The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-24
A SPEEDWAY LANDSLIDE.
FACE OF TIE OLIFF BRsAKs OFF
AND SLIPS Down on THE ROAD.

lump Of G.eiss ~ MIG a. Steamship
That Mas Get 20 he BLASTED Oct o. the
Roadway. Where IL Fell ANer the Freeze
or wea.esday-CnF Locks Daageroas.
An oblonR lump of rock containing between
5000 and 10. 900 cubic yards Of solid stun and
Weighing some $4,000 tons slipped OF the wall
of rock just south Of the Washington bridge on
the west side Of the Harlem River on Thursday
morning, and slid down into the new speedway.
IL smashed ninety-three feet OF solid masonry
six or seven feet deep. crushed . steam hoistins
engine. and sank into the speedway Itself a. u
there were no foundation to that road. In fall
ing II split itself into three pieces Of about
equal size. II didn't take more than . couple
Of minutes for the whole thing 10 happen and
there wasn't much noise and fuss about II, but
II will very likely cost the city forty or Fifty
thousand dollars TO remove tho debris and
repair the damage.
There 10 an squeduct gate-house and blow-off
on top OF the hill Just south OF the Washington
bridge. The. speedway runs along the foot of
tho hill next to tho Harlem River. To make
room for tho speedway It has been necessary to
blast out the rocky side OF the hill to . depth In
soms places Of twenty or thirty feet. The rock
10 gnciss, which Ia the foundation rock Of New
York city. IL weathers badly and there are big
assures In the masses Of 1t OF posed within sight
of the washn gton bridge. Before the build ing of
the speedway began tho mass Of rock between
High bridge ana Washington bridge extended
almost out to tho water In the Harlem and more
blasting has had to DO done between these two
points than almost anywhere along the now
road. Tho work. As far as the rock excavation
10 concerned. was finished weeks ago. and IN
place Of the slight slope that there had been the
fare OF the remaining -ock In the hill was al
most perpendicular At the foot was . heavy
masonry wall that mark Cd the western boun-
dairy OF the speedway. The wall WAS not all
complete aud there was . hoisting engine and
derrick down on the level of the road for the
purpose of lifting the great stones that were To
become part OF the wall. There was also
railroad track running along close t. the inner
side Of tho wall.
The men began work on the speedway about
7:30 o'clock In the morning. That 10. they report
at that time. but IL usually takes fifteen OF
twenty minutes for them to reach their places
aid get at the actual work they are employed
to do. The gang Of men that was to go with
the wall building was on hand on Thursday
morning. and AT 90 minutes to o'clock was
about ready to get into the cut Most OF tho
men were around Engineer Cahill's cabin. which
is only few feet south of tho big span Of the
bridge. II was warm there.
There came srinding sound which seemed
to be half way up tho rock wall. II stopped,
Jumps Of rock tumbilns out OF the wall, about
hal way up ,hs .ids. They wero not very bis;
cid. Of the shan,y and looked. Engineer Cahiil
said yesterday ths. he had Just stuck b. nose
S'f. :. ALA. ia: ' dawn A' 'ss q
:9ssE til: dss; and and made f eads Wood u
the heavy yood.n bssms Th ,,a the Grading Ing
asifit wa. coming down q weli.oIled bed. Il
va. a. big , As soSd- ;I;o siesmshiD Then
three pieces: They :i@piy SPREAD sP.rt . few
fee. ana moved on II unison "a a. before; The, They
n 1..sh.d S ~:I ' Piers s'" e efaneSiss
the n a.. a went, o a,:pls sSii,.T.sn: the va.
aud Into the speedway Itself. The wor xmen
;Ss, S.t na, n and
away to be- out Of danger. As the rock came to
stop the dirt and mass Of smaller rocks that
thi. way and that. with more noise than their
bearer had made all told. Then big cracks
was one three feet wide directly beneath tho
gate house. and there were others near II; There
moving OF the mass that had fallen. but it
ceased IN moment and there was no further
Word Of the accident was hurried up to the
ONCE Of the engineer at l78th street. and tho
work OF inspection and testing the safety OF
the rocks that hadn't slipped was begun. 1t
whole thing looked dangerous II was found TO
the road was resumed. Friday and yesterday
investigations were carried on. and the esti
mates Of the Size Of tho mass that had fallen
had been and down which II slid looked like q
bank OF loose earth. 1t was. In fact, q layer OF
clay on top Of the rock. The LAYER was q good
deal les than an inch In thickness.
things that there had been q crack In the rock
beginning at the tor. twenty or thirty feet from
the outer edge and extending down aslnnt but
not clear through To the face OF the wall. Mud
depth. and then came the terrific rain storm of
Wednesday night. The water had poured down
into this crack. Tho storm. II will be remem:
bored. was followed by crisp cold weather. and
banded. forcing the rock up and continuing the
split clear through to the face Of tho wall. Then
came the fall.
When tho reporter Of THE Sun visited tho
we're undi.turbed and they lowered up high in
the air ab1vc tho level OF tho road. The work
of blasting them to pieces 80 that they could he
removed had not been begun. The broke en- end
Of one Of the big logs that had been part OF the
Above. In the olin, were immense assures that
made the whole thing look as II II might come
down NJ any minute. Tho house on top seemed
In imminent danger OF sliding down. but the
workmen said tnat the rock was sound In spite
of tho cracks and that there WA. no danger and
would he noue until the blasting was begun
whether there would no any danger then the
engineer would have TO decide.
span OF Washington bridge. but from there
II doesn't look to he serious. To get an idea OF
tho magnitude OF the fail II 10 necessary " go