The Washington herald., 1910-12-20

killed and nearly hundred were injured
this morning by an explosion of Pintsch
gas used for lighting railroad cars, which
demolished the transformer house of the
New York CentraTs power station at
Lexington avenue and Fiftieth street.
wrecked the interiors OF buildings in the
neighbOrhoOd, and shook the city for
half a mile around as though by earth
quake shock
trolley car which was passing the
power station at the time of tie ex-
plosiOn was blown from the tracks and
several OF its passengers were killed.
The whirlwind Of conclusion broke every
pane OF glass in the buildings within two
blocks of the explosion. tore the sashes
from the easements. and tossed the in
mates about amid the wrecked furnish
ings.
Felt for Many BLOCKS.
Scarcely a pane of glass or a window
sash was left intact along Lexington
avenue from Forty-sixth street 10 Fifty
second street, and in the side streets as
far east as Third avenue. To the west
the force OF the explosion. which seemed
te cover a fan-hke area to the east, was
less felt although Archbishop Farley.s
residence, at Madison avenue and Fif-
teth street, was shaken enough TO break
some of the windows
The New York Nursery and ChiIdren's
Hospital at Lexington avenue and Fifty
nrst street. where 1JO children were
being cared for, was so badly shaken
that plaster fell in the halls and every
pane or glass and some OF the sashes on
Doth the Lexington avenue and Fifty
nrst street sides of the building were
btoWn IN. No one was seriously Injured
The Bible Training school which stands
nearly opposite the demolished power sta
ton, lost ali OF its windows ana suffered
much damage 10 the interior from the
Mast, but the inmates ESCAPED serious
harm.
Two Priests Are Hurt.
At the Cathedral School. in Fiftieth
street, across the street from the power
station, partitions were blown down in
the blast which carried away the win
doWs' and several OF the boys and two
priests were hurt. Most OF the schools
lN0 pupils were not present when the
explosion occurred.
The Catholic Free Circulation Library.
adjoining the school on the south. had its
interior wrecked, although the walls stood
nrm Adjoining the library on the corner
OF Lexington avenue is a five-storv brick
building. It's interior was turned tonsv
tdrvy by The blast and several OF the
Atlng apartments were wrecked COM
pletely on the southeast corner directly
opposite the power station. No. > hook and
ladder quarters, and those Of the Eighth
battalion caught the full force of the ex-
ploslon. Ceilings were thrown down. walls
thrown out CT plumb, and some damage
done to the apparatus. Battalion Chief
DuHey was hurt by a marble slab which
IeH IN the bathroom of his quarters ana
sash from one of the windows was
forced about his neck,
Felt in Brooklyn.
Earth tremoTs following the explosion
We're felt distinctly as far south as
Forty-second street. why're guests in the
Hotel Belmont. the Manhattan. and the
Grand Union were startled by what tbsv
thought an unusually heavy blast of
dynamite in the CentraTs yards. The
noise Of the explosion was heard in
brooklyn and by people on the New
Jersey ferries.
The tremendous wreeking power of the
explosion caused a rumor that a large
quantity Of stored dynamite had been
set of, but the Investigations of the rau-
road officials. Commissioner Waldo of
the FIRE department, and the police
showed thar Pintsch gas had exploded.
ii came about in this manner:
The gas used for lighting the cars is
brought down from Mott Haven in steel
tank cars and stored for use under com
preston OF from l25 to 80 pounds in steel
tanks in the CentraTs yards. opposite
FOrty-sixth street From these tanks
pipes run to various parts of the yard.
ana from the pipes the trains take on
their supply
Track Ia slippery.
This morning Albert SeagrOatt, a mo-
torman employed TO shift the cars about
the yards, ran eight cars down a spare
track, which ends at the abutments of
the brick and concrete transformer
house. The part on the track level was
open on the south side facing the tracks,
on the floor above was carpenter shop,
and on the top floor was the battery
room and the electric transformers
which handle the hight tension current
for the third rail.
The tracks, Seagroatt says, were Slip
perry and the brakes would not take hold.
The cars crashed through the bumper
post and brought up against the concrete
base OF one of the pillars supporting the
house itself. Beside this pillar was a two
inch Pintseh gas pipe from which the
eight cars We're to have taken on their
supply. The collision split the concrete
pillar and broke the gas pipe allowing
the gas TO fiow into the shed-like space
beneath the transformation house
Seagroatt took a look at the damage,
notified the yardmaster of the trouble,
and went On about his business at 1853.
A gang OF men went to work to put the car
that had overridden the bumper post back
on the track. but for some reason, for
which the railroad officers found no ex-
PLANTATION to-day. the gas was allowed
10 continue escaping from the broken !
pipe
Gas Escapes Half Hour.
For nearly half hour-the explosion !
came at s:3o-the gas continued 10 escape. |
and it is the theory of those Who made !
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