New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-06-18
HOW THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.


injured.
HOW THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.
A Mol of ground, embracing thirty building lots,
between the North River and E'evcnth-ave'' ana
bounded on the north and south by Forty-fith and
Forty-sixth-sts, was acquired last Winter by the
Municipal Gas Light Company, with the purpose Oh
erect,no upop it q tank capable of storing 2'OOoouO
cubic feet of gas the largest of its kind IN the
limited States and with ono eXceptiOn-h Lohuon
said TO be the largest in the world. Nheh co'n-
Melted il will he 1SJ feet in diameter lnsue meas
urement and 30 feet measured Oil the outSioe' Inc
work of digging down fOrty-three feet below tue
street level for the foundations began IN the muuie
of Mach. John ID. Crimmins. of No. 1857 Third
aye obtained the contract to do the WORK, WHICH,
tis expected, will be completed in July. The tank
vii, he but and ready for Use by December l. MI
Crmmins employs in the excavations about 20o
yyorkmen His brother L. +. Crlnmns,
"a the general superintendent. Both are careful
and experienced though young men, ana III the
blastng that was constantly necessary, as inc men
were working through solid rock, they employed
npnarently every precauton. Tue men were work
ing in gangs night and day, but until yesterday
when the full depth had been reached III the nortn-
EAST corner of the excavation, no accident OF any
description had occurred.
At noon Yesterday series of blasts. forty In num-
II.
ten inches long aud contain pound and hait OF
oowder. They are exploded by means of an
electric battery operated the bank at distance
from the blast. The holes in which the cartridges
had been set were all examined after yesterday
blast and when it was found that all had been ex-
nloded. sixteen men in the charge of Foreman Is. r.
Cusbman went down to sledge and split the rocks
that had been broken loose. They were thus Occur
Died. at the bottom of the narrow ditch between
and
close together, when sharp, lOnd report startled
those who were at distance. 1t was then nearly
three hours after the blasting at that point had
ceased.
Foreman Cushman and workman, who were
standing on the edge of the wall directly over the
men, saw a cloud of dust and sand ascend from be-
low and in it the body of James CorTlgII ~. a
stone in tho cut with hand-drill. lie
was whrled around once or twice, ascending
above the eTe Of the % G bH wfG with
heavy thud. The foreman and the man who was
with him fastened down to ascertain what hau ne
who had been sledgIng near Cor1gan dead ana
pohp Draddy, who was similarly GeGnpled> at ms ms
jagged rock and crushed to death. upon LavGlIrs
body there was hardly bruso visible. though ms
face was stained with blood. Corrigan, directly
was terribly mangled. He was nothing but Shape
less of torn flesh One OF his arms Was ppw own
crushed and his legs were broken. lie was hiten
np and carried with all speed to the hospital but
Fonr other men were injured-Louis Cassasso
age thrty-four years; Charles Cassasso, age thirty
two years and Louis laapueSs. age seventeen years
each in the back; Owen DriScoll, age forty years.
had one arm burned and broken. lrsCOI was
taken to Roosevelt Hospital, the others were cared
for on the ground and later were taken 10 theT
homes.
CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
Work was at once stopped i'll the excavations,
and Mr.. Crimmins, the contractor, after seeing to
the comfort of the wounded, bnsed himself with
ascertainiug how the accident occurred. lie
reached no satisfactory conclusion. Tho blasts
that mad been set off at noon were some yards from
the SPOT where the accident occurred, and besides
they had been all exploded. 1t certain that 10
entire charge had remained. The facts too. that
only sand thrown UP with the unfortunate
Corrigan, and that no confusion was apparent on
the spot gave strength 70 e tTe ad @
ploded in the rock which COTrlgan was drilling,
and that he struck out spark that ignited the
powder No other explanation appears plausible,
and appearances indicate that sufficient care was
bestowed by the contractor to prevent such accl-
dents as to absolve him from any blame.
scene of great grief took place when the wives
and children of the dead and injured men, to whom
Jews of the disaster had been carried. were adj
mitted to the grounds COrrigan and Draddy were
married men. with children Lavcllc was a Wild
over. The injured men were all married. The
bodies OF the dead were laid in the apprehension
behind tbc contractors Office, awaiting permission
of the Coroner to let them be removed for burial.
Mr. Crimmins promised to defray all expenses, and
TO take care of the wounded labOrers. BY his drec-
ton the night gang did not go to work, and for the
first time in months the excavation was abandoned
last night. Nearly all the men who were hurt or
killed had been in his employ for years. and were
careful and experienced workmen. Draddy and
Lavelle had worked for him for twenty-five years
and Corrigan for more than fifteen years.
THE KILLED AND THE INJURED.
The following is list of the Killed and the
wounded:
CoERIGAx, JAMES. fifty years Of age, of No; 500
West Fifty-SlXth-St., was Instantly Killed. lie
leaves wife and three children.
LAvELLE, HENRY fifty years Of age, lived i'll Fifty
fourth-st., between Ninth and Irnth-aves lie
breathed a few minutes after the explosion,
but did not regain CONSCIOUSNESS. lie was
wldOwcr.
DRApDY, J0HN forty-three years of age. lived at
No. 34i East Sixty-third-st. He died on the
way to the hospital He had wife and several
children.
DRisCoIL, OWEN, forty years Of age, lived at No
2lO East Forty -fOurth-st. He had one ann
broken and was burned lie was taken to the
Roosevelt Hospital.
CAsSAsso, LOUIS thIrty-fOur years of agc, lives
at No. Ii BLxtcr-st. lie was injured in the
back. ;.
CAssAssO CHARLES thirty-two years of age. live;
slightly.
RAPUEssi Louis, seventeen years of age. lives al
No. Baxter-st. His back was injured slightly
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TIE URECKED SOUND SIEAMER.
40 FURTHER NEWS FROM THE SCENE OF 1HE DIS