New-York tribune., 1910-12-20
Train in Central Yard Breaks Pintsch Gas
Main and Disaster Follows Half Hour
Later. with Direct Cause In Doubt.
CAR IN STREET BLOWN ON AUTO
Woman Killed as Trolley Hurled from Tracks in Lexington
Avenue-Damage to Property May Reach s20000OO-
Babies in Hospital Opposite Scene of Ex
poion Escape Unhwt.

house in the new yard of the Ne" hoi
Central. at 50th street and Lexington
avenue at s:22 o'clock yesterday morn
ing killed at least ten persons and IN
iured more than a hundred others.
The cause of the accident is not aoso-
Iutely clear, though the first lmpeiiiiis
cause has been determined train'
being backed into a bumper near the
substation. got out of control. and
crashed into a Pintsch gas man, oreah
ing it. The gas escaped and coilecteu'
according to a concensus of opinion, IN
an empty space under the suostdtIoii'
used for storage batteries
Then. according TO the prevailing
opinion of the city authorities. although
the railroad was disposed TO disagree.
a. workman. in using steel croWDar on
the car that had crashed into the bump
er. struck the third rail, making short
circuit Sparks, it is thought. flew TO tne
gas that was escaping from the MAN,
three or four feet away. and thence to
the volume of gas that had collected
under the substation-
A space of twenty-nine minutes. at
least, elapsed between the first accident.
in which the main was broken and the
catastrophe explosion at SD o'clock
The Fire Department says this time was
much longer. What happened in this
time. what actually exploded, what was
the direct contributory cause of the final
expiosion remain to be absolutely deter
mined.
Rumors and vague charges hint at an
explosion of dynamite or acetyllne gas
The railroad denies the possibility OF
either and has the evidence adduced
last night on it's side The chief point
at issue within the railroad is as to who
knew of the breaking of the gas main
at the time the train crashed into the
pipes behind the bumper. while the po-
lice are not satisfied that the explosive
is known, feeling that the Pintsch gas
alone could not have produced the ef-
fects Of the disaster.
A rough estimate of the damage done
to buildings in the vicinity of the ex-
plosion Is placed in the neighborhood OF
50 OOO. 900. Insurance men and claim
adiusters are almost unanimous in the
this figure, and many say that before
all claims are paid, the sum will come
nearer to 100000.
Trolley Car Blown on Auto.
A trolley car passing in Lexington ave
nue. was blown off the tracks and piled
up on top of an automobile that was
irving to overtake IL. The car was re-
duced to a mass of twisted iron and
wood on its trucks, and one of its pas
sengers, a woman, was killed instantly
A dozen others were taken to hospitals
The chauffeur of the automobile that
was under the car escaped death in a
manner that no one can explain TWO
passersby in streets near the power
house were killed by flying wreckage,
and the other victims so far known were
working i'm the New York Central build
ings or yards.
The injured we're found everywhere
Window sashes blew out or in, breaking
homes and inf1icting deep wounds. Cell
inps fell. carrying heavy chandeliers
down with them; broken glass flew mere,
there and everywhere. For two blocks
in Lexington avenue, north ana sout-
TO Third and Madison avenues on tho
ronr crosstown streets. not WINDOW was
left in place. The section devastated oy
the explosion looked like town sheiIeu
by heavy siege artillery
The sub-station was entirely demoi-
sbed and 5Oth street and Lexington
avenue was piled high with bricks and
mortar from the falling walls The con-
,ussion following the explosion was EEK |
or many blocks away In practicaliy !
.verv building on Lexington and Third
avenues and in the cross streets between
18th and 55th streets windows were
battered, doors and sills were blown H.
ral1s were cracked and many dwellers
we're injured by flying glass ana WOOD
Windows were broken as far away as IN
he Grand Union and Belmont hotels, on
he south side of East AID street
rbare were many escapes from death
:, tho buildings In the immediate neigh
,orhood of the explosion that seemed al
most Incredible.
The New York Nursery and Child's
Iospital which occupies the block from
9th to 51st street on Lexington avenue
md extends some distance east in DIST
treet. perhaps suffered the most from
no brunt of the explosion Every Win
low in the front of the building was
mashed. doors caved In and sills blown
ut and vet no one of the 100 babies
vas hurt. and cuts and scratches were
II the injuries reported by members of
he staff. The children seemed TO enjoy
he disaster as IL IL had been some great
arranged for their special
Fire House Badly Wrecked.
Not single man of the fifteen on duty
n the fire house of Hook and Ladder
,ompany 2, across the street on Lex
nston avenue from the powerhouse.
soaped without some injury, although
zone was fatally injured. The building
,as as an annex a small house next
Ioor. occupied by Battalion Chief Will
THE HOLIDAYS BY THE SEA.
Take Penna- Railroad three-hour trains
rom Penna Station. the only service from
he Heart of New York 10 Atlantic CITY