The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-09
ELECTRICIANS ODD A
W. q. lrDoWELL KILLED WHILE BOZ
I'VE INTO TEE ELECTRIC SUBWAY.

oastsersd ~ sana when PtereinE the Cellar
wall or . Broadway punainH which
Centnins MANY Alleged Buerst assps-What
Winfield g. Mcdowell, an electrician, was
killed yesterday afternoon In the sub-cellar of
the Commercial building at 40 and a. Broad
way and ~. 40, and 81 New street. While en-
Rsged in driving . two-inch steel pipe through
the retaining wall Of tho building MoDow-
ell was overwhelmed by o sudden fall Of sand.
John v. b. GARRISON, the agent Of the build
ing. said after the accident that Mcdowell
was working In the cellar without his knowi-
edge or consent and that no, would have had
him arrested for trespassing had no caught
him there alive. John Mccain, the tanitor.
and William NJ. Peck, the engineer, both do
clared that they knew nothing Of MoDowell's
presence In the building until altar the aoci-
dent This statement Of thetrs. however, may
have been inspired by tho fact that Mr.. Clark
son had declared TO o Sun reporter in their
presence that he was Investigating tho case
and that he would discharge any.sman from
his employ through whose consent or negligence
Mcdowell had been allowed to work In the
building.
Tho part Of the structure at which Mcdowell
was working was the retaining wall under the
~ bS OAS1oVeS NV Va 49, SeNN
ing. He had cut Q hole about two feet square
through this sixteen-inoh wall. and had then
snoS MT to ., dri I've Nth T%irsos 2 s,ed % ,h hs% nIncsri 2 t sTS.
was an older retaining wall. which had become
weakened q number Of years ago when, the
Ing lot. This older wall had not been repaired
and sand had simply boon used to al the h vs ~
1 @sif ao Hstwsin e va . aGS ESsls, n 81 ahis older
He had driven his Pipe only q short distance
when 4 struck this second wall; Mcdowell
had got half way into the tunnel yhon:the sand
above caved N, and covering his head and
One Of the strange things connected With the
b hssSlaity sn " Of thf e. ERR sm@srl psok cb MnS ha TO d A.
cover McDowelrs body In less than thirty sec;
-onds after the cavern. He dragged Mcdowell
An ambulance was called from Hudson Street
Hospital and on its arrival Surgeon Holmes
pronounced Mcdowell dead.
the accident he had the ;idewalk blocked on
S %oln 1Osif, ss . ting osc} seild hn x DsESris snr mt i Ina . fdis
walk and dig, down through the remaining sand
70 gee II the building, was in any way harmed.
and approved Of the steps taken. About three
carloads Of sand have fallen into the sub-cellar.
expert linesmen in the Country. He had offices
at &c New street and was considered well-to-do.
He oyned the house at 206 Clarkson street,
otoSAAy ~ Al "h4S Az ASeAASo az $500 "AS
The building in which Mcdowell was killed
Gable Company and tho fcllowin breiers'
offices: Peiser & Co, tho Public Stock and Grain
S eH%pH aSda The the stanas1d co SS%%I.S'e Some Con- Of
and tho police theory of the case is that Nc.
wires in order that either he or the persons who
employed him could get advance tips on the
hss : siss9s n s sssary. Mr. caark'0n, however.
know for q fact said Mr.. Ciarkson. that
tSs'f la 1s!i0U oi,c Ssy sui Rain soii IN the he c city epa and By By
brlbing the 5anitor or engineer, or anybody that
might see them. they succeed IN getting in wires
way. When tho wires are once in, there is no
fear Of detection. as there is not an agent on
What thesobject of tapping the electric subways
would be can leave, to Your Imagination.
this Is mani nan SMPl{b sss sh Knocked sin that aoR Roie IN h9 IT,
my help hsre knowing something about it.
Viii WIFI Be , d disen na sns o'f II I had had f POUND %olp eesSdi
here alive. l would have had him arrested as a
Janitor Mccain said that the fatality, 90
CURED in an unused Fart OF The building.
when Engineer Peel, ran ", 70 him and told him
II didn't know that Mcdowell was in tho
sub-cellar." said Engineer Peck nor. did I
hear any blows from the hammer. i nap
pened'to go out into the part of the cellar con.
tanning O tank which catches tho water that
runs the elevators. 1t vas the first time I had
looked at tho tank to-day, and after / saw that
1t was all right I glanced up to the other end
sticking out of that hole in tho wall. It near
ly scared me to death, but I ran up and pulled
him ont of tho sand.
When a reporter called at McDowell's homo
at 200 Clarkson. street. Brooklyn. Mrs. Nc
Dowell.said thatsshe did not know for whom her
husband had been working, or upon whose
authority he had broken through the retaining
wall, but she was positive that her husband had
Doweils death had spread through tho neigh
borhood. and many OF the neighbors called at
the house. To tho reporter they also spoke in
the highest terms Of Mcdowell. ard declared
that the, were positive that everything would
The body was.removed to the house last night
on o Coroner's permit signed by Coroner yucca
When the body was searchod there were no lot
ters or papers found that would throw. any