The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-12-20
TEN DEAD, OTHERS
FATALLY INJURED

4 passing surface car carrying seven
passengers was lifted from its tracks
and hurled into an automobile running
alongside. -Four Of the seven paSscn-
gers Were Killed outright. but the
chauffeur Of the motor car was only
cut and bruised.
or tire nearly 100 fin tho hospitals. the
following are most seriously injured.
Unidentified woman. fractured skull.
Michael Ryan. fractured skull and in
tcrnal Injuries.
Nctta AbrahamsOn. fractured skull
and internal injury.
Theresa Lolita. fractured skull and
shoulder.
John smith. injuries to the head.
Francis Kelly policeman, burned and
John Cunningham. burned.
Mixture Of Air and Gas.
For some hours IL was believed dyns-
mite alone could have wrought such in
Simultaneous and dcmolishiug havoc.
but late i'm the afternoon Fire chief
Croker said he was convinced the cN-
plosion was due TO "a mixture OF air
and Illuminating gas. used I'm lighting
railroad cars. touched off by an cleo
trio spark. The gas had accumulated
broken pipe snapped of by a runaway
passenger car.
The force OF the explosion ran north
and south from one to two miles along
the rocky ridge that is the backbone
Of the island. and cast and west later
ally Tor mile.
Foundations were Jared. walls were
shaken out of plumb. windows were
blown in by the thousands. ceilings
came crashing down on the heads Of
those beneath. and the pavcmcnts were
. Uttered with pulverized glass.
Uho fun amount of the property dam
age Is yet unavailable and may exceed
the estimate of 100000. The loss Co
the New York Central Railroad COM
pany Includes the physical damage done
Co the power house. which was COM
UlefeIy wrecked the delay 10 COnstrCc-
tion work aud the damage done TO cars
standing near the power house. The
loss Co ~hopEecperg and property own
ers I'm tho vicinity will spread over =
wide range of items. Christmas dis
plays were blown backward into the
shops. sucked into the street or cut to
ribbons 10y flying glass.
whole fronts OF buildings were left
without window
How Accident Occurred.
A. nearly as can be determined this
is how The accident occurred.
train OF empty passenger cars
hauled by an electric motor. In charge
or Albert SeaEroatt. cot out OF control.
crashed into steel and concrete bur
fer post. snapped il off. and rammcd
2 pile Of lumber behind 10 into gaS
main connecting with the taps from
which the tanks OF the passenger cars
arc charged. BY the testimony OF the
mOtorman and OF John !. Quinn. a
bricklaycr working on the main power
house adjoining the auxiliary house, the
time OF the break in the pipe was
about o'clock. Two clocks stopped by
the jar fix the time Of the explosion
Itself at s.22.
In the interval. the broken main had
ample time 20 pour high pressure gas
into the lower levels Of the auxiliary
power house. When wOrkmcu set to
clearing away tho lumber. it is assumed
that one or them dropped a steel tool
across the third rail there was flash
Of electricity and the great reservoir OF
accumulated gas exploded.
sceur Of Horror
What happened then Will never be
adequately known. The roof OF fire
house No. ., directly across the street
from the power house, lifted like
magic carpet. 4 shower OF glass, bricks,
mortar and splintered timbcrs began
TO fail on the pavement and I'm an In
slant the streets were filled with pros
trate men and women blown flat by
the shock and the rush OF the air. They
sat dazcd where they fell, picking sliv-
crs from their flesh.
a moment more and crowds beseiged
tho drug stores begging for aid and
ClamOring for telephones and then the
Gathering gongs OF ambulances rang
between the tall buildings. The ten
ements 10 the east OF Lexington ave
nue. poured thousands into the streets.
Whole houses were emptied in a
twinklinE. The tail facsdcs OF the
many fashionable hotels in the neEh-
borhoOd were spotted with faces Of
half dressed guests, shaken from their
sleep, pcering from broken windows.
Priests Rushed to Scene.
BIack-robcd priests from ST. Pat
rlcl's cathedral nearby and white
coated ambulance surgeons passed each
other on kindred errands OF consola-
tion and comfort.
Frank smith. the chauffeur OF a
wrecked automobile, cut. bruised and
shaken. told from the cot where he lay
in a hospital OF what he remembered
Of his first Impressions.
Almost before ! realized that there
had been an explosion" he said. "a rain
Of bricks and mortar began TO fall on
me. Then "a SiN-fOOt timber shot down
out OF the sky like an arrow. I had
one foot on the brake and the other on
the accelerator, with my knees wide
apart.
That great arrow passed between
them and smashed down through the
floor Of the car. Then the trolley car
tOppled over on me and pinned me be-
meath the mass OF wrccksgc. Two
priests were pulling me out for dead
when. got my wits"
Harvest OF Death.
Tho worst focus Of death was the
spot where the trolley car and the
seven passengers were dumped to the
under side OF the car I'm tanEle OF
ironwork. sharp fragments OF glass
Miss Mary Pope was caught by the
head between a stanchion and the
overturned automobile beneath and
crushed 20 death. Three other pas
sengers, all men. were overwhelmed
with wreckage and died before help
could reach them.
Twenty feet away, Miss Edith Off
ncr. twenty-eight years old. a steno-
grapher In a magazine office on her
way TO work, was spcared through the
head by flying joist. Policeman
TOomney had just signaled 10 the troll
| ley car to stop and was leading two
little girls across the street by the
hand.
Little Girls Leg Cut orr.
One was fprrr from his and Nv fno
! first HAST OF air and the other by the
rebound. The second girl. Mary Gil
man. twelve years old. had her right
leg torn off by a flying fragment OF
iron railing surrounding the station.
Seventeen men i'm fire hose No were
shaken from their beds Battalion