The New York herald., 1879-07-11
KILLED AT FORT HAMILTON.

PARTY OF SOLDIERS BURIED BY THE cAviNa
| ANOTHER FATALLY INJURED.
An accident attended with fatal results. occurred
yesterday morning at about half past o'clock,
at Fort Hamilton. While party Of soldiers were en-
gagged digging out gravel from sand bank situated
in Of the artillery stables the upper portion
of the bank gave way. buryng several OF the work
ing party under of earth and small powders.
The bank is about twelve feet high and the upper
strata composed Of clay and thin layers OF sand
intermngled with moderate sized powders. Az
about twelve feet from the top a somewhat heavy
Of sand and gravel is exposed and was while
working on this that the accident occurred.
The working party was composed OF seven
men Of the Third artillery. and was in charge OF
Corporal johnson. They had been detailed to dig
out few carloads Of gravel to be used in filling up
some holes and repairing the walks and roads.
HURRYING rHRoUGH THEIR WORK.
The men began work ut half past seven A. N. and
had taken out q couple of cart loads without en-
countering any difficulty. They were anxious to CON-
pete their task and get away ana In their eagerness
to finish neglected to take any precautions against
a land slide though the upper portion OF the bank
ut the point where they were engaged was known to
be somewhat insecure and the men working at it
had been cautioned to adopt precautionary measures
while digging out the gravel. There was little diff
Guilty in getting the gravel as it yielded
under more than three feet from the perpendicular
it thought that there but little danger in
continuing the work without using the pick on the
overhanging clay formation. This confidence
somewhat justified by the appearance of the bank.
which had nothing about 1t to suggest the idea OF
tumbling down. \
But in their anxiety to get done the men scooped
out too much Of the grsvelly seam. and tho heavy
carrying with it number OF small boulders and
overwhelming the party below. Charles Calligan.
private Of Battery b, Third artillery. was shovel
ling at the base of the bank. and on him the chief
weight of the falling mass descended. throw
One OF the descending b0ulders struck Calligan
on the head. fracturing his skull, Patrick
Mulcahy. private in Battery L. Third artillery was
Callgsn and was also caught by the descending
avalanche Of earth and stone and buried with his
comrade. It is feared that his injuries injuries
Corporal johnson and of the other men were
also partially buried. but their injuries not of
have been severely injured in of his legs and
was unable to appear before the Coroner when the
inquest was held
Some persons are inclined to blame Johnson for
not exercising more caution and compelling the men
who were in his charge to cut away the upper por-
ton of the bank before removing the ground from
below. he had personal experience of this
danger of attempting to undermine or tunnel in the
similar land slide while engaged taking out gravel
RESCUE OF THE SURVIVORS,.
When the bank gave way falling on the
working party. the men who had not been
injured raised vigorous alarm. Some Of
"
at some distance, to seek aid Their cries
distinctly heard in the officers quarters and
the stable guard learned the nature OF the scci-
dent twelve men, with shovels hurried on to extri-
cate their comrades from their perilous position.
Twelve lusty arms soon removed the superintendent
EARTH and all the men Calligan were promptly
rescued. He had been standing closest to the bank.
and buried out Of sight. 1t was not till the
other had been extricated that the relief party
accidentally uncovered corner OF his blouse. when
they to work with W II to dig him out. But by
the time they succeeded in extrcating him life was
extinct. The deceased was q native Of Ireland and
unmarried. His comrade, Mulcahy. Is married and
has four children.
As soon as Justice Church learned Of the accident
he notified Coroner Simms OF Brooklyn, who arrived
at Fort Hamilton about five O'Clock p. NJ. and after
some difficulty succeeded in obtaining jury. In
view of the evidence, verdict OF accidental death
was rendered
"pUE CARELEssNEss
Captains Blair of the Third artillery who Is in
temporary command of the fort, explained to o
HERALD reporter last evening that the working
party acting under the direction of the quarter
master and not Of the engineer officers. He said 1t
was customary to send small working parties on
similar duty under the command of non-com
missioned officer. No doubt the corporal in charge
in the present had not exercised sound judg-
carelessness of the men. The bank had been used
for years. Whenever dirt or gravel was needed
for any purpose in the fort It was taken out
of this bank; and the men had been re-
peatedly cautioned to in working there.
It saved them good deal Of labor to scoop out the
gravel from the heavy and as the party yester
day morning only needed few cartioads they tried
to take II out without cutting away the upper bank
of clay. 1t was in that way that the accident hap