New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-18
BIC EXPLOSION
ALARMS BROOKLYN
One Dead and Seven Injured by
Flying Debris in Gold
Street.
ELECTRIC LIGHTS GO OUT
Fire Truck Almost Wrecked by
Manhole-Trouble in The
atres and Other Places
of Amusement.
ELECTRIC LIGHTS GO OUT

one boy was Killed and seven other
,srsons were injured in a gas explosion
=, Cold and Plymouth street, Brooklyn.
q, $50 o'clock Yesterday evening. The
sra from the gas interfered with the
main conduits of the Edison Electric
Illuminating Company, and from until
1890 o'clock Brooklyn was in semi
darkness. The killed and injured follow:
DEAD
KAISER Joseph thirteen years old oil NO ="
Bridge street
INJURED
BRADLEY. James. fourteen years old, No. 20
Isv street burned about the face ana heso,
attended hy Dr Hambelman, Of the Long
island College Hospital not removed -
vrTZGERALD David twelve years old. No. l"9
Iav street burns about the face remover
m tho Brooklyn Hospital.
kENNFY. Josephine. fifty years old, No. 20
rr.rt street. burns on the face. attended by
DR. scott OF the Brooklyn Hospital; not re-
v,XFREDs. Atula thirteen years old. No. 81
"A street: burned about the face and head
attended hy )r Hamblemann. not removed
PETTERTON. Mary, four years old NO ~ -
Green Lane forehead cut; attended bN Dr.
scott not removed
WARD Lieutenant William. thirty -hye years
old II Fire Truck 6s. burned about the face
attended by Dr. j. Smith, Of the Fire De
partmcnt; not removed. , .
COLE. Arthur T. twenty nine years Old Of Sf
Tire Truck IS: burns on the face attehdeu
hv Dr smith: not removed
II was not known last night whether
spontaneous combustion or spark from
short -circuited wires was responsible for
The explosion According to the story
told by Patrolman Harvey T. Berger Of
the 10th Precinct who was standing
al Gold and John streets. there was n
sudden report. and the cover of the Edi-
son Company's conduit was blown high
into the air. Flames shot to tho height
Of thirty feet and the air was filed with
paving stones and debris from the
street. Instantly there was a second re-
rort. louder than the first. about ten
feet from the manhole. This ripped up
the street further.
As soon as he could sec. the patrolman
rushed 10 tho spot a few feet from
the manhole Joseph Kaiser was found,
the top of his skull nearly torn away by
paving stone Several other children
and one adult we're also found injured.
s crowd Immediately gathered. and al
though the officer drew his club he was
thrown back against the wall of q build
ing by the frantic people. An alarm of
FIRE was sent i'm by some unknown
person
Fire Truck Almost Wrecked
Truck 6S responded with other appa-
ratus. As it rounded the corner at Gold
and Plymouth streets another manhole
blew up with a loud roar just beneath
the truck, enveloping it in flames and
hurting the men and ladders to the
street. The horses became frightened
az nearly ran away.
Deputy Chief Lally. who had responded
10 the alarm, took charge Of the fire
fight. Ambulances from the Cumberland
Street. the Brooklyn and the Long
Island College hospitals We're called and
attended the injured. assisted by DIR. J.
Smith. the chief surgeon Of the Fire De-
partment. The fire which was burning
I'm the conduit had TO be smothered by
send. The Brooklyn works Of the Brook
lvn Union Gas Company shut off the feed
pipe from the section. The fire was still
smouldering at midnight
The explosions caused great excite
meut in the neighborhood. Frightened
by the noise and the breaking Of win
dows the people rushed into the street,
thinking that the gashouse had blown
up. The electric light wires were so Sc
riousy affected by the flames that lights
soon after began TO flicker all about the
borough
chief Lally. fearing serious conse-
quences, telephoned the theatres and
places Of amusement. saying that an ac-
cident at the Edison COmpanys power
house had affected the lighting service,
but that there was absolutely nothing to
fear
- O'Clock the lights became SO low
that il was found that performances
,ould not be continued and the people
were sent away At the Academy of
Music where Ambassador James Bryce
Of Great RI ain was speaking. under the
auspices Of the Brooklyn Institute Of
Arts and Sciences. the lights burned so
low at times that the stage appeared in
twilight and the speaker appeared un-
able 20 read his notes
Use Candles at Dinner.
in the downtown section Of the bor-
'ugh. where electric light is wholly de-
rendcd upon for illumination. the streets
were in semi-darkness At the Crescent
Athletic club the guests were furnished
with two hundred candles and managel
to emily themselves i'm spite Of the poor
electric service The lights burned low
also on the Brooklyn Bridge In the
IddgeWO0d section many streets We're
entirely without electric lights. At No
- Myrtle avenue burglar alarm was
set going by the electric disturbance.
collecting big crowd that the police
had trouble TO Keep moving.
The people Of the section Of the ex-
posions were especially frightened. be-
cause Of the recollection Of the Gold
street sewer disaster Of November II.
1905. when a gas explosion blew up the
snoring in the sewer excavation i'm Gold
street between Front and York streets.
Seventeen bodies were recovered from
the excavation and others were believed
10 have been undiscovered.
About twenty minutes before lower
Brooklyn was wrapped i'm darkness. a
feed wire H. the Flatbush Gas and Elec~
the Company ClarksOn street and New
York avenue. grounded and the lights i'm
the vicinity almost went out They were
50 dim that house owners rushed for
candles. At the CortclyOu Club the COM
mittee preparing for ~ dance bought two
hundred candles. and even when the
aN a. l.,.f.g ltf h.