Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-12-20
Electric Power House Blows
Up, Wrecking Building, De-
moliShing Street Car, and
Shocking Neighborhood
HEAVILY LOADED TRAINS
HAD NARROW ESCAPE
List of Dead and Injured Made
Up Mostly of Street Car
Passengers and Workmen
in the Building

(By Associated Prsss.)
NEW YORK. Dec. 1s.-Thirteen persons
were killed. two of them women. and
80 were injured in a double explosion of
gas and dynamite in the new electric
power house Of the New York Cen
trail railroad early Monday morning.
The dynamite blast picked up north
bound Lexington avenue trolley car,
lifted II I'm the air. and sent IL crash
ing down upon an automobile which
was passing along the other side OF
the street. -Four Of the passengers were
killed and every one in the car was
injured
PARTIAL LIST OF DEAD.
Following Is a partial list of the dead:
MARY ID. POLK.
THOMAS stage. Waterman
L. MMORROW.
z. B. LIVERMORE-
PATRICK JORDAN.
WILLIAM POETSCHKE.
EDITH OFFNER-
CHARLES ROBERTS.
JAMES RYAN, clerk.
The railroad services was only tempo
rarily interrupted. The new sub-station
Cured. IS at 50th street and Lexington
avenue. which Is half a dozen blocks
north OF the Grand Central.
The explosion. which could be heard
for many blocks, partly wrecked the
fire engine house nearby and prevented
the nremen from getting their apparatus
into the street
PRIESTS ADMINISTER RITES.
Monsignors La Petite and Hayes and
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 a postofice sub-station nearby the
explosion slightly injured several clerks
and scattered the mail over the floor
In the New York Nursery and ChiId's
hospital ceilings were partly shaken
Gown and the-windows broken, but none
q the 800 Children there was badly
hurt
The power house caught fire after the
explosion and the interior was practi-
eally burned out. Just what caused the
double explosion may probably never be
known
TRAINS BARELY ESCAPE
Fortunately for thousands of com
muters on the New York Central lines.
the force OF the dynamite blast was
directed in an opposite direction from
the railroad tracks: otherwise. the sew
eral incoming trains, heavily loaded.
might have been wrecked
Ofneisls OF the railroad learned thar
there were many workmen in the build
ing at the time OF the explosion ana
that very few OF these had been &C
counted for.
In the Bible Teachers Training school
on Lexington avenue. directly opposite
the power house. Is men and women
who were on their way to breakfast
were thrown TO the floor by the blast.
Many CT them were injured and several
OF them were taken to hospitals. An
the windows in the building were blown
in and the ceilings fell.
me damage TO the power house and
other buildings has not been estimated
but Il was stated that Il would exceed
s50a.050-
RAILROADS. STATEMENT.
statement issued from the Offices
OF the New York Central railroad at e.so
o'clock is as follows:
At $50 o'clock this morning an expIo-
sion occurred in an electric sub-stafion
building which furnishes power TO the
third rail system to the New York Cen
trail railroad. The sub-station is located
az 5Oth street, adjoining the tracks of
the railroad
The explosion. was of great velocity
and was Immediately followed by Ere
The list OF dead and injured viii be
large The number OF seriously injured
will probably reach "a.
The employees OF the railroad have
been unable thus far definitely TO as
sign the cause Of the explosion but IL
Is believed a large quantity of dyna-
mite stored in magazines. close to the
sub-station. was responsible for the
greater part OF the damage.
The building was a solidIy built
structure OF stone and brick. six sto-
ries in height. about $50 feet long by
80 feet wide The brant OF the explosion
was taken by the portion OF the build
ing known as the battery rooms, which
were completely wrecked The walls OF
the building for the most part stood
but the partitions and woodwork within
the building were demolished
There were only about IL workmen
IN the building at the time OF the expIo-
zion IT is likely that the name OF every
one OF these viii be found in the list
OF dead or injured
STRUCK CAR BROADsIDE.
The other dead and injured were pas
sengers in q Lexington avenue street
car which was passing the building just
as the explosion occurred The full
force OF the blast appears to have
struck the street car broadside and many
of the passengers were injured as the
car overturned in the street.
The force Of the explosion was d.
reeted away from the tracks and the
train service in both directions went on
almost without interruption
Aside from the damage TO the sub
station building the explosion caused
considerable damage 10 buildings in the
vicinity. particularly structures facing
the Lexington avenue side of the sub
station
The police making an investigation in
the ruins are OF the opinion, that the
explosion occurred in some gas tanks
which communicated. IL is reported 20
some dynamite. which one of the New
York Central officials said he understood
was stored I'm one Of the powerhouses-
SAVED BY ROPE
scaffold on top OF the powerhouse
on which a workman was standing when
the explosion occurred. was wrenched
from under him and as he fell he blind
l. grasped a dangling rope He hanged
there until rescued by nremen.
OF the II nrsnen In the IRE house