Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-12-28
WOMEN IN PANIC
WHEN EXPLOSION
ROCKS HIGHWAY
Manhole Covers Go Sailing
Through the Air in Mar
ket Street.
HORSE NARROWLY MISSED
BY ONE OF HEAVY DISKS
Cause of Trouble in Telephone
Company's Conduit Is
Unknown.


into panic when three n1anhole covers
In Market street between Halsey and
Washington streets blew UP at about
noon today with roar that startled
the entire district. A horse was stand
ing almost directly above one Of the
great iron disks as it shot into the air
The flying steel just grazed the ami
mails side and so frightened it that it
dashed through Halsey street, and was
not calmed until 1t galloped several
blocks.
Three Men In Danger
Shortly after noon, when the flames
Of the original explosion had been ex-
tinguished, three employees of the tele-
phone company descended into the
conduit to take account of stock. They
had been down but few minutes when
another but less serious explosion &C.
CURED end the fire broke out agaiIi.
The men were dragged to safety, and
no sooner had they reached the surface
of the street than the flames broke cut
anew and shot high in the air AS the
third man was brought up he nearly
tainted from fright, and was revived
only after heroic measures In The
meantime the crowd increased with the
noon-hour rush, and the police had
difficulty In handling the mob that
surged about the spot.
The first explosion the cause of which
has not been definitely learned, oc
CURED in one of the main conduits of
the Market district of the New York
Telephone Companys system Repairs
to the conduit have been In progress
all this week, and there has been a pc
culiar gaseous odor noticeable for sew
eral days. So strong had the odor be-
come Patrolman Wohlfarth, of the
traffic squad. who is stationed at Hal
sey and Market streets, decided to stay
on the opposite side of the street.
Like Miniature Earthquake.
His fears were realized shortly after
IL O'Clock when, with a rnuffled roar
that was succeeded by a column of
smoke and flames, the three big covers
rose in the air The streets were shaken
for "a block in all directions, so strong
was the shock of the explosion, and
persons in the neighborhood f1ocked to
the spot by the score. The shock was
felt In the quarters of Engine. Company
No. l, short distance away, and men,
bers of the company grabbed hand ex-
tinguishers and ran to the scene of the
explosion. Later several pieces of ap-
paratus were rushed to the spot, but 1t
was soon learned that both chemicals
and water were worse than useless.
The flames were located mainly in the
manhole atHalsey street on the south
side of Market street, and to this the
firemen devoted all their attention. No
sooner than liquids were squirted into
the blazing conduit, however, additional
explosions occurred, flames shot higher
and higher into the air, and the crowd
was rushed back in the fear that
more serious accident would occur.
Traffic Is Blocked.
The difficulty was soon solved by the
substitution of gravel for water and
within a short time the flames were
subdued. The street remained roped
off, however, and reserves from the
First precinct diverted traffic to other
streets so far as was possible
An idea of the force of the explosion
may be gained from the fact that one
of the manhole covers was broken in
two as 1t fell from the height to which
It was hurled when the blowout came.
It was some time before the. fears of
the hundreds of women shoppers in the
district were allayed. The explosion
could be heard and felt in a dozen
stores and the women and children In
these buildings, fearing the accident
had occurred there, rushed for the
open. Other women in the street sought
to enter the stores in their fight for
safety and no little confusion resulted.
rba axnIosiop shut off the gas suDDly
in several business places in Market
street, and candles were brought into
use to furnish light At Waldmann's
Theatre the supply of light is furnished
from the Halsey street side of the
building, so that there was no inter-
ference there.