The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-20

New York, December 10.-rhe ter
rife c1plosion of illuminating Ens in
the auxiliary powcr-house at the
Grand Central Station, which tore at
the heart and sent tremor along the
entire backbone of Manhattan this
morning, caused the death Of ten per-
sons, two OF them women, the injury
of 1:5 others and property damage
estimated Tonight Mt from S:,O0O,OOO
to s3,OOO,OOO.
The fire broke out in the shattered
ruins of the power-housc ngnin late
Tonight, but with great corps OF
police, searchers and hremen the
scene, the blaze made little headway
before checked.
1t was weird scene In and about
the station as the night wore on. No
additional bodies were found, but In
a hospital Guthicr Johnston, an elcc-
tricinn, succumbed TO terrible injuries
| received In the explosion, bringing the
death list up to ten. Hurried csti-
mates during the day placed the dnri-
age mt not more than hnlf million
dollars, but a canvass OF the neiShbor-
hood showed TINT few structures had
escaped. Windows were smashed lit
orally by the thousand. Handsome
resident fronts were decorated with
blankets, sheets, newspapers, buriHp
or old rags ms the quickest substitute
for window glass. Several Institutions
In the neiShborhood have appealed for
MD to effect repairs, and order will
not be restored for weeks.
The Tiffany studios at Fourty-fourfh
Street and Madison Avenue fully half
n mile from the scene of the cntas-
trophe suffered. Valuable stained
glass windows, valued nt 100000 were
smashed.
Albert ScaEroatt, the engineer of the
motor car which broke the pipe line,
,vns released on parole Tonight mt the
instance OF District Attorney Whitman,
who says there IL no evidence TO war
rant his being held.
Traffic on the New York Central
Railway ceased entirely for some hours
and was disorsnnized for the remain
der of the day, but the new station
Itself, now In process of construction,
was not damaged.
The injured include laborers ana
other employees of the railroad, pedes-
TRANS. bystanders and others in the
vicinity of the accident. y passing
surface car carrying seven passengers
was lifted from its tracks and hurled
into an automobile running alongside.
Four of the seven passengers were
killed outright. but the chauffeur OF
the motor car was only cut and bruised. &
Z. Accumulated Gas.
For some hours 1t was believed tnat
dynamite alone could have wrought
such instantaneous and pulNefazlng
havoc. but late in the afternoon tire
Chiel Croker said he was convinced
that the whole explosion was due to
a mixture of air and illuminating gas
used In lighting railroad cars. touched
off by an electric spark. The gas hau
accumulated in the auxiliary power
house from broken pipe snapped Off
by runaway passenger car
The force of the explosion ran north
and south for two miles along the
rocky ridge that is the backbone OF ths
island, and east and west atterlS Tor
mile Foundations were Jared, walls
We're shaken out of plumb windows
were blown in by the thousand, cell
ings came crashing down on the heads
of those beneath, and the pavements
were Uttered with a crisp tinkiing fall
OF pulveriZed glass that topped the
shoe soles.
The fun amount of the property
may exceed the rouSn and
estimate Of 100000, The
loss to the New York Central Railroad
Company includes the physical dam
age done to the power house, which
work. and the damage done
to cars standing near the power house.
The loss to shop Keepers and property
owners in the vicinity Will spread over
a wide range OF items, Christmas DIS.
plays We're blown backward into the
shops sucked into the street, or cut 10
ribbons by flying glass. Whole fronts
of buildings We're left without a Vim.
dow, like sightless masks.
How 1t Happened.
AS nearly as can be determined, this
is how the accident occurred 4 train
load OF empty passenger cars hauled
by an electric motor, In charge Of AL 4
bert Seagreatt. got out of control OF
the brakes. crashed into a steel and
buffer post, snapped the post
on, and rammed a pile of lumber be-
hind the post into two and one half
inch gas main connecting with the
taps from which the tanks Of shc '4iss4
senger cars are cllarged> IN p~pHhaN
TO the square inch,
BY t,,- testimony OF the motorman
and that OF John J, quinn. bricA.