New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-11-21
SCORE BURIED ALIVE
By EXPLODING SEWER
BROOKLYN STREET MADE
A FLAMING CRATER.
Playing Children Engulfed Uithout
H0rning Rescue Delayed While
Officials Dispute.

coze1 Eorkrnsn. i've children and e Wor1an
who vas passing a. the time. and probably
Others. we're buried alive in great sewer expIo-
sion which turned Gold street. Brooklyn into a
ns-ning crater little after 2: 30 O'Clock yes
terday morning The Cause is mystery. the
ross probable theory being that a leaking gas
pfpe Rad flied the excavation with gas which
was ignited The explosion tore up one hun
d7ed feet of street broke great concrete sewer
into thousand fragments and threatened the
destruction Of the frame and brick houses with
their occupants either side Of the way
The blSst came without warning : a con
sequence persons passing in the street at the
tine. al unsuspcious OF danger. were over
Nheluaed in an instant. A midde-aged woman
and tzo children were walking along the side
walk and several other snail boys and girls
xere playing in the street. and nearly all were
probably overwhelmed
II school had been out and the street had had
IS usual Population of children the list of dead
would have been much longer. T is likely that
shout rwenty-six persons lost their lives in TIE
explosion. Some Of the observers and the work
r1en set the number as low twelve or fifteen.
AT astonishing feature OF the catastrophe was
he DELAY Of tins authorities in beginning the
-ork II rescue A difference OF opinion as 20
jurisdiction arose among the city departments
concerned. and il was several hours after the
explosion before any move was made to hunt
for bodies Then Mayor Mcclellan interfered
and set the Health Department TO work, It
seems 70 have been assumed that al in the
rims were dead. despite the history of the Oar
Iington disaster and other similar instances.
where victims have been buried alive for hours
ard rescued
ONLY ONE BODY RECOVERED
Al an early hour this morning only one body
had been recovered.
The following are the names Of the persons
Vho are supposed 10 be buried in the ruins:
kSDERsoN- Gustsve. foreman q tae carpenters
ATS&ANDo. Francisco a labore--
zE&AHDO. John. labo-er
RACaMANN. Emil Izborer
BRADY Ca-ice years Cd. No. 107 Gold street.
CoSISA. Christopher lanorer. No ls4 Fourth avenue
oRAA6 John isbOreT No l0E East lo9'h street Man
noHEKTT- vincent six years old No Gold street
DALToE- WflIfa-a osd. No 1O9 Gold street
FARRELL Charles foreman o. concrete workers
FRANCISCO. - Isborer
GREEN. Felix. No. lo5 I0seh street Manhattan.
JOHNSON. Alexander. III East Iosh stree-. Nan
KsSE Gus.
NEE-soS. Charles lahorer-
cGRADY John SIX s-ezr. CID Nc Io7 Gold street
scHEFFNEEER Frsde-iek- sewer inspector. No. 1925
zaEf5o. susta-e.
EziosnJihes vo1nsn-
y-ssussa>d Ssrl about y-zrs-
1r-s. u-ies1tfa-d children
-sp uaseeatiaed lsbo-erS. kzoz-u as Nc 81
riosion- Some were assisted away or went away
without aid. Two ia6orers Dcn1inick Levine Of
No le4 Navy street. and Archie C5rimaldi OF
Rsvmond street. were both somewhat injured
sRd we're patched up by the ambulance sur
geors and sent home
The aork1aen had gone TO their duties as
usual between forty and fifty feet below the level
uf the street They were putting the finishing
touches on the big trunk sewer, 1912 feet in
ins The work was to have been completed
within week or ten days and the excavation
filed il
IN the big trench was exposed a turo-foot con
dui, OF concrete. containing nigh power electric
wires n this. il is said. natural gases might
hsve gathered There were also in the excava-
TIT the rU-o big water mains whose breaking
~fth the explosion caused so much trouble later.
B1r the chief cause OF fear. the two gas mains.
hed been removed 10 the street surface before
the work began. The workmen accordingly
sent 20 their task with 10 app7ehensions.
Suddenly there was 2 roar that could be heard
se- blocEs-aRd the surrounding houses were
r=sksn ss Il by al earthquake The surface Of
Ire street few up Heavy tinbers were hurled
high IN the air 4 sheet of fame forty feet high
Kissed down the street licking the houses as it
passed
HOUSES TOTTER OK VERGE.
For moment il seemed 20 the Mortified
lockers that the totterng houses would fall into
the trench. which had yvidened almost 70 the
building line With the subsistence of the debris
the cries Of half buried men could be heard. but
none dared 10 60 10 their rescue
on all sides OF the opening the sandy soil con
tfnaed 70 slip and slip. while great streams Of
fame shot into the ruins from two broken gas
mains and two torrents Of water were poured
into The opening from mains Of the new high
pressure FIRE fighting system
There Eas one man. though. who did dare the
threatening dangers and sacrificed his life in
his attempts 70 save the inperilIed- When the
explosion occurred Samuel Abrams. VINO lived
q Front and Gold streets. was standing on the
corner taking with Timothy O'Shee- Of No 252
Paciac street
When he recovered from the first shock he
TIE great chasra. extending from his feet
a. Front and Gold streets half block down
Cold street IN the direction Of York street 4
woman with one or two children clnging 70
her hands was slipping into the opening. He
rushed 70 her rescue but only reached her N
tine 70 be carried down 70 death with her
The woman and the children were buried IN
cer the debris wtlEc Abrams was caught in the
Ereclage and roa sted 10 death IN view Of the
spectators His body WAS rescued after the ar
rfraI Of the fre companies He black
smith and had been OUT or work for some time
Els wife .no was working in Manhattan. Was
notified and positively identified her husbands
body By his keys
The occasion also produced its heroine. Mrs.
Aargsrite Hickey. u No Jackson court She
vas visiting Kate Perry al No ss Gold street.
when the explosion occurred As she iookea
sut of the window she saw two little girls.
.F 30