The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-06
SKYSCRAPERS ROCK
UNDER NEW BLASTS
Some Windows Are Shattered,
but Staten Island Hills Pro-
tect Manhattan.
BROOKLYN Is HARD HIT
Broken Panes Litter Streets
City Hall Trembles and
Doors Burst Open.

Staten Islands generous sized Nils
undoubtedly saved New York city from
worse property damage than that which
was inflicted upon buildings Of all kinds
In Manhattan. Brooklyn and on the ISL
and itself. Unprotected by that natural
barrier. Jersey City, Hoboken ana the
other towns along the west bank Of the
Hudson were hit hard. and streets COW
cred with glass. screens. shutters and
other appurtenances askew on buildings
in those places marked the path Of the
recurrent shocks.
Biologists were almost unit in assert
ing that the Staten Island hills served as
an effective buffer in throwing of the
force Of the explosions as they sped on
their way toward the skyscrapers Of
lower Manhattan and the exposed resi-
Dental sections Of Brooklyn. Neverthe-
less. one Of tho blasts blew about fifty
panes out OF windows in the Produce
Exchange Building. and a few moments
later mild panic was caused in the City
Hall when one of the shocks caused that
structure to tremble.
Big Double Doors Burst Open.
Mayor Hylan was in his office at the
time and q group Of callers were waiting
in the corridor outside his rooms, when
Ave sets of double doors serving as an
entrance to the front Of the building
burst open with a crash. Lieut.. William
~
took charge Of the situation and quickly
quieted the few excited ones about the
building. A survey of the structure
showed IL was unchanged.
Apparently the greatest damage
within the city was inflicted on buildings
in lower Manhattan and in Brooklyn. es-
pecially in FTatbush. Bay Ridge. Coney
Island. Fort Hamilton, Bensonhurst and
Bath Beach. all OF which sections were
most exposed as the force of the ex-
plosions drifted across the open ex-
panse Of tho harbor.
While Tho Bronx and Queens ap-
peared to have escaped damage almost
entirely. the business district in Brook
lyn suffered heavily, and along Fulton
and other shopping streets in that bor-
ough hundreds of window panes were
shattered. Most Of these were heavy
plate glass affairs and the losses of the
insurance companies will be heavy. So
widespread was the damage, however.
that there will be no way of estimating
its extent until tomorrow at least. when
the insurance company's reports begin
to take definite>shape. Up to the end of
business yesterday the insurance COM
panies as a whole had received only a
small number OF reports of damage from
policy holders.
As precaution women employees in
the Standard Oil Building at 26 Broad
way were dismissed at noon, when the
report spread over the city that another
and even more powerful explosion than
any that had gone before was antici-
pated. The building. however, suffered
no damage.
The plate glass window, IL by IL feet,
in the display window OF the Dale
Brewster Company. dealers In machine
tools. at 81 to 60 Lafayette street, op-
posite the Tombs prison. blew in with a
crash and the sounds of the failing glass
excited the prisoners. Nobody was hurt,
however
Apparently jumping over Queens and
leaving property there comparatively I'M
damaged. the shocks from the explosion
shook Hampstead, l.. l., thirty-five miles
from the scene OF the disaster and broke
many windows In residences there and
in other Nassau county towns and viii
lagos.
Shocks Kick AviatoEs Around.
Aviators flying above Nassau and
Queens counties from the Government
fields at Mineola were kicked about as
the shocks travelled along air currents
far above the earth.
Coney Islands winter population of
10000 passed sleepless Friday night
as roar followed roar and shattered win
dows fell from rocking buildings. Sew
eral thousand persons ran from their
homes mad passed the night on the
beach In fear that some Of the islands
frail structures would collapse. From
the beach they could see plainly the
glare OF the New Jersey fire.
Further inland, however. reports
spread that an enemy fleet was bonn
harding the naval training station
along the shore of Gravesend Bay and
Flatbush cellars, soon had hundreds of
frightened occupants. The Coney Island
Bank and the Coney Island Hospital and
police station had windows broken. as
did the Norwegian and the Harbor hos
pitfalls in Fourth avenue. South Brooklyn.
Doctors and nurses in the hospitals had
a difficult time quieting the frightened
patients.
Some damage was done to property In
the Jamaica section of Queens, where a
plate glass window was blown out OF
the department store OF Plaut Bros, and
smaller panes from residences near by.
Thousands Of windows were shattered
at Bayonne. comparatively close t.. the
explosion. and residents of the city were.
In fear OF more extensive damage all
through the day. The houses and other
buildings there rocked and swgyed I'M
der each successive blast. but the damage
was mostly confined to broken windows
and shattered mirrors and bric-a-brac.