New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-26
BLAST HURTS TWELVE
p. Z. II. TERMINAL TORN.
Flying Rocks Hit Spectators at
Edge Of Huge Excavation.

The Tenderloin was Jared to it's granite heart
and twelve persons were injured yesterday af-
ternoon- by blast of forcite in the excavation
Of the Pennsylvania terminal at Seventh avenue
and 32d street. Although the eruption of rocks.
some of which weighed two hundred pounds.
broke many windows. only one workman in the
excavation was injured. The other casualties
. were among the spectators lined up at the edge
Of the hole. Hugo Canesa. nine years DID, of
No. 143 West 9th street, was perhaps fatally
injured.
One of the great jagged pieces Of gray stone
was sent like projectile through the brick wall
of a store and narrowly missed party OF ten
ants. Other fragments broke windows and dug
holes in the sides Of buildings. 1t was in many
ways the worst of the series of disastrous blasts
that have occurred in the tunnel and terminal
work of the neighborhood. The police ascribed
the accident to premature discharge. but the
New York Contracting Company's officers said
It was probably due to the explosion of dynamite
that had been placed in the rock and forgotten
before a blast was prepared.
John Tobin. foreman of the gang. disappeared
during the excitement, and the police arrested
instead John Fitzpatrick, of Morris Park ave-
nue., Van Nest superintendent of the entire con-
struction work He was bailed out on $4,000
bond. The injured are:
BELL Harry hfty years old Rainblersvlle. Long
BUNAcoRA. Frank. thirty-sx years old; injured in
cANEYsA Huge nine i years old No ls West 27th
poRR Amelia fifty nine years old shock: taken home
BUSHES. Ernest No l62 East 1929 street. lacerations
JOHNSON Lucille twsnty-toqr years old. No 1872 west
MEL0URUs. stanruls. twenty-four years old No 49,
GEsF Tincenzo rear sh o hIin 20 AZ Fast
oREbENA Frank fhiTyaTe Years OLD No "a, Eas,
Ssth street; fracture OF right arm; New York Hos
PAKpMoR Be- Alexandria twenty five years old. 100
RYAN John. twenty,eight years old No ie5 Seventh
t broken ribs and Internal iures Bellevue
avenue; contusions of left knee; taken home.
The explosion occurred shortly before noon.
when Seventh avenue was crowded with We
hicles, and pedestrians. According to the
contracting company. warning had been given
the workmen in charge of the blast. Patrolman
Patrick German. who half a block away,
did not benefit by this, however, and he was
nearly knocked off his feet when, with a mighty
roar, the pieces Of rock shot I'D over the ave-
nue.. That many persons were not killed out
right was due probably to the fact that the
space between the car tracks and the west side
Of the avenue is too narrow to permit spectators
to lean against the rail there. Most of the in
jured were standing at the fence, which bounds
the eastern side of the avenue, and were almost |
out Of direct range.
Several passing horses tried TO run away. |
bur none OF the passengers needed the service Of
ambulance surgeons. who hurried to the |
with the reserves of the Tenderloin and |
West 31th street stations.
So great was the force Of the explosion that |
rocks were hurled a distance OF three blocks !
over the five story buildings and crashed through
the plateglass window of saloon at Both street |
and Seventh avenue, owned by Bob Nelson, |
frightening almost into a panic the crowd of |
men at the bar.
ACROSS Seventh avenue. in 30th street, is the |
stable Of 7. NJ Stewart, who conducts a carpet |
cleaning establishment. bowlder, passing
over the roofs of dozen houses, struck the wall
Of the building and made indentatfon three
inches deep in the surface of the brick
Perhaps the most sensational result Of the ex-
plOsion was the bursting OF a big rock through |
the wall of the brick building owned by the
Pennsylvania Railroad, the 32d street corner, |
into the clothing store of Finesilver & Kosty |
Both partners, with their families, numbering
eight persons had just entered the rear Of the !,
store 10 take luncheon, when the rock crashed |
through the shop and tore chandelier from the
ceiling while a peck of smaller fragments
smashed the show window. On the second floor
OF the same building, Mrs. Dorr was standing by
a suffered window. She tainted from the
shock, although she was not hit.
There have been numerous complaints against
The New York Contracting and Trucking Com
Iany during its handling OF the terminal work.
Many lives have been lost there, and the blast
ing licenses Of the men in charge have been re-
foked repeatedly. only to be reissued by the
authorities at Fire Headquarters
There have been two uniformed firemen OF
The squad Of the bureau OF combustibles watch
Ing The work to guard against violations for
more than.a year. and Captain Wolf in charge |
OF the bureau, was on the scene yesterday after
noon to make an investigation. The City Bet
Iernent Society declared a year ago that the
equations We're being constantly violated.
More than once in a single day since the work
u excavation has been in progress a ton of ex-
piosives has been used