The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-12-23

New York, Dec. 20.-District Attor-
ney Whitman said today that he does
not intend to cause wholesale arrests
because of the explosion at the New
York Centrals power station, when
fourteen persons were killed and a
hundred injured.
~Of course there will be an investi-
cation aside from the coroners inves-
ugation," Mr.. Whitman said "If it
should be found that there was a
quantity of dynamite stored on the
premises Of course that would consti-
tute a crime and should be punished
For the present there is absolutely
nothing upon which to act"
William c. Brown, president of the
New York Central, says:
"There was no dynamite in or about
the building where the explosion oc-
CURED, and there never has been any
there"
A statement from the Office of G. f.
Daley, vice president, reads:
"a careful investigation indicates
that the explosion was the result of an
electric train backing over humping
post in the storage yard, breaking a
gas pipe, the escape from which pene-
trated the lower part of the substation
power house and became ignited from
some cause unknown"
Many of the injured probably will
die as a result of the explosion of
Pintsch gas, used for lighting railroad
ears. which demolished the transform
er house of the New York Centrals 5
power station at Lexington avenue and
Fiftieth street, wrecked the interior of
buildings in the neighborhood and
shook the city for half a mile around
as though by earthquake shock.
A trolley car which was passing the
power station at the time of the eXplO-
sion was blown from the tracks. and
four of It's passengers were killed.
The whirlwind of cOncussion broke
every pane of glass in the buildings
within two blocks of the explosion
took the sashes from the easements
and tossed the inmates about amid the
wreck Of the furnishings.
At the conclusion of the investiga-
tion before the board of coroners and
Deputy Police Commissioner Driscoll
In the Fifty first street station Motor
man Albert Seagroat, a New York
Central employee. was arrested.
Seagroat backed a train into the cut
under the wing Of the power house
and overran a buffer. In the smash
that followed a pipe connected with
the Pintsch gas tanks was disconnect-
ed, allowing the gas to escape Half
an hour later, when the gas had min
gled with sufficient air to give 1t the
explosive intensity OF lyddite a work
man dropped a tool on the third rail.
There was an electric flash and then
the explosion.
The motOrman told the board OF cor
oners that he lost his air while back
Ing his train under the power house.
He had no sand box and could not
stop. He saw that the gas pipe had
been disconnected and reported the
accident. Then he got his train out
and was IN another part Of the cut
when the ubheaval occurred. The in
Vestigators could not learn just what
work was done to repair the severed
pipe.
On the corner OF Lexington avenue
is five story brick building Its in
terror was turned topsy turyy by th'
blast, and several Of the living apart
Uents were wrecked.
Earth tremors following the explo
sion were felt distinctly as far south
as Forty-second street. The noise o!
the explosion was heard in Brooklyn
and by people on the New Jersey fer
Ties.
The tremendous wrecking power OF
the explosion caused a rumor that c
large quantity Of dynamite had beer
set on. but investigations showed that