The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-03-04
Maha1ey Ls
 Dead From Gas Leak
(Continued from Page D

Mahaney was the only occupant of the building, which houses stores on the first floor and is occupied on the second floor by the Brooklyn A. C., otherwise ther might have been additional victims. The fire depart ment pulmotor squad. directed by Chief Thomas F. Cavanaugh, worked on Mahaney for more than an hour in an unsuccessful effort to revive him. Medical Examiner Dr. Edward Kirschbaum, summoned to the scene said he had been dead an hour or more.
 Cause of Break Unknown
 Charles J. Allen, manager of the Waterbury district office of the Con- necticut Light & Power Co.,, said that the cause of the break in the six-inch main was unknown. The pipe, he said, connects the south gas plant with Naugatuck. All gas lines in the neighborhood were thoroughly inspected only two weeks ago, he said, after a minor leak had been discovered.
 Bremen and policemen were at the scene all morning long, as re- pairmen located the leak and began to replace the pipe. Traffic was re- routed in lower Brooklyn, and no smoking was allowed for consider able distance from the scene of the leak. Every possible precaution was taken to prevent further tragedy.
 Repair Squad on Hand
 Within a short time after Patrol men Lynch and Mecca had discov- cred Mahaney, a repair squad was at the scene, busily engaged in rip ping up the pavement. The leak was located in the main on River side street, a short distance from Bank street. The leaking gas had seeped underground in several direc- tionS.
 Fire Marshal Den Lahey and his staff were at the scene after the first alarm and remained all morn ing. The marshal directed that all possible safety measures be taken. In locating the leak and in exam ming the Maha.4ey building, fire men and repairmen were forced to don gas masks so that they would not be overcome.
 How long the gas had been leak ing is problematical. It had not been noticed in stores and restaurants in the Mahaney building when they closed late last night. First evil Say,ro Nf tI,a IoaE co mo xx,l,ot, To r,, = osky was overcome a few minutes after opening the gas station. Even then the leak was not recognized as such, and it was only when Mar cinkus opened his restaurant and notified the policemen of the fumes that the seriousness of the situa- tion was realized.
 The two policemen, after finding Mahaney dead, notified Sergt. Ed ward Aston, who at once sent in police and fire alarms.
 The fire department pulmotor squad sped to Brooklyn and tried to revive Mahaney, but in vain. In the squad were Chief Cavanaugh, Capt. Joseph Kelley, and Privates Frank Moore and John OLeary. Meantime all doors and windows in the building were opened to allow the gas to escape. The building is located at 768-780 Bank street, and on the first floor are several reStau- rants and stores. All were filled with gas. On the second floor are the quarters of the Brooklyn A. 0. and the room which Mahaney oc- cupied.
 Repairs Nearly Done
 Repairs to the main would be completed this afternoon, MT. Allen said. He was unable to explain the break in the pipe, but it was be- lieved that the extreme cold had caused the main to crack. MT. Allen said 1t was the first fatality of its kind in his experience in Water bury.
 MT. Mahaney was born in Water bury in September, 1883, and was a