The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-20

"'N'' "AN Nbf7 'aTNts pu tAAv atSNA
Wa a carpenter shop and on the top floor
were tho battery room and the slsctric
transformers which handle IN" high ten
zion current for tho third rail
The tracks Seagrnatt says. were slippery
and the brakes wouldn't tax. hold N
any rate he was unable 90 stop his train
when II nearni tho bumper post at 'he
end of thu ,rac.i almost beneath tho
transformer hnuS. In" cars crashed
through th. bumper post and bruugh,
up against the concrete base Of one ~ the
pillars supporting the house itself B..
side this pillar was "A two inch Pints"h
gas s,ipe from which Seagroatt'S draft Of
care was To hav. taken on it, supply
The collision split the concret. pillar and
hrus" IN" gas pipe. allowing TIA" gas II
flow into the shedlik. -pac" beneath the
TRANSFORMED house
Seagroatt took a look at the damage.
notified the yarimaStsr and went on about
his business This. he SAYS. was about
1853 O'Clock A gang Of men went Ia work
to jack the car that had 0verridden the
bumper post back nn tn" track Ga- con
tinued To- escape from the broken pip-
BIG POCKET or GAS UNDER POWER HOUSE,
For nearly u half hour tn. g.ls kept on
leaking Those who ma,!, thu. inv.>tIga-
ton behev" that IT collected in the she'd
like place beneath IN" power station a.
IL mi ght hay" under TIA. hood III a chemist =
laboratory Their. were. few men at that
hour in tn. two upper '',ri.'S rhs odor
OF gas heCA'n" 80 strong that several
persons in tho apartments across FiftIeth
street said :Ift.rwar that they hal not ced
1t.
MES WHO MIGHT EXPLAIN ARE DEAD.
jus, what set of the accumulation OF
gas il not certain. On. story has il that
q laborer dropped "a crowhar across the
third rail Will" working at the derailed
car and that tho flame from the short
circuit fired the gas which. mixing with
air. had bacon" highly explosive Most
of the men in TN" lrnmeiiat. n.ighborhood
of this broken pipe We're either killed or
too badly hurt Ia tell about the happen
ing. The railroad officers sly that it IL
very likely that an electric spark from
some source set off the blast
MIGHTY SHOCK RENps GHE POWER HOUSE
II il agreed, however. that the explosion
came as on" mighty shoes and not. a. first
reported. in two distinct shocks II tore
upward and outward through the power
station building. unrooiing II and sending
the north wall into Fiftl-th street. The
east wall was pushed bodily ont into
Lexington avenu. The blast seemed To
rebound from the solid wall OF tn. SIX
story v.ntilatIng plant which the railroad
company has almost completed just To-
the west Of tn" power station. tor the
zone OF wrecAage extended much further
70 the east than in any other direction.
WOMAN kILLEp IN TROLLEY CAR
Tls full force OF the blast struck "A
nort Inbound Iaxingt OH avenue trolley car
which was almost on the Fifti~th street
crossing The car was blown from the
tracks and toppled over on top OF curing
car belonging 10 tn" Edison Electric Light
Company At the same time Miss Edyth.
Offner. a -tenographer employed by tn.
Go mopoIiiGH NogIsin.. who was passing
th" Lexington avenue side Of tn. power
station. lwIs blown across the street
and under the trolley car where her
body was wedged underneath the forward
truck Her BODY wa, So crushed thar
her brother was able TO Identify it onlv
by he shoes
Tn" trolley car was torn and sphn'errd
as 1t riddled by artillery fir. Two of
the seven passen gers were killed One
of them, Miss Mary y Pop. Of 1871 East
Fort Icth Street. a teacher in Miss Chapln'.
privaf. school at - Eas, F!ftv-s.y.uth
street. had her head crushed hv a huge
splinter Ehot arrowlik-. from tho power !
station building The other was Drank !
j. Maggie e 32l Fast Tw cnty NTH street
CAR FALLS on AUTO; DRIVER ESQ ,rts
Fred Smith. the driver OF tn. Edison !
automobile. IN which he was riding alone |
manner He said ia relating his expert |
ence:
Before I realized there had boon an |
explosion there was "A rain o; bricks and /
mortar and rhen big timber shot down |
out OF the sky I had one foot on th. |
brake ana the other on the acoeleraror |
and the timber passed be-, ween my legs.
smashed through the floor of IN. car and |
remained upright keeping the trolley car
from crushing me IA II whiri-d over
FRYING IN THE wRECKAGE
Three alarms OF fro had been sent In
from Battalion SIS headquarters. and while
a few Of tho firemen got 10 work on the
flames that were beginning TO show in
the debris Of the power station IN. resi-
hurried through the houses lending aid
where il was needed and asc-rtainng
u there was irnmediIte danger Of the.
building collapsing.
MGR. LAvELLE AND PRIESTS HELp
With the firemen worked many priests.
led by Mgr Lavele and Archbishop Far.
ley's secretary. Mgr Lewis. who had tele-
PuOus1 Ie"S Oh SIsT IN the
neighboring parish houses. The priests
Of the rectory -; 81. Patrck's wers break
fasting wheu m" shock overturned the.
table. Fath"r McOuaId helped to drag
the injured from the wrecked trolley car
He was quickly followed by Mgr. Lavellc.
who took charge Of the priests who set
70 work adm lin stering tbs, last rites 10 tn.
dying and helping the ambulance sur
Reons care for the injured. Among TN"
priests was Father Brown Of St Monica
Church, IN East Forry-seventh street
The shaking 81 his church. where he wa
celebrating mass. gave notice Of the di..
aster. and Diminishing his congregation h..
reached the wrecked ne, ghborhood among
the FIRST.
PRIEST AND CATHOLIC scHooLBoYs Crr.
With the other priests worked Brothers
Alban and John OF the Cathedral school
who joined the rehef party outside as
soon they could care for twenty of
their pupils. some of whom were slightly
injured. and all Of whom were badly
frightened when the blast from tn. ex-