The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1913-08-21
FIRE TRAPS so
DEEP IN EARTH
Shaft Of Aqueduct Pit Burns
t5O Feet Above Their
Heads.
ALL ARE RESCUED ALIVE
Firemen Climb Down and
Find Them Nearly Over
come by Gases.
FOUR WORKERS INJURED
Residents at st. Nicholas Ave.
nue. and 149th Street
Driven to Streets.

4 spark shot into some oil soaked waste
from the black smiths anvil In the struc.
ture at the mouth Of AQueduct Shaft No.
. az the triangle at 14sth street. St
Nicholas avenue and st. Nicholas place
II s 20 yesterday afternoon and within
four minutes these things happened:
Sixty workmen at the bottom OF
the shaft, $50 feet below the street
level, were cut of and the air COM
pressor which sent them air and which
was located in the burning barn was
destroyed.
Four men on a platform twenty-five
feet above the ground on the outside
Of the building jumped to the ground
and We're injured.
The building was a mass OF flames
rising a hundred feet into the air and
three alarms were sent In.
The flames shot across the streets
and broke most OF the windows In
houses on the opposite sides, creating
grave fire danger for them.
The automobile Of Michael Quinn.
superirtendert In charge of the work
IT. the shaft, which had been standing
at the curb was destroyed before the
chauffeur could get II ou. Of the way
Firemen Go Down shaft.
Two hours later Chief Kenlon and a
handful Of men r,ade n perilous trip tc
tho bottom of the shaft. during which
fifteen tons of debris fell by them. and
they only escaped being brushed to the
bottom by clinsing tightly to the sides OF
the shaft
They found the gang Of men weak
from gases and poor air supply huddled
toge,her 1000 feet from the shaft, The
men could not have lasted more than tive
hours more. some OF the ambulance doc
tors thought.
The barn is 40 by 60 fee; and is 40 fee
high at the sides. running up to poin
IN the centre, which is so feet high. Th'
shaft In sunk at the north end of II. Th'
barn is used as storeroom and work
shop, and a great quantity Of highly in
nammable material is kept there.
1t is thought that there must have beer
some gasolene near where the spari
lighted, because the flames spread ~
FAST.
The elevator had just started dow'
with 8. r. Mitchell. foreman OF gans
and fourteen OF his men. when one o
them saw a trickle Of smoke in the shat
tbove. The fifteen men scrambled out o
the shaft and had just got clear when I'M
,,anees shot out across the street
On the outside Of the building. twenty
I'VE feet above the mouth of the shaft
was a platform on which were four men
whose duty it was to handle buckets o
rock lifted out Of the shaft by a derrick
The flames were directly behind then
when they jumped. These are the
lanes and their injuries:
POOLE DEXTER. 30 years. SIS West Forty
Heights Hospital.
SHANTUCK. 20 years. 80 Eighth avenue
burns on the body: TO Kniekeroocker Hosp'
tai The flames caught him before b.
Jumped and hi. condition is serious;
THCEsTON CLAYTON. 23 years. l0s West isis
street; broken left wrist and back sprained
10 Washington Heights Hospital.
wlSN. HAIRY. negro. % years II wen Ia
street: broken back and broken left arm: 4
washinston Heights Hospital.
Tenants Ordered Out.
When Chief Kenlon arrived on the thir,
alarm the flames were shooting far acros
the streets. He directed his men to orde
OF, the tenants Of all the apartmen
houses and streams were turned OH tn
buildings. In most Of the apartmen
houses the awnings were set on hre.
The police reserves Of the St Nichola
avenue West 15od street and West l26t
street stations had a busy time forcin
out occupants Of the Arundel Court. II
% 77s st. Nicholas avenue; Audubo
Court. and 4 st. Nicholas place. an
the houses on st. Nicholas avenue fror
~ 10 1876
George II. Finn. president Of Boot
Finn. the contractors In charge of tn
work, arrived and told Chief Kenlon tina
500 pounds Of dynamite was stored 4
tie bottom Of the shaft. but he though
'i VAS out Of danger.
When the fire was under control at
o'clock and the mouth OF the shaft wa
opened 1t was learned that the shat
"ieystor had been destroyed and tn
power for II had been cut of.
Five gas and three electric pulmotor
h'd been sent for and ambulances fror
Washington Heights Hospital and tn
k'ekerbocker Hospital were standing b,
The shaft 10 about thirty feet squar
"H' every fifty feet are small platform,
The ladders OF the Fire Department di
not reach the bottom 30 an extension lad
'e" nifty feet long was rigged up and tn
descent to the bottom of the shaft begur
'hcf Kcnlon led the way. followed b.
h's aid. Lieut.. Rankin. Then In orde
went Foreman Quinn. Mr.. Finn. Cap,
Walker ana Firemcn Hayes and Corey 0
Hook and Ladder 23.
The party was equipped with lantern,
and 1t WAS arranged that they should ra
i'e times on the pipe ut each platform
landing II they were safe.
Dropping the ladder from one platf0rr
~ another, they had gone about hsifwa
Gown when the debris fell past then
'hirf kenlon said later that he had neve
n foro been 30 nervous In his life a. whe