The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-12-19
Thirteen Persons Killed and Fifty Injured
When an Electric Power House Is Des=
trOyed===Irolley Car Lifted in the Air
and Dropped on Loaded Automobile

New York, Dec. 19,-Thirtecn per
sons lost thoir lives, fifty were injured
and a thousand people badly shaken
up In an explosion of car lighting gas
tanks and dynamite in the new six
story power station of the New York
Central railroad, under course of con
struction at Fiftietb street and Lexing.
ton avenue today. Nine bodies have
been recovered and the bodies of four
workmen are believed to be in the
wrecSage.
trolley car filled with dozen
h.gh-school pupils was blown from the
tracks on Lexington avenue. Four
passengers were killed and the others
were injured.
Ceilings and windows I'm hospitals,
schools and apartment houses were
shattered by the explosion, which
caused innumerable minor hurts to
worlmen and people In the affected
territory
Fire Chief Crocker says that, in his
opinion, the first explosion was that
Of lighting gas and the second eX-
plosion that hundred pounds OF dy-
namite. which lay within fifty feet Of
the gas tanks. Tho windows OF all the
buildings overlooking the excavation
were shattered walls were blackened
and In many cases cracked; cloud OF
smoke hung over the scene; bodies
were scattered hero and there, and
there was an inccssant clatter OF am
bulance gongS. The Grand Central
station, where track levels are being
eXcavated, looked as II a battle had
been fought in 1t.
liet of Dead,
The official list OF the dead follows
E D. LIVERMORE. New York Cen
trail inspector OF Pullman cars.
HAIRY B. HOPE.
C. McMARROW.
PATRICK JORDAN. track foreman,
THOMAS STAGG, watchman at pow"
CT house.
JOHN RYAN. clerk,
WILLIAM POELSCHKE, Orona. L,
EDITH OFFNER. stenographer
CHARLES ROBERTS, clerk in Ad-
ans Express company.
Fire Chief CrOcker said it would
be at least day before his men could
get at the bottom OF the debris Gov
ering the battery room where the eX'
plosion occurred and where the bodies
OF Nyo missing workmen are supposed
TO be.
He said the explosion was caused
b. Illuminating gas Cornelius Van
derbIlt was on tho scene and made an
Investigation.
There are numerous theories ad-
yanced to account for the explosion
OF the gas. One IS that a crowoar,
falling ON tho third rail caused
sbor circuit and ignited some gas es-
Gaping from a tank.
One workman saw smoke coming
from o motor car and thought that
sparks from the fire set of the gas.
Trolley Car Blown UP.
The force OF the explosion shatter'
cd hundreds OF windows In the big
hotels and apartment houses in the
ncIghborhood Of the railroad termi'
nal. causing alarm among the guests.
The dynamite blast picked up north
bound trolley car, lifted II 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
every ono In the car was injured
The railroad service was only tenn
porarily interrupted.
The new substauon power house,
whero the explosion occurred. is at
Fifteth street and Lexington avenue.
which is half a dozen blocks north OF
The Grand Central station,
Explosion Heard for Blocks
The explosion. which could be heard
for many blocks, partly wrecked the
lre engine house nearby and prevent
ed the flremen from getting their APP
paratus into the street
Monsignors La Petite and Hayes and
Fathers O'Connor. McQuade. Sinnott
and Byrnes OF St. Patrick's cathedral
hurried TO the scene and administered
the last rite of the church 10 the Sc
rlously injured.
At the postoffice eub-station at For
ticth street and Madison avenue the
explosion slightly injured several
clerks and threw the mail all over
the floor. In the New York Nursery
and Childrens hospital ceilings were
partly shaken down and the windows
broken out, but unfortunately none OF
the 300 children there were badly
hurt
Damage is s5oo.ooo
In the Bible Teachers Training
school on Lexington avenue, directly
pppN'IAS INC power uouSts lED ultil uil'
women who were on their way 10
breakfast were thrown to the floor by
the blast Most OF the men and WON.
en- were injured and several of them
wero taken to hospitals. All tho win
dows In the building were blown in
and the ceilings fell.
The damage To the power house and
other buildings has not been estimat-
ed, but It was stated that It will like
ly exceed 100000
The employees OF the railroad have.
been unable thus far definitely TO as
sign the cause OF tho explosion, but it
Is believed q large quantity OF dyn-
amite stored in magazines close to
the sub-statlon was responsible for
the greater part OF the damage
The brunt OF the explosion was ia.
ken by the portion OF the building
known as the battery rooms. which
were completely wrecked. The walls
OF the building for the most part stood