New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-06-18
SHALER STRUCK DOWN
PARK-AVE. "HOODOO" PUR-
SUES CONTRACTOR.
ROCK BREAKS HIS SKULL AND SPINE
THE CLIMAX OF 4 SERIES
OF DISASTERS.
OF DISASTERS.

The i'll luck which has persistently followed
the work on Section 4 OF the rapid transit
tunnel at Forty-first-st. and Park-ave-. and the
district in Park-ave- lying between Thirty second
and F'ifty-sfxth sts including within a compara-
lively short space of time the New-York Central
tunnel disaster, the dynamite explosion in the
subway, the list Regiment armory and Park
ave. hotel fire and the demolition Of parts OF
houses as the result OF the caving in of rock
in the subway eliminated yesterday in in
Jury TO Major Ira \. ShaIer. the contractor who
is building Section +. from which the surgeons
say he cannot recover. A huge piece Of rock
struck him a glancing blow the head and
back breaking his spine. while he was in the
excavation in the morning. and he now lies in
the Presbyterian Hospital in a critical cOndi-
tiOn.
The accident occurred while Major Shaler. in
company with William Barclay Parsons. chief
engineer of the Rapid Transit Commission:
George s Rice assistant chief engineer. and
Major ShaIers superintendent, c. E Fraser.
were inspecting portion of the excavation at
point near Thirty-ninth-st.. where a large
blast of dynamite had been fired Monday
night in an effort TO remove some obstructing
rock. AS is always the case after u blast. there
is much small rock 10 be removed, and gang
OF men were engaged at this work when the
party of inspection arrived
ROCK FALLS WITHOUT WARNING.
The men were discussing the effect of the
blast and the progress Of the work when. with
out the slightest warming and for d cause which
cannot be assigned. huge piece of rock. esti-
mated to weigh between five hundred and six
hundred pounds. was suddenly disiodged and
went hurtling through space straight toward
the spot where Major Shaler and his associates
were standing. With that strange fatality which
has pursued the unfortunate contractor
lentlessly. he was the only who did not
manage to get out Of the way. The heavy stone.
falling with tremendous force from a distance Of
forty-five feet. which is the depth of the
cavation. struck the contractor glancing blow
on the head, throwing him to the ground, wound
ed and bleeding. The others escaped without
injury and as the noise of the fall Of
the stone and the cloud of dust had cleared
away they turned to their injured companion.
Mr. Parsons instantly sent messenger to
Major Shaler's office. from which point a call
for an ambulance was sent TO the Presbyterian
Hospital In the mean while the injured con-
tractor was treated by DR.. Foster, of the Eye
and Ear Infirmary, near by In a remarkably
short time the ambulance arrived, and DR..
Hawkins the ambulance surgeon, at once went
into the tunnel to give aid to the injured man.
The tunnel at Thrty-ninth-st, the point where
Major Shaler was injured is in two sections.
one on the east side of Park-ave. and the other
on the west side 1t was in the latter part that
the accident occurred. The nearest opening is
the shaft at Forty -frst-st, and to this opening
Major ShaIer was carried and then raised to the
street in what is known as a scale box. a re-
ceptacle in which the broken stone and other
debris is taken to the surface and carted away.
HIT ON HEAD AND BACK
It was soon seen that the injury to the con-
tractor was dangerous one AT the hospital,
after a thorough examination by the doctors. 1t
was found that he had sustained fracture of
the skull and the spine. the stone, after having
first hit him a glancing blow on the head. strik
ing him with greater force between the neck and
shoulder at about the sixth vertebra Major
ShaIer did not lose consciousness at any time.
but he was paraIyzed from the shoulders down.
His condition said by Dr. Fisher, superin-
tendent of the Presbyterian Hospital, TO be ex-
tremely grave
Chief Engineer Parsons thought at first that
Mr. ShaIer was only stunned. and waited
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