The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-21
THEY KNEW GAS WAS LEAKING
fENgRtI'S uEN TRi INC TO STOP
IF HHEN ENPT OSION CAME.
I've of Them. ma Injured Wan sass. wrr~
oa thr VA, To Power staiiea ~
pio~i, - t'sn,inission Would Forb''i
High Pressure pipes 60 Entrr tho tty

| York Central. TRANSFORMER ho'i-.. at
Lexington avenu.. and fifh-th street.
dast royed by an explosion ot Pinu-ch
! gas. has made II certain that no more
/ bodies were buried under the dabri-
The total number nf dead Remains ten
III. condition of only a few of tn" IN
jurrC H. considered critical.
| The authorities WERE busy yesterday
with inv.-Ji CATIONS by which II IL hoped
TO liz the responsibility for the explosion
| No definite conclusions ~-rr reached.
and District Attorney Whitman. who
went over the ground in person. declared
that he had found no evidence which
wouh Justify him IN ordering arrests
ar pr.i-rring criminal charges against
| any on. III. evidence obtained 10y
thu. District Attorney and his assistants
mad" only Oh. thing clear and that was
that dynamit. played no part in the .x
plo-ion
No one was prepared yesterday to
explain how it happened that the Pintsch
gas was allowed TAI pour ont Of the broken
pipe for nearly half an hour after the
runaway draft OF cars caused the break
| The Centrals officers had nothing tn saw
ON this point except that their inv-~tiga-
ton was not completed IN. cleare-t
story showing that at least some Of the
railroad employers were alive to the
danger from tn. escaping gas comes
from Andrew Harris OF 525 Fast Forty
/ eighth street. who ia 80 badly hurt that
/ District Attorney Whitman ssnt Assistant
District Attorney l-av-ile to the Flower
Hospital to TAX. Hsrris's statement.
Harris'- Job was TO I'LL th. gas tanks
h.. h.. rH H,.
says that littl. after \ o'clock A NJ h.
WAS casing cars On one OF IN. tracks
| between Forty seventh and Forty --ighrh
! streets when he heard kissing sound in
tn. n.ighborhood OF the power station
and saw a cloud of steam coming from
that direction. He asked a yard man
J what IN. trouble wss and was told that
a train had bumped over the block
| meaning IN. bumper po-t Harris went
on with his work. he says. and a little
later one Of th. for-n-n told him that
somebody had better look after the. gas
| pipes
Harris then went TO IN. storage tanks
at Forty seventh street and told Patrick
! Cable on. 81 the men in charge there.
that something ought To he done tn stop
the leak az rh., power station. lie says
/ \
chars" % the Pnt-ch gas tank. came
down TO III. track level and started toward
the power station They had gone
short distance when Cable sent Whirhall
! to shut oE ih. gas IN the second section.
comprising the southern part 81 the yard
Whthall told Harris To shut of IN. gas
from some tank ears ON one Of tn. tracks
between Forty Igh'h and Forty ninth
strs.tr Harris saws he had time 90 close
only one valve when IA" explosion cam.
and knocked him s-ns.l---
According 10 "N I oroner Acri'slli. who
- "A member II the Municipal ~ plo>Iv.s
Cornml--ion. which has invest gated the
c-ntraI'~ Pintsch gas system. the COIN
I mission believes that il should adopt a
resolution prohibiting III. transportation.
storing or CARRYING through mains of gas
az a pressure. higher than the pressure
III 'h- Illuminating gas mains OF Vhe CIfy.
ar four OIInrs-~ 10 the square inch VI PAT
into en.-I ,hi~ would forr. the Central 10
'hN" ON the ga- sn,sI1ly for H. cars else.
where th-n IA TIA. Grand Cent raj yards
According 10 Mr. ACrIts-lh the invs-ti-
gator found that the Pin'-oh g:as plant
from which the railroad draws liz supply
az ijDth street and the Fast River % con
T''''.d with the yards at Mott Haven bv "A
phpinr system which runs part II he wav
.
III, I-ion IL The New York central H..
SaId thai th. gas il forced through the.
pIp.' hnr AZ "a PRESSURE " from Is0 tn ~
sounds 10 tn. -sIIIlr.. inch and that since.
the pipe lin. run along IN. sid. az the
tunnel ~ COIIld ..a, is h. C1ii by "a d-raiI.d
tram aud bring about The sans. cDndi-
lions which led T." 'h- explosion AZ the
power station
1h.. commission. Mr Acri'.lH said
probably Will recommend that fh. pIp.
al
~her" there will he. less danger IN ca-.
ii "A break
Anu'h.r thing thar Mr. Acrii.lli -av-
moved IN" commission 80 consider TIA.
adoption Of resolution fDrtrddng 'h..
transporting ~ P'mr>ch ga- within IA.
city wa- the. fat that -lN tank ears loaded
with PIHt-Ch gd- ar" run down from Mot,
haven 10 IA" Grand Central wards every
nRh' An accident IA III" Park av.uII.
tunnel which NpIild hb..rIt" rna "a
might bring about = disastrous explosion
n sa- thourhi
The railroad rIgh' - -iOr" HI. ..a-
ia Ia" rand Central wards l. questioned
hN VI A'rIt-lI.. who say hat no per
init WAS I--sI-d for -iorag. 'hsr" aud none
applied for. although p-rmIt- were. issued
for 'hs storage tank ~ Mott Ha ven
The railroad contends that q y. rInit - not
necessary
Di-rric' ATTORNEY Whitman went over
The gas -iOrag" and piping system IA the
yard and 'tI"si ion.d chief Engineer
ki'fridgs. " IN" railroad Mr. Whitman
noticed that IN" p,pe- wsrr exposed and
might easily he broken !. u car jumped
RI" track h.. learned too that Their. was
but on.. giuR" 20 show pre-srr. a. n.
four tanks from which ~. wards supply
~ ga j. drawn and that IN. man in rhsrg..
had NO means IT knowing which ci he
many pip.- wa leaking when he gaug.
showed hat pr"S-IIr" wa drppI ing
Ih" District ATTORNEY was accompanied
hy an engineer who will later MAKE. "a
r"pur'
The railroad officials had no definite
statement 80 make i"I' " was said 10y one
"f them that the pintsch system ia he
wards would h.. done away with VIXEN
plans for lighting III. trains with cleo rio
ity were Completed No long NJ he prs~en,
rvstrrn - used " will H.. n-c.s~ary for IN.
suburban trains fo mack down Oh IN.
dead end tracks TO take on their supply.
hu' when ia. new station IL cnmp,.-t I'D
these trains will run on loops and danger
~ overriding bumper posts will he done
away with The Trough trains. however.
viii cuutIuu" 10 rus. IN on dead end tracks.
j. was said ~ the cOmpanyS Offic..
Yesterday 'ha. the company welcomed
any inv..-'iga'iun that would tend -
Increase safety and that II had never
'avFa a -