New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-21
THREE MEN BURIED ALIVE
QUICKLY sMoTIERED IN A TRENCH.

EVERYBODY CONNECTED WITH THE WohH
HAsTENs TO DIsoLAIM ALL RESPONSIBILITY
Death overlook three workmen suddenly In O
trench at Thirty -second-st and Fourth-ave yes
terday afternoon, and fourth man who was
buried with them had q narrow escape. Coh'
tractors Hobby and Marrone have had men at
work several weeks laying pipe for the Standard
Gas Company in Thirty -second-st Their CONTRACT
is for work extending from First-ave. to Seventh
ave. The pipe is more than foot in diameter
and is laid more than six feet below the surface
At noon yesterday the pipe had been laid across
Fourth-ave and the deep trench extended west
Of the avenue past the Park Avenue Hotel Several
lengths of pipe had been lowered into the trench
and at p. m. four worlmen were in the bottom
Of the trench making the joints tight with Ieau
when the embankment caved in and covered
them. Patrick Cox John Lenahan and man
named Potter were buried deeply under the load
of sand and gravel, and were suffocated. Domin-
ick Casey, of No. 245 Water-st., Brooklyn, man
aged to keep his head out Of the dirt and he
got out of the trench without help.
The accident happened in the Nineteenth Pre-
cinct but Captain Ryan and several other police
men of the Twenty-irst Precinct got there soon
after the alarm was given and they went 10
work to dig the men out They first found the
body of Cox. call for an ambulance had been
sent out and a surgeon from Bellevue Hospitai
went to work over the body in the hope OF
bringing the man back to life For more than
an hour policemen rubbed the mans limbs ana
moved his arms up and down in the effort 10
start the blood in motion by aru-
fetal respiration, but the task was hopeless,
Meanwhile the bodies of Lenahan and Potter mao
been dug out and carried into a livery stable As
the last body was being raised out OF the trench
there was another fall Of earth, burying the legs
of several policemen up to the knees. Cox hved
at One-hundred- -and-third-st. and Second-ave, ano
Ienahan's home was in Thirty-fourth-st., neal
First-ave. Both were young men, Potter WenC ~ ~
work for the contractors on TUESDAY ana they oiu
not know where he lived :. a.,
n X. Hobby one of the contractors, was IN tne
lower part of the city at the time OF the accldeno
His mariner Marrone, became frightened ana dls
appeared while the bodies were being aug ouu
Joseph Hobby, brother Of Contractor HOBBY
was tmekeeper. and was watching the men az
work. He said the accident probably was causeu
by ouicksand which had escaped nonce: CapIss'l.
Ryan said that he thought there had Deen hesieI s
on the part of the contractors. Some Oh 1he WIZ
men said that the braces were removed py en.
workmen to let the pipes into the trench liot,
easily and that the timbers had not Deen seo oasi
when the four men went to work 10 ughtcn tnS
Joints of the pipe John NJ Ha9gerty, an lnspecloi
in the employ Of the gas company, anu Oeuts'
Ronsceim an inspector in the employ Oh the !, cry
were present at the time OF the accldent.. Dovi
declared that they were not rcsponslDie lor ,u'
failure to make the trench safe place Ior men u
work in