New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-08-22
SMOKER CAUSED SHAFT
FIRE, SAY ENGINEERS
Five Men, Supposed to Have
Been Seriously Injured, Re-
covering in Hospitals.
100000 DAMAGE DONE
Aoueduct Contractors Plan to
Resume Work on Regular
Scale in About
Two Weeks.

The engineers Of the Pittsburgh Con-
tracing Company in charge OF Shaft NO
OF the new aqueduct at St Nicholas
avenue and 18th street are almost Ger
tain that a cigar or cigarette caused the
fire which did more than $4,000 damage
to the company's structure and almost
$4,000 damage TO neighboring buildings
on Wednesday night. The five men whose
injuries were so serious that they were
taken TO hospitals are recovering rapldiy'
Many slight burns and bruises were
treated at "A temporary hospital estao-
lished near the shaft house.
At the Washington Heights Hospital
are Joseph Miushia. OF No. 303l VILE ave-
nue.. Bedford Park; Hurie VIM, Of NO
"a East 1920 street; Dexter Poole. OF NO.
52S West 45th street. and Clayton Thurs
ton. of No. los West 135th street. Broken
arms and fingers besides many bruises
will keep these men in the hospital for
a couple Of weeks. Peter Shantuck OF
No. 1891 Eighth avenue, most seriously
injured Of all, is resting comfortably al
the Knickerbocker Hospital. lie was
badly burned when his oil soaked clothing
caught fire.
The greatest loss to the contracting
company is the shaft house and the ma
chinery contained therein. The engineers
shanty lust to the north Of the shaft was
scorched and had many windows broken
on the side toward the fire, but was soon
put I'm condition for occupancy The tun-
mel at this point is AL feet below the
street level and the long shaft provided
forced draft that made a furnace OF the
shaft house.
Apartments and stores on either SIDE
OF the fire suffered as this draft drove
the flames in all directions. The front
rooms Of a brick block on ST Nicholas
avenue. and OF the Audubon Court apart
ments at Nos and 81. Nicholas Place
were cleaned out About 500 will cover
the loss due 20 broken windows ana
burned frames in Or. Henry Lloyd
saratorium at No. ST. Nicholas Place.
Four thousand dollars is the estimated
damage To the front apartments OF Au-
dubon Court. Hail Of the tenants are
out Of the city. and fire guards are watch
Ing over the wrecked apartments. The
front OF the north wing OF Arundel court
was scorched and several windows were
broken. one hundred dollars Will cover
this damage.
The owners and tenants Of the brick
building at 30 ISL 10 7S9 St Nicholas
avenue lost about 5000 I'm broken win
dows. burned frames and damaged FUR
nishings which happened 10 be near the
windows. The shops on the ground moor
did not suffer as heavily as the upper
APARTMENTS.
The work Of clearing away the debris oil
the burned structure was begun yesterday
and the contractors expect to resume
work or the regular scale In about TWO
weeks Little damage was done 70 the
shaft except for the burning Of the lining
at the top. Thousands OF gallons o'
water were poured into the fire and flowed
down the shaft to the tunnel. but the
engineers expect very little trouble III
pumping II out. The digging of the
nftcen-foot tunnel will be resumed "ithn
few days with temporary equipment.