Question: Major Explosion in Manhattan

Telephone call with client | 7/18/2007 | RinaseaofD's

[RinaseaofDs]

I just hung up with a client located on the E40's in Manhattan. Tons of sirens to the point where he felt compelled to check on what was up.

He came back to the phone and said there had just been a massive explosion near their building, and that they were evacuating.

Any NYC Freepers have any information on this? Happened at 6 PM EDT or there abouts.

[xkaydet65]

It's not a transformer. It's an underground high pressure steam pipe. One of the things ConEd produced and sold was high pressure steam to Manhattan buildings. Pipelines transport this stuff from the power plants, where it's just a byproduct of running the turbines, to buildings that use it for heat, hot water. Cheaper than manufacturing on premises. But the stuff is under seriously high pressure, and they occasionally blow. this must be a big one, perhaps going to supply Grand Central.

Not a terrorist plot, though now that their existence is so visible, perhaps a target for the future.

[Spunky]

"Was not the 1993 World Trade Center attack first reported as a “transformer explosion”?

Everything that happens they are real quick to say it isn't a terrorist who did it.

[Spunky]

"Was not the 1993 World Trade Center attack first reported as a “transformer explosion”?

Everything that happens they are real quick to say it isn't a terrorist who did it.

[holden]

Was not the 1993 World Trade Center attack first reported as a “transformer explosion”?

Yes, it was:

http://www.fdnewyork.com/wtc.asp
http://www.simplifiedwiki.com/index.php/1993_WTC_Bombing
http://wtc7lies.googlepages.com/seismicreports,controlleddemo,1993,skysc

HF

[RinaseaofDs]

Just lucky. I was talking to a guy in a building on the corner where the explosion took place. I heard the sirens for the last 10 minutes of our call, to the point where he got annoyed and worried, and asked his fellow employees what was up.

They told him they were evacuating. We concluded the call, and I posted.

I used to live in NYC, and I’m glad I didn’t screw up east and west.

I’ve still got the live feed up. As they close the main, and they’ve been showing shots of the ConEd guys turning the valve, the pressure has increased to the point where the steam is really shooting out of that hole now.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

I saw your initial post and went to check Foxnews. Had Brit on and nothing said. Trace Gallagher opened his show with breaking news about it...7:00! Check my post 139 and see the idiocy of Gallgher. He’s a Shep clone, I guess.

[SE Mom]

Yep..I loved the neighborhood..pre-war building ..hardwood floors, quick walk for groceries..nice cheese shop across 54th. I walked out my front door and watched Pope John Paul drive down 1st to the U.N. (1980ish?)...when we had Mayor (howmIdoin) Ed Koch..

Love NYC.

[zencat]

Jeez, that thing is massive.

[omega4179]

Did you say INCIDENT?

[finnman69]

Steam expert on the local news said the sulphur smell is normal.

[finnman69]

It was a 20” high pressure steam main. 1000 degrees when it comes out of the pipe.

[Cinnamon]

transformer explosion.. right. yeah that’s the ticket!!

[hole_n_one]

Just lucky.

Ya done good!

.......the pressure has increased to the point where the steam is really shooting out of that hole now.

I've really got to find a new FR handle.

[af_vet_rr]

It was a 20” high pressure steam main. 1000 degrees when it comes out of the pipe.

The media has gotten pretty good at whipping up the people afraid of their own shadow. Even after they know it's steam, they still can't resist the urge to try and scare people, talking about "smoke" and "terrorist concerns". It's pretty pathetic what this country is coming to when the media can whip up a frenzy over steam (The asbestos covering the steam pipe is a legitimate concern, and rather than trying to freak out the scaredy cats among us, they probably should focus on the potential for asbestos in the air).

[do the dhue]

You'll go blind.

LOL

[do the dhue]

Is this wishful thinking?

or just brilliance?

[do the dhue]

Michael Moore had the bean burritos for lunch?

Good thing the gulf stream heads east over the Atlantic. Hopefully, it will dissipate before it gets to the old country.

[Alouette]

Steam explosion causes scare in NYC

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070718/ap_on_re_us/manhattan_explosion

NEW YORK - An underground steam pipe explosion tore through a Manhattan street near Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday during the evening rush hour, sending residents running for cover amid a towering geyser of steam.

New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said it was not terrorism related. A fire department spokeswoman said some people were taken to area hospitals, but no details were available. Subway service in the area was suspended because of the explosion.

A plume of steam, sometimes white and sometimes muddy brown, shot into the air from a gaping hole in the street near the train station and was as high as the nearby Chrysler Building. The air near the site was filled with debris.

Heiko H. Thieme, an investment banker, had mud splattered on his face, pants and shoes. He said the explosion was like a volcano. “Everybody was a bit confused, everybody obviously thought of 9/11.”

Darryl Green, who works with AT&T, said the buildings shook, so he and his colleagues dashed down 30 flights of stairs.

“As we came out onto the street, the whole street was dark with smoke,” he said.

A small school bus was abandoned just feet from the spot where the jet spewed from the ground.

Thousands of commuters evacuated the train terminal, some at a run, after workers yelled for people to get out of the building.

Debbie Tontodonato, 40, a manager for Clear Channel Outdoor, said she thought the rumble from the explosion was thunder.

“I looked out the window and I saw these huge chunks that I thought were hail,” she said. “We panicked, I think everyone thought the worst, thank God it wasn’t. It was like a cattle drive going down the stairs, with everyone pushing. I almost fell down the stairs.”

Streets were shut down in several blocks in all directions.

Millions of pounds of steam are pumped beneath New York City streets every hour, heating and cooling thousands of buildings, including the Empire State Building.

The steam pipes are sometimes prone to rupture, however. In 1989, a gigantic steam explosion ripped through a street, killing three people and sending mud and debris several stories into the air.

That explosion was caused by a condition known as “water hammer,” the result of condensation of water inside a steam pipe.

[cilbupeR_eerF]

nothing to see...

move along.

[af_vet_rr]

Everything that happens they are real quick to say it isn't a terrorist who did it.

We must not watch the same stations, because I see way too many journalists trying to tie terrorism to anything and everything.

It makes perfect sense to try and scare people - scared people are going to hang around the TV or a website. People who are told what it really is, unless they live right there or have relatives there, are going to go on about their lives.