Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1910-12-23
Dynamite and Gas Wreck New
York Power House,
MANY BUILDINGS DAMAGED
Street Car Was Hurled Upon Automo'
bile. Crushing Out the Lives OF
Four-10oo Shaken Up by Detona
finn

ton.
Nine persons lost their lives, 155 9th
ers were injured, many of them not
seriously. and 1000 or more were shak
en- up in New York in an explosion OF
car lighting gas tanks and dynamite.
The explosion occurred in the new
six-story power station of the New
York Central railroad under course Of
construction at Fiftieth street and Lex
ington avenue. The power house took
fire after the explosion and the in.
terror was practically burned out
On technical charge of homicide
the police took into custody Albert
Segaratt, motorman of train which
bumped into and broke one of the gas
pipes near the sub-station. This acci
dent is blamed by New York Central
officials for the explosion.
Segaratt said he tried to stop the
train with his brakes and reversing
levers, but could not do so. The explo-
sion occurred twenty-seven minutes af.
terward.
The dynamite explosion picked up
northbound trolley car, carrying about
a dozen high school students, lifted it
in the air and sent it crashing down
upon an automobile which was passing
along the other side of the street Four
of the passengers were killed and ev.
eryone in the car was injured. One of
the passengers killed was woman.
What became of the chauffeur and
Mt nf hn
could not be determined. The body of
man found on the sidewalk nearby
was believed to be that of the chauf.
feur.
Ceilings and windows in hospitals,
schools and apartment houses for
many squares about were shattered
by the explosion, which caused in
Vulnerable minor hurts of workmen
and persons in the affected territory.
Fire Chief Croker says that in his
opinion the first explosion was that of
lighting gas and the second explosion
that of a hundred weight of dynamite
that lay within fifty feet of the gas
tank.
The windows of all the buildings
overlooking the excavation were shat
tered; walls were smoke ,blackened,
and in many cases cracked and riven;
a cloud of smoke hung over the scene;
bodies were scattered here and there,
and there was the incessant clatter of
ambulance gongs. The Grand Central
cut looked as if battle had been
fought in 1t.
Clamoring hundreds besieged the
Fffty-frst street police station, where
the dead were taken. There were many
piteous scenes as the identifioations
were made. The police had all they
could do to calm anxious mothers,
wives and relations of persons who
were thought to have been in the vi
cinity at the time of the disaster.
The damage to the power house and
other buildings has not been estimat-
ed, but it was stated that it will likely
exceed $5OO,00O.
Toomey, a patrolman, was on Lex
ington avenue when the shock came
Just ahead of him girl was killed,
one of her legs being blown off, while
Toomey himself was blown across the
street and his uniform almost COM
pletely torn from him. He got up and
was starting to help in the rescue
work, when he fell unconscious.
A gang of more than fifty bricklay
ers, sixty feet in the air on the big
power building near the scene OF the
explosion, had a remarkable escape
from death or serious injury. An air
cushion, formed by the explosion be.
low. hoisted up the big scaffold on
which they were working, tilted in
wardly and tossed the men over the
wall they were building and upon a
firm scaffolding on the inside. Only one
man of the gang was injured and he
only slightly.