The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-25
MANY HURT IN SEWER BLOWUP
IuTH N SERIES or EXPLOSIONS
on TIE WEST SIDE.
Man struck Match IN Cellar and Touched
or the Neutrality-suspicious. Shattered,
Plumbing Wrecked and Many a Man.
hole Cover Was Sent sailing Skyward.

hole over Was Sent sailing Skyward.
To ne able to light the gas without blow
ING NO the sewers all around the block Is
sll the ambition Of people who live near
Ninth avenue and Fifty-frst street, but the
sewers load up persistently, as they have
heen doing for weeks, and when they are
GOOD and loaded up go the manholes. Yes
terdav's shock was severe enough to sug-
rest that the structure of the sewers them
s,lyes might rave been damaged. Several
rersops we're hurt and something under an
acre of window glass, as high up in some
cases as the fourth floor was shattered.
Ma nhole covers sailed skyward. followed
bv spprts of flame, which shot to the height
~ he second stories. The explosion shook
tho entire neighborhood between Forty
seventh and Fifty-third streets west Of
Ninth avenue.
The man who fired the sewers was Peter
Mcmahon, who about O'Clock in the after
noon vent into the basement of his saloon,
at the southwest corner OF Fifty-hrst street
and Ninth avenue, to light a gas stove.
No sooner was the stove lighted than an
explosion blew out the sewer vent in the
basement, hurled Mcmahon across the
room and filled the place with fame.
Strangely enough the main explosion did
not follow for some minutes, and the fire
engines had already answered the call
TO McMahon's saloon when it came.
Mcmahon was badly burned about the
face and hands by the explosion and Joseph
Pardon, Of 6Sl Ninth avenue, a porter in
the saloon, was burned in an attempt to
drag him from the cellar. Both men were
taken to Roosevelt Hospital and went home
after having their wounds dressed.
Two or three minutes after the explosion
in McMahon's place, a slight conclusion
shook the neighborhood, followed by a rumb-
ling sound that ended In a heavy explosion
and the fight Of the manhole covers. Be-
tween Forty-seventh and Fifty-fourth streets
on Ninth avenue five manhole covers were
blown of.
Tenth avenue between Forty-ninth and
Fifty-frst streets lost five more. Eleven
sailed into the air on Fifty-frst street, be-
tween Ninth and Eleventh avenues. and
four went up on Twelfth avenue, between
Fiftieth and Fifty-frst streets.
At TIA Ninth avenue an explosion OF gasin
the cellar rocked the house and broke the
glass in many windows. Herbert Wickham.
ii months old, had been left outside the
house in his carriage. Glass from the win
dows showered about the child, cutting
him severely about the hands. A doctor
who was passing carried the baby into a
drug store and dressed his wounds
William Elson, a driver, was sitting on
the box Of his hanson at the corner OF
Ninth avenue and Fifty-third street. A
manhole cover going up caught his horse
on the left hind leg and severely injured
the animal.
Along Fifty-second street, west of Tenth
avenue, the flames shot from the manholes
& high as the second story windows.
I,omen became hysterical and rushed into
the street thinking that the buildings were
falling. A girl whose name could not be
learned was reported to have been severely
injured in the neighborhood and a maj
said that he saw an automobile blown up
bodily on the corner of Tenth avenue.
The police knew nothing Of either of these
orc~urrences. All the windows in the
raiphhorhood we're broken as high as the
tfh stroy.
,harlas F. Rhein of 1877 Ninth avenue
ran TO his cellar when the explosion came.
To explained afterward that he was afraid
10 run out doors because in the gas explosion
ri two weeks ago his wife ran out and was
/ 1T by a manhole cover.
Rhein reached the cellar just in time to
tr,re a sewer cover which was blown of
II the basement. Frank Werner OF 1877
Ninth avenue the owner OF the house, was
with Rhein. He too had a narrow escape
and 10th men decided that the street was
good enough fol- them.
st SO West ~Fifty-first street the ex-
rioding gas found vent through the cellar.
The first floor was raised from the founda-
tions and most Of the windows in the place
we're wrecked. Mrs. Mary Carpenter, who
lived on the first floor, was badly frightened,
hut escaped serious injury. The damage
t, the place is estimated at $500.
At 40 West Fifty-frst street Mrs. Ellen
Cassidy said that the place shook as though
there was an earthquake. Most OF the
windows were blown outward, and many
Of the doors and windows in that neighbour
hood we're wrecked in the same manner.
The explosion seemed to come through the
cellar.
Edward o'Dowd, IA years old, Of 54s West
Forty seventh street, playing marbles
on a manhole cover at Forty-ninth street
and Tenth avenue went up with the cover.
He was cut and bruised, but not badly
hurt enough to go to the hospital.
Joseph Sargent of 8S1 Ninth avenue was
burned by the flames which came from
the manhole at ~Forty-ninth street and
Tenth avenue. He was taken to his home,
Martin X. Branif, a laborer, no address
given, was knocked down and stunned by
q manhole cover. He was able to go home
after being treated by an ambulance SUR
geon.
Policeman Edward Baldauf OF the West
Forty-seventh street station was cut about
the face and hands by flying glass. He
was sent home.
The fire in McMahon's saloon was put
out without much trouble. The firemen
found that the explosion had followed up
the lines Of the waste pipes In the building
hnd had blown the sink holes out on all
foors.
The explosion yesterday wa the fifth
OF the kind in the same district. Michael
,Ryrne, secretary Of the West Side Business
Mems Association, said last night that his
association had appealed to the Borough
President to investigate the trouble and
had received a note from the Borough
Presidents secretary saying that the mat
ter was under investigation and that as
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