers answered
his calls for help and forced their way
to him and out again through heavy
steam and rain Of minor missiles from
the sky. he died later in the J. Hoo6
Wright hospital. O:her men, too
were carried out, two Of them neal
death, and there were other rescues
in stranger places. One OF these was
Of woman whom the conclusion lit.
orally blew into the river, another a
motor boat race to hospital with
three wounded boys.
One bizarre effect Of the blast was
the tipping into the river Of forty
bath houses that doated away, leaving
twoscore Of bathers in a predicanent
as to clothing and honeward journeys
that only night and a deal OF charity
solved. The physical shock Of the ex
plosion was felt for q mile around. I5s
after effects were felt by the whole
city. 1t stopped al work on the west
branch Of the subway, the rCck tunnel
under Washington heights. The boile,
vas one OF four In a long sheet iron
power house that furnished light and
compressed air for the deep rock work.
ings OF the uptown subway. The ex.
plCsion destroyed the othar boilers
and much OF the machinery and set
back the completion OF that section
indefinitely. A former accident, a
cave.in, had already delayed the work
seriously, but it had been planned to
open the subway to it's uttermost limit
in the fall.
The cause Of the explosion was not
definitely know, but two men were
placed under arrest. Had the acci.
dent occurred on a week day, with
more than 500 men working in the
tunnel, there might have been great
loss Of life. Air would have been shut
If from the workers. The explosion
occurred in what is known as Nc.
Kabe's power house, which lies just
east OF the New York Central tracks.
Three years ago McKabe failed and
sold out to a man named Hunt, and
after that John B. Mcdonald, ths
subway contractor, gained control Of
the works for the purpose Of finishing
the long subway tunnel at that point.
The power house consisted OF sheet
iron building the length Of three city
lots and running back a distance OF
$50 feet. Four tall chinneys rising
fifty feet in the air stand at the cor
ners Of the building, which contained
besides the COMPRISING plant and
dynamos battery Of four eighty.
horsepower boilers, and it was one OF
these which blew up. 1t was just at
4:30 o'clock that the quiet OF the Sun
day afternoon was broken by the ter
rife roar Of the bursting boiler. It
was followed Immediately by an up.
rising cloud Of dense black smoke,
through which pieces OF rock, stone
and steel shot up as much as 800 feet
in the ai1 in all directions.
The shock was felt over a mile away,
where folk on the cars to and from
Fort George were almost shaken from
their seats by the concussion. Patrol
nan George Kethman was on duty
near the scene, and, instantly real!z-
ing that a great accident had hap
pened, he telephoned first to police
headquarters and then to the J. Hood
Wright hospital for ambulances and
ran to the water front. Before him
what a second before had been great,
strong building was nothing but a
broken and twisted mass Of smoking
ruins, from which came shouts and
screams for help. Let me out! Let
me out!" shricked voice from the
very center OF the w1eckage. Pm
boiling to death! Do anything! l
want to die! 1 want TO die!''
By this time a large crowd had
gathered near the smoking ruins, and
as the agoniz!ng cries broke out afresh
scores OF faces blanched. Three men
jumped forward and pressed their
way into the building toward the
screaming man. AS they disappeared
in the smoke and dust women who
we're present called to them to come
back and not to risk their lives in
what seemed to ba vain hope. For
awhile nothing vas heard Of them,
but after several minutes they were
seen to emerge from the steaming
clouds bearing in their arms the body
Of colorsd man practically stripped
to the skin. he was Joseph Morgan,
fireman, who had been in the pit
stoking when ths boiler exploded.
With the exception Of some shreds
OF underwear Morgan was naked. His
head and body were scaldsd in a dozen
places where the boiling steam hao
caught him, and one arm was stripped
OF flesh almost to the bone, yet the
man was conscious. His screams only
made the work the harder for his res
cuers. he was laiG on the ground and
after few minutes was Whisked Of
to the J. Hood Wright hospital,
where be fingered In agony until early
morning, when he died. The men
who braved death to save him were
Edward L. Byrnes, Albert Hildebrand
and Andy Marshall. These men i'm.
mediately after getting Morgan tt
safety turned back again TO help the
other poor wretches who had beer
caught In the building. Meantime
in the vicinity Of the accident othel
persons had been hit by the flying
rocks and iron plates and more or less
injured. One OF the worst sufferers
was Edward Altensea, a shirteen.year.
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