Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-12-20
appalling DISASTER
IN new YORK CITY.
Ten Dead, 125 In jured, -Four Missing
and Eight May Die as the Result
Of a Gas Explosion in the
Grand Central Station.

the power house, lifted like a magic car
pet A shower of glass, bricks, mortar
and splintered timbers began to rain
down on the, pavements. In an instant
the streets were filled with PROSTATE
men and women, blown fiat by the shock
of the explosion and the rush of air.
Black-robed priests from st. Patrick's
cathedral nearby and whte-coated ambu
lance surgeons passed each other on kim
dred errands of consolation and com
fort. Persons who retained some CON
nected idea of their impressions of those
moments say that there seemed to be two
distinct air currents-ore pushed out
ward by the force of the explosion it
self and the other a re,ounding cushion
of air compressed against combining walls.
A practical illustration of how this con
cusSion and re-percusSo1 worked is CIV
en- in the experience of little girl in a
candy store block away from the power
house When the explosion came the
plate glass front of the shop door was
driven inward, pushing the child before
it with an impalpable hand: but before
she could reach the rear wall the confined
air. bounding outward again, hurled her
into the street unhurt.
That the death list did not reach in
to the hundreds was seemingly Il dis
pensation Of Providence. Half an hour
latel the streets directly in front of
the power house would have been
crowded with school children. No in
coming or outgoing passengers were
Passing. II a crowded suburban train
had stood on the rails instead OF files
of empty cars when the walls of the
power house blew out it is difficult 10
imagine what the resultant norroi'
wcnld have been.
The worst OF the focus of death was
the spot at which the trolley car and
the automobile were hurled together.
The seven passengers were dumped to
TIE underside Of the car in a tangle
of ironwork, sharp fragments Of glass.
and broken panels.
Miss Mary Pope was caught by the
head between a stanchion and the
overturned automobile beneath and
crushed to death. Three other passen-
gers, all men, were overwhelmed with
Wreckage and died before help could
reach them. Twenty feet. away, Miss
Edith Oflner, % years old. a stenog
raplIer in magazine office. on her way
to work. was Speared through the head
by a flying ioist. Policeman Toomey
had just Signalled to the trolley car to
stop and was leading two little girls
across the street by the hand. One was
torn from his hand by the first blast
of air and the other by the rebound
The second girl, Mary Gilman, L.. years
old. mad her right leg torn of by a
mn Of inn
rounding the Lexington Avenue sta
tiCr.
Seventeen men in fire house No .
We're shaken from &heir beds. Battalion
Chief Duffy was sitting at his desk
when the windows fell about him. and
an iron girtler burst headon through
the vail knocking him to the ground
and badly bruising him. He got the
men to piece him together with ban
men to piece him together with band
ages and went to work Immediately
In the Bible Teachers Training
School. 80 young men and women were
eating breakfast. Fully half the stu
dents were painfully cut by flying
glass
In the Babies hospital at seth street
and Lexington avenue. the infants were
eng given their morning baths
| Continued on Page Twelve.)