The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-19
BOILER B OWS UP.
Power House of New York Gen.
trail Is Wrecked.
Passing Street Car Is Hurled
From the Track.
ONTO AN AUTOMOBILE.
Three Persons Killed in the De-
rallied Car.
Number of Dead Twelve and
Thirty Injured.
ONTO AN AUTOMOBILE

New York Dec. 19.-Twelve persons
were killed, two of them women and
thirty were injured in a double explo-
sion of gas and dynamite in the new
electric power house of the New York
Central railway shortly after o'clock
this morning. The force of the explo-
sion shattered hundreds of windows in
the big hotels and apartment houses
in the neighborhood of the railroad
terminal causing alarm among the
guests The dynamite blast picked up
a northbound trolley car, lifted it in
the air and sent it crashing down upon
an automobile which was passing
along the other side of the street.
Three of the passengers were killed
and every one in the car was injured.
The railroad service was only tenn
porarily interrupted. The new sub
station power house, where the ex-
plOsion occurred, is at Fiftieth street
and Lexington avenue, which is half
a dozen blocks north of the Grand
Central station. The following is
partial list of the dead:
The Dead.
MARY D. POLK, 104 East Fortieth
street.
THOMAS stage. watchman in the
c, McMORROW, address unknown.
E. B. LIVERMORE. address un-
known.
PATRICK JORDAN. laborer
FRANK KELLY. Central office de-
tective.
JAMES RYAN, clerk
WILLIAM POETSCHKE.
EDITH OFFNER.
Nine bodies have been recovered,
one of which has not been identified.
The explosion which could be heard
for many blocks, partly wrecked the
fire engine house near by and prevent
ed the firemen from getting their ap-
paratus into the street.
Monsignors Lapette and Hayes and
Fathers O'Connor, McQuade, Sinnott
and Byrnes of st. Patrick's cathedral
hurried to the scene and administered
the last rites of the church to the
more seriously injured.
At the postoffice substation at 10th
street and Madison avenue the explo-
sion slightly injured several clerks and
threw the mail all over the floor. In
the New York nursery and child's
hospital ceilings were partly shaken
down and the windows broken but for
tunately none of the 800 children there
was badly hurt.
Fire Follows Explosion.
The power house, which is built of
stone and brick and six stories high,
took fire after the explosion and the
interior was practically burned out.
Just what caused the double explosion
may probably never be known
Fortunately for the thousands of
commuters on the New York Central
lines. the force of the dynamite blasts
was directed in an opposite direction
from the railroad tracks, otherwise
the loaded incoming trains might have
been wrecked.
Oficials of the railroad learned that
there were many workmen in the
building at the time of the explosion
and that very few of these had been
accounted for.
In the Bible teachers training school
on Lexington avenue, directly opposite
the power house, 125 men and women
who were on their way to breakfast
were thrown to the floor by the blast
Many of the men and women were in
jured and several of them were taken
to hospitals. All the windows 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 likely
exceed 100000.
The house of fire truck No. S, on the
southeast corner of Lexington avenue
and Fifty-first street, is practically
demolished. The walls are cracked and
the truck put out of commission. Bat
TALON Chief Duffy. who was in his
room, as well as the other firemen.
were hurled to the floor and all re-
ceived injuries.
Reserves from half a dozen precincts
are at the scene.
The police report that the explosion
took place in the boiler under the bat
terry room which supplied the power for
tia third rail on the New York Cen
trail tracks.
Official Statement.
y statement issued from the offices
of the New York Central railway at
$3.50 O'Clock is as follows:
AT $40 o'clock this morning an ex-
pIosion occurred in an electric substa-
h11i1d WI -,
the third rail system to the New York
Central railroad. The substation is To-
Gated at F'iftieth street adjoining the
tracks of the railroad.
THE explosion was of great violence
and was Immediately followed by fire
The list of dead and injured will be
large 1t is not believed the number Of
dead will exceed three The number of
seriously injured will probably reach
"a.
THE employees of the railroad have
been unable to assign the cause of the
explosion thus far, but it is believed a
large quantity of dynamite stored in
magazines close to the substation was
responsible for the greater part of the
damage.
THE building was a solidly built
structure of stone and brick. six stor-
les in height and about $50 feet long by
SO feet wide. The brunt of the explo-
sion was taken 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 but the partitions and wood
work within the building were demol-
ished
the building at the time of the explo-
sion 1t is likely that the name of
every one of these will be found in
the list of dead or injured.
''The other dead and injured were
passengers in a Lexington avenue street
car which was passing the building lust