The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-19

as the explosion occurred, the full force
of the blast appears to have struck the
street car broadside and many of the
passengers were injured as the car ov-
erturned in the street.
The force of the explosion was di-
rected away from the tracks and the
train service in both directions went
on almost without interruption.
aside from the damage to the sub
station building the explosion caused
considerable damage to buildings in the
vicinity, particularly structures facing
the Lexington avenue side of the sub
station
Girl Blown Through Plate Glass
The police making an investigation
in the ruins are of the opinion that
tanks which communicated it is re-
ported to dynamite which one of Off
cials of the New York Central rail-
road said he understood was stored
near the power house.
The workman was standing. on a
scaffold on top of the power house
when the explosion occurred. The
scaffold was wrenched from under
him and as he fell he grasped a
dangling rope, hanging there until
rescued by ffremen.
OF the IT firemen in the fire house
opposite only one man was injured,
though in adjoining buildings scores
were thrown from their feet and hurt.
A little school girl was about to enter
a candy store on Fifty-first street when
the blast came. She was picked up
bodily and carried through the plate
uninjured in front of the candy coun-
ter There was not a scratch on her.
There were many rescues by the po-
lice and passersby.
Fire Chief Croker said it would be
at least a day before his men can get
Of fEo of N q
the battery room where the explosion
occurred and where the bodies of five
missing workmen are supposed to be.
He said the explosion was caused by
Illuminating gas. Cornelius Wander
bilt was on the scene and made an in
vestigation. There are numerous
theories advanced to account for the
explosion of the gas. One is that a
crow bar falling on the third rail
caused a short circuit and ignited some
gas escaping from a tank. One work
man saw smoke coming from motor
car and thought that sparks from the
fire set off the gas.
A Remarkable Escape.
At least two of the injured in the
Flower hospital are so severely hurt
that it is believed they will die.
These are Mrs. Belle Hawkes. and
Andrew Harris.
Patrolman Toomey was on Lexing-
ahead of him girl was killed. one OF
her legs being blown off. while Toomey
himself was blown clear across the
street and his uniform nearly torn
from him. He got up and was start
ing to help in the rescue work when
he fell unconscious.
gang of more than fifty brick
layers sixty feet in the air on the big
power building near the scene of the
explosion had a remarkable escape
An air cushion formed by the explo-
sion below hoisted up the big scaffold
on which they were working, tilted il
inward and tossed the men over the
wall they were building and on a firm
scaffolding constructed on the insid
Only one man was injured, and he only
slightly.
one woman in the wrecked trolley
car had her hair caught and held in
a firm grip between jammed portions
of the debris. She had tainted and
could not be lifted out until firemer
cut her hair. She was found to be
only slightly hurt. A long coil of this
womans hair is at the fire house
awaiting its owner