NEW YORK (AP) - Underground explosions caused several manhole covers to pop near the Empire State Building on Wednesday, causing some jitters and forcing police to close area streets. The explosions were caused when underground utility wires overheated, causing excessive pressure, said Con Edison spokesman Chris Olert. At least three manhole covers popped near 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, just northeast of the city’s tallest building. The city Fire Department said a fourth manhole reportedly blew off a few blocks away. One person was injured and treated at the scene. “I heard a boom and saw water and smoke shoot up out of the ground,” said Melissa Murphy, who was about a block away and was initially alarmed. “You don’t know what goes on now after Sept. 11.”
—This happened while I was half-a-block away this morning on my way to work. I was heading up 34th Street when I saw a bunch of police cars and fire trucks, and a lot of smoke. “Hmmm, 34th Street is no place for Baby,” I thought,
and hung a left onto Sixth Avenue. Just then there was a very loud BANG. No one panicked or ran or screamed. We basically raised our eyebrows, went “hmmm, wonder what that was?” and went on our way.
Explosions in NY are a dime a dozen. Show me some good goat curry for under 5 bucks. Now that would be something!
Seriously, I was sleeping over at BeerChick’s house one weekend when I heard what I thought was two or three buses being dropped from the roof. Ignored that. Then I heard running. Ignored that too. Then I heard: “Fuego! Levantate, Isola! Fuego!”
That got my attention. A sign factory behind BeerChick’s house exploded. It was not a pleasant afternoon.
The thing that gets me about manhole covers popping up in the street like so many tiddlywinks especially at 8:00 a.m. in midweek, is that nobody ever seems to get seriously injured.
I mean, of course, New Yorkers are going to be blase about it.
“Hey, Vinnie, looka da manhole cover flippin tru da air.”
“Yeah, screw that, where the hell is my cawfee and my sweet roll?”
But nobody gets hurt, everyone just goes on with their day. New York City rocks like no other.
Ah, shucks. We had exploding sewers and airborne manhole covers in Louisville over 20 years ago, courtesy of the Ralston Purina plant. Big old holes and collapsed streets along a couple of miles of the city. Sure woke everyone up.
I had a boss who claimed purposefully blowing up the manhole covers was big fun when he was growing up in Detroit. Apparently they’d take a can of gasoline, dump it into the sewer, then throw in a match. Apparently the gas would mix with the sewer gas and ignite sending all the manhole covers up and down the block exploding into the air. I can’t imagine anyone doing anything that stupid, crazy and dangerous on purpose. He was sort of a jerk though, so he might have been lying about the whole thing, heh.
Wasn’t there a film where Marilyn Monroe was standing over a manhole cover in a cute white pleated dress (and white shoes) and it blew out and killed her? Or was that Vic Morrow?
