The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-20
n. Y. Central Power House
Blows Up; Many Acres Of
Buildings Are Shaken.
TROLLEY CAR SMASHED
Two Passengers Dead and q
Wom an Passsrby Crushed
Beneath T.

Tine Cause: \ Pints~h Gas leak lnder tRc
Transformer station Made ny . Train
which " Wouldn't stop Cnti' u noaneed
Over the bumper -thiids Hospital
! Catholic ami Bib,e schools ana
archbishop Fariey's House Ams~g
the shaken buildings Windows
/ broken Han q Mile Around Beam
Duny Hurt Priests Headed by Mgr.
I.a,elIe Among the Rescucrs The
streets a Clutter e wreckase.
Ten persons are known to have bean
killed and about i20 were hurt by an ex-
ploson Of leaking Pintsch gas which 90
CURED at s22 o'clock yesterday morning
and which demolished the transformer
house OF the New York Centrals power
station at the southwest corner Of LexinE-
.on avenue and Ftftieth street wrecked the
interiors OF buildings in the neighbor-
hood and shook the city for half . mile
around a. though by earthquake. A
trolley car which was passing the power
- alton was blown from the tracks and
two Of its passengers wer . killed. a.
was woman passerb y who was blown
under the car.
The conclusion broke every pane 81
glass in the buildings within two blocks
Of the explosion. tore the tsashes from
the windows and tossed the inmates
about amid the wreck of the furnish
ngs. scarcely a pane OF glass or
window sash was left intact along Lex
ington avenue from Forty-sixrh stree,
to Fifty-second street and in the side
streets az far east as Third avenue. To
the west the force of the explosion. which
seemed to cover fanlike area to the east.
was less felt. although Archbshop Far
ley's residence at Madison avenue and
Fiftieth street was shaken enough to
break some Of the windows.
The New York Nursery and Childs
Hospital at Lexington avenue and Fifty
first street, where $50 children were heing
cared for was 80 badly shak en- that plaster
fell in the halls and every pane Of glass
| and some Of the ssshes on both the Lex
I'M ton avenue and Fifty-irst street sides
Of the building were blown in. No one
was seriously injured The Bible Train
ing Schooi. which stands nearly opposite
the demolished power station. lost all
Of it's windows and suffered much in
terror damage. but the inmates escaped
| serious harm.
At the Cathedral school in Fiftisth
street across the street from the power
station partitions were blown down
in. the blast that carried away the win
dows and several of the boys and two
priests were hurt. Most Of the schools
$40 pupils were not present. The Cath
olic Free Circulating Library. adjoining
the school on the south. had its interior
wrecked. although the walls stood firm.
Adjoining the library on the corner OF
Lexington avenue is a five story brick
building It's interior WAS turned top~y
turyv and several Of tn. living apart
ments were wrecked completely.
ON the southeast corner. opposite the
power station No. Hook and Ladder
quarters and those of the Eighth Rat
alton caught the full force Of the ex-
plosion Ceilings were thrown down.
walls thrown out OF plumb and some
damage done IN the apparatus. Eat
talon Chief William J Duffy was hurt
by a marble slab which fell in the hath
room OF his quarters and q sash from
one OF the windows was forced about his
neck
EVEN BRooKLYS HEARD THE NOISE
Earth tremors were felt distinctly a.
far south as Forty second street. where
guests in the Hotel Belmont were startled
by what they thought an unusually heavy
blast OF dynamite in the Centrai's yards.
The noise Of the explosion was heard In
Br ooklyn and by persons on the New
Jersey ferries
The tremendous wrecking power of
the explosion caused rumor that stored
dynamite had been set OF. hut the in
yestigations Of the railroad officials.
Commissioner Waldo Of the Fire Depart
ment and the police indicated that Pintsch
gas and nothing more had exploded.
The accident came about IN this manner:
HOW IT ALL HAPPENED.
The gas ussd for lighting the cars 10
brought down from Mott Haven in stssl
tank cars and stored for use under COM
preston OF from IFS to $50 pounds IN steel
tank. in the Central's yards opposite
Forty--ixth street. From these tanka
pipes run To various parts OF the yaFu'
and from the pipes the trains take on their
supply. Yesterday morning Albert sea-
Rroatt. motornan employed To shirt
cars about the yards. ran what the railroad
peopls call a draft Of cars-there were
eight in his train-down spur track
which ends at the abutments Of the trans
former house. This house wan OF brsSa
and reinforced concrete. The part ON
,h. ,,.-L I.veI VIVA omen on the south