The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-03
ILLEDBYANELECTRICCAR
AN IRoNUORKBR DLcArITATED ~
EOUkTH fYENUE,

while ne Yves werk,nE In an Excavation at
Twenty-third street re Was struct, Rreba-
bly,, by the .'PisnGh" which IRA nruaits X &C.
triciiy to tho Car-Mnnp,Cd by Oihcr Carr.
James Keegan, an iron worker employed in
the construction of the electric surface road on
Twenty.third street, was dccapitated yesterday
afternoon whilo at work In the subway at
Twenty.tnird street and Fourth avenue. Be-
cause OF the reticcnce of the street car people 10
was impossible to determine the exact cause OF
the mans death. but the presumption is that he
was struck by a plough OF one of tho electric
cars.
Keesan was "a years old. He came TO New
York two months ago from CallicooD, Sullivan
county. In this State. He obtained employment
with Thomas +. Crimmins. the contractor build
ing tho Fourth avenue and other electric lines
OF tho Metropolitan Street Railway Company.
His special work was TO tighten the nuts on
bolts In the %subways. This work kept him un.
derground practically all day long and was ex.
tremely hazardous.
Two weeks ago Keegan was assigned to work
with James HauG OF 22s East Ninety.ffth
street. They went together from place to place.
Recently they had been employed on the SECTION
from Second TO Fourth avenue.
Yesterday afternoon at . o'clock Koegan
went down into tho subway at Twcnty.third
tIItCbu Iu UNtDut. al lulb polhb nav
exists below ground BY reason of the interscc.
ton with the cable roaa along Twouty-third
street, and also because of the trolley
line now building beside the cable. The
subway running north and south has not been
completed here on this account. There Is simply
q big hole in the ground filled with a network Of
wires and iron tubes. Over this there have been
laid q lot Of heavy planks to form tho roadway.
In order to get in tho excavation 1t is necessary
to enter a manhclc from above and crawl alonr
through the tubes and pipes.
Into this hole went Krcgan to tighten up some
bolts. Hauff remained above ground. Perhaps
five minutes after entering KceRan called to
his comrado to go to the toolbox for their Sec
ton. at Twenty-third street and Second avenue,
and got n particular kind of wrench that was
needed for his work. TIauff obcyed. He did
not return for, fifteen or twenty minutes. Hc
had tho wrench with him, Going 10 the man.
his head In and cailcu:
Are you there. Jimmy r.
There was no answer. Haun called again.
"Godl' said Hautf, as he began, crawling
down, Il wonder what's tho matter &
He was very much alarmed. for he knew tho
peril In which they daily worked. Once down
bcnenth the centre of the intsrseeting streets.
Tho first object that caught his eye in the semi
darkn, IS was the head of keegan., Three feet
further on lay the body mangled and .shdpel.ss.
Hauff was sick with horror. He could scarcely
crawl back to the manhole. and when he ran to
the faginnn on the corner he WAS so gho.tly
white that tho taglnan. WAS frightened. Ho
managed 10 tell what he had seen ana ro.icc.
man McGrano was summoned. The Loliccman
called an ambulance from Bellevue Hospital
and then set to work to got out the disnlem-
roads other employee the corpse was brought
to the surface. surgeon Mutt came on the am
bulancc. He found both legs and both arms
br .Th,. :. NJ co.o ,0r NO ,,,o ami, md ,o drovo
H. hndv ,.,a nut In , n,trol ~ ,,d toLan
to the West Thirtieth street police station. At
that time the mans name was not known TO the
not names, and The time card for four days
time found in the mans pocket did not disclose
could oos '1 not think nA" "f H., Gs' NAM sD o'e Ho had in heard rd
it. but had called kecgan always by his Chris.
tian name. SO that the other had slipped his
memory. Finally he rccollcctcd that 1t was
Keegan. lie recalled. too. TINT Keegan had
lived with his cousin. James Boyle. at 31s East
later he got IL permit from Coroner's Physician
OHanlon for the removal Of the body from the
station house to Boyic's home.
Efforts to find out the cause of the accident
| met with rebuffs from tho employees OF the
n'lnSs rs Of e%a'ptiTs; fuIS they were 1Its able able to OH ind
out but little. The Coroner Jared, no better.
seems probable that one electric car caused the
killing, and that other cars probably aided in
the mutation OF the body.
ground trolley Tracks is what is known 70 the
plough. II is Of iron and forms the connection by
!, WuICH INC Io"cI is tTuHsullllcu run lic COh-
duciors to The car. 1t ID thought that kccg MS
head Cano in contact with this plough ANA was
thus cut of. the holy being thrown where the
p!ouGls Of other cars caught ii, cutting and bat
tcring 1t against the iron work all about. So far
MS could be learned last night none o. the motor
men on the road had beon conscious OF striking
an impairment at this point. Az The cars run
with not more than one and q half or two
minutes intervening. twelve or fifteen cars may
have p ssed between the time that HauT left
keeg II alive and returned TO find him dead.
Boyle said last night that kcegan realized the
rertl IN which he WAS constantly. and wanted to
find other emp Oyment.
Only n few nights ago." continued Boyle.
"he told me that he was sure he would be killed
before long"
Keegan was tho only support OF his father
md mother. who still 1.-Two in Sullivan county.