The New York herald., 1922-01-02
Manhole Covers Blown Up at
Bond and Livingston SITS.
in Shopping Center.
$4,000 IN GLASS BROKEN
Only Man in Range Escapes
Death by Two Feet-18
Families Driven Out.

A terrific explosion. believed to have
been caused by gas which had been
collecting in electric conduits under
the street for three or four days
possibly q week-drove two manhole
covers into the air at Livingston and
Bond streets, in the downtown shop.
ping district Of Brooklyn. yesterday.
shook the vicinity like an earthquake
ana sent showering to the street the
window panes and big plate glass win
dows in apartments and store build
ings in radius Of two blocks.
The loss in glass was estimated at
$4,000. In houses in Bond, Livings-
ton, Schermerhorn and State streets
people felt the walls shudder. Chairs
were moved as by mighty hand sew
eral inches on the floor. Except for
the roar of,-the concentrated wave of
gas they would have thought an earth
quake had set the foundation Of Brook
lyn shivering.
A mile away people ran out OF their
houses alarmed by the detonation. Fol-
lowing the explosion were two whips OF
flame flashing thirty feet above the
strcct from the manhoies, whose covers
had been sent crashing off skyward
Glass Continues to FAN.
Crowds on their way to the molten
picture and other theaters in the vicin-
ity of Fulton street were greatly alarmed
after the roar by the repeated long series
of cracking. tinkiing hanmerings Oh the
sidewalks and pavements. The glass
was falling. 1t did not all fall at once
The big plate windows OF Frederick
Loeser & Co.'s store at Elm place and
Livingston street and those OF A. /.
Namm q Sons opposite had broken at
the first impact. But in the upper win
dows OF Loeser's seven story building
glass that had been broken partly by
the explosion fell only when the wind
whirled H.
Apartment houses also were suddenly
bereft of this glass protection from the
increasing wind and cold. Eighteen
families found their homes too cold TO
live in and were forced to seek other
quarters for the night. All the win
dows, front and rear, were blown out OF
the four story apartment house at 230
Livingston. street and from the umbrella
store of Isaac Smith and the optical
store'of Bechtold & Co. on the first floor.
AT 22S Livingston street a six story
apartment house was hit by the sudden
draft. as the windows broke under the
concussion. and the chill wind blew in.
Escapes Death By Two Feet.
Only one person was hurt. His
escape from death measured by tape
was two feet. Ono Of the manhole
covers fell from the air within that
distance of Charles Rub. 81, an cleo
trician, Of 204 Livingston street, at Bond
and Livingston streets. ten feet from
the blasted manholes. The explosion
dazed him. but he did not fall. Before
he could recover the nanhole cover
landed beside him and was broken. One
of the pieces rolled over againet his
right leg. II cut the flesh deeply. and
knocked Rub down. He was attended
at Cumberland Street Hospital.
Rub was the only person I'm the street
in the immediate vicinity. Further
down the block were Patrolmen Strachan
and Baneamer, who had srnelled gas
strongly In the neighborhood for more
than an hour before the explosion.
They had been trying to trace the leak.
but the odor was distributed by the
wind. II
Ten minutes after the explosion thou
sands of persons had gathered. and po-
lice reserves were called from the But
Ter. Poplar and Bergen street stations.
Ambulances responded from Cumber-
land street and Holy Family hospitals.
Glass was still falling and continued
to fall from windows for more than an
hour, and because OF the danger to
those who would venture into the block
the police ropcd off the district at Bond
and Livingston streets. Fulton stree,
at Elm place. and Livingston street at
Hoyt street.
Trolley cars wero kept from passing
through Livingston street and were
routed by way OF Fulton street around
the Borough Hall loop, with the ex-
ception or the Park row cars for Man
haitian.
One OF the conduit covers blown Off
was or the Brooklyn Edison Company,
and tho other OF the New York Tele- !
phone Company. The Edison company
disclaimed responsibility for the ex-
posion. crew of workmcn from the
Brooklyn Union Gas Company began
investigating. but their foreman re-
fused 10 make any statement. and n
Mr.. Wood at tho main office 20 whom \
he referred aucstioners also declined TO |
offer an explanation.
The police conducted an inquiry and |
reported that "gas In an Edison conduit |
at Rivington street. near Elm place. be- |
came iEnited and catIpod An oxuloaiop I"