The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-12-24
EXPLOSION jars GOTHAM.
TEN KILLED MD AT LEAST las
INJURED nv EXPLOSION IN
NEW YORK.
Force of Conclusion Felt FOR Two
Miles mp and Down Rock Ridge
which Forms Structure OF Man
hattan--Damage ~ s2,0OO.OO0.

which Forms Structure OF Man
hsttan-Damage II Ss,o00.00o.
New York. Dec. is.--The terrific
explosion OF illuminating gas In the
auxiliary power house In the Grand
Central station. which tore at the
heart OF and sent tremor along the
entire rock backbone of Manhattan
'his morning. caused the death OF 10
persons. two OF them women, the in
jury OF i25 others and property dana,
age estimated tonight at from w.
900. 900 to ss.oOo.OOO Fire broke
out I'm the shattered ruins of the
power house again late tonight. but
with n great corps OF police. searchers
and hremen on the scene, the blaze
rnads little headway. 1t was weird
scene In and about the station as the
night wore on. No addition bodies
were found. but In a hospital Guther
johnson succumbed to terrible In
5uries. bringing the death roll to 10.
Four workmen. who are missing,
are believed TO have perished. and
OF las injured ss were removed to
hospitals. or those eight may die.
"a Investigation by the police. the,
1r1pc >>>oraey's once and the coro-
ner's once Is under way. Traffic on
the New York Central railroad ceased
entirely for some time and was dis
organized for the remainder of the
day, but the new station itself. now
IN process OF construction. was not
damaged.
The injured included laborers and
other employees OF the railroad. pedes-
trians. bystanders and others in the
vicinity Of the accident.
A passing surface car, carrying
seven passengers. was lifted from its
tracks and hurled upon an automobile
D running alongside. Four OF the seven
passengers were killed outright. but
the chauceur OF tho motor car was
only bruised.
For some hours II was believed that
dynamite alone could have wrought
, such instantaneous and pulverizing
Dhavoc. but late In the afternoon Fire
Chief Croker said he was convinced
that the whole explosion was due to
mixture OF air and illuminating gas.
used In lighting railroad cars, touch
ed or by an electric spark.
The gas had accumulated I'm tine
. auxiliary power house from a broken
. pipe. snapped of by a runaway pas
senger car.
The force OF the explosion ran north
and south from one to two miles
along the rocky ridge that is the back
bone OF the island. and east and west
laterally for mile. Foundations
! were Jared. walls were shaken out
OF plumb. windows were blown In by
the thousands. ceilings came crashing
down on the heads OF the occupants
and the pavements were Uttered with
n crisp tinkling fall OF pulverized
glass that coated the shoe soles.
Hurried estimates during the day
placed the damage at not more than
half a million dollars but can
vas, OF the neighborhood showed that
few structures had escaped. Win
dows were smashed literally by the
fthousands and a nice problem Is
Nraised as 20 the liability OF the in
surance companies under the circum-
stances Handsome business fronts
were decorated with blankets. sheets.
newspapers. burlaps or old rags as the
quickest substitute for window glass
u Jsevera, institctions In the neighbor-
hood have appealed for aid TO effect
repair, end order will not be re-
tsored Tor weeks.
The TIFFANY studies at Forty-fourth
street and Madison avenue fully half
mile from the scene of the catas-
ffrophe. suffered. Stained glass win
dows valued at 10000 were smashed.
One Of the glass windows was a me
mortal piece worth $4,000. Another
decorative stained glass wind1Y
valued at s2.5OO on the far side Of
the building from the explosion was
klbent outward and then broken.
Albert scargrotte. tho engineer Of
the motor car which broke the pipe