The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1910-12-21
GAS CAUSED DISASTER
Only Nine People Were Killed
In Explosion In New York.

House and Breaking a Pipe, From
Which a Volume of Gas Escaped.
Laborer Dropped a Crowbar Across
the Third Rail While Working at
the DeraIed Car and Flame That
Followed the Short Circuit Fired the
Gas.
New York, Dec. 20.-Nine persons
were killed and nearly 100 were in.
jured yesterday by an explosion OF
Pintsch gas used for lighting railroad
cars which demolished the transform.
er house Of the New York Centra's
power station at Lexington avenue and
Doth street, wrecked the interiors OF
buildings in the neighborhood and
shook the city for half a mile around
as though by earthquake shocks.
A trolley car which was passing the
power station at the time of the explo.
sion was blown from the tracks and
several of its passengers were killed.
The whirlwind of conclusion broke
every pane of glass in the buildings
within two blocks of the explosion,
tore the sashes from the easements
ard tossed the inmates about amid
the wreck of the furnishings.
Scarcely pane Of glass or window
sash was left intact along Lexington
avenue from 4Cth street to 52nd street
and in the side streets as far east as
Third avenue.
To the west the force of the explo.
sion, which seemed to cover n fan-like
area, TO the east, was less felt al
though Archbishop Farley's residence
at Madison avenue and 50th street
was shaken enough to break some of
the windows.
Windows Were Blown In.
The New York Childs nursery. and
Children's hospital at Lexington av.
enue and 5lst street, where $50 chill.
dren were being cared for. was so bad
y shaken that plaster fell in the halls
and every name of glass and some of
the sashes on both the Lexington av-
enue and DIST street sides of the build
ing We're blown in. No one was Sc.
riously injured.
The Bible Training school which
stands nearly opposite the demolished
power station lost all of its windows
and suffered much damage to the in.
terror from the blast but the inmates
escaped serious harm.
At the cathedral school on 50th
street across the street from the pow
er station, partitions were blown down
in the blast, that carried away thewind.
ows and several Of the boys and two
priests were hurt Most of the schools
l,SO0 pupils were not present when
the explosion occurred.
The Catholic free circulating lib.
rary adjoining the school on the south
had its interior wrecked, although the
walls stood firm. Adjoining the Ii.
brary on the corner CT Lexington av
enue is five story brick building It's
interior was turned topsy turvey by
the blast and several of the living
apartments were wrecked completelv.
On the southeast corner directly op-
posite the power station, number two
hook and ladders quarters, and those
of the eighth battalion caught the full
force of the explosion. Ceilings were
thrown down, walls thrown out OF
plumb and some damage done to the
apparatus.
Cause of the Explosion.
The explosion came about in this
manner The gas used for lighting the
cars is brought down from Mott Haven
In steel tank cars and stored for use
under compression of from 1875 to $50
pounds in steel tanks In the Central's
yards opposite 10th street. From
these tanks, pipes run to various parts
Of the yard and from the pipes the
trains take on their supply.
Albert Seagroatt, a motorman, EN-.
ployed to shift these cars ran eight
cars down a spur track The spur
ends at the abutments of the trans
former house which handles the high |
tension current for the third rail |
Seagroatt was unable to stop his cars
when they neared the bumper post at |
the end of the track almost beneath |
the transformer house. The cars
crashed through the bumper posts and |
brought up against the concrete base
of one of ;he pillars supporting the
house itself.
Beside this pillar was a two-inch |
Pintsch gas pipe from which Sea
groatts draft of cars was to have |
taken on its supply. The force of the
collision split the concrete pillar and
broke the gas pipe allowing the gas
to flow into the shedlike space beneath |
the transformer house.
Seagroatt notified the yardmaster
of the trouble but for nearly a half |
hour the gas continued to escape and
II is the theory of those who made the
that it collected in the
shedlike space beneath the power sta.
tion. Just what set off this accumul.
1tlon of gas Is not certain.
Short Circuit Fired Gas.
One story has it that a laborer
dropped crow bar across the third
rail while working at the derailed cars
and that TIE flame following The short
circuit fred the gas which mixing
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