New-York tribune., 1902-03-23

the sub-contractor Mr Shaler who has charge
OF the section between Thirty-fourth and Forty
second SITS. There "a no question that the CON
tractors Will have to pay. The accident was due
to no fault on our part. but the courts VIII, OF
course hold US liable. The Rapid Transit Com
mission provided in their contract with US that
we should give a bond OF SD,OoROol which
would insure the C!ty against JUST Such lIsseS
these. The accident was but minor incl
dent in vast engineering enterprise. Cave-ins
Of this nature to be expected, 9l-Aough
human agency cannot provide against them l
would not like to estimate the amount nf dam
age but II is not large. The slipping Of the
rock will not greatly delay the work Of the
tunnel
THE SUB-CONTRACTORS STATEMENT.
A Tribune reporter found Ira a. shaler. the
sub-contractor in his office at Thirty tourth-st.
and Fourth-ave under the blackened wall OF
the list Regiment Armory. Mr.. Shaler was
hard at work on his tunnel plans. He said, in
answer to questions:
Had any one told me week ago 4 that this this slide ibie
OF stone one Was 10 nave haPpGeq bS,b SGF Y" S s
If residents along the east side OF Park-aVe
have any reason to fear for repetition Of Fridays
accident. In I can only say that no man
knows The chances o Of 81 smaF a SPe
caused by the mo, Of rotten rock under the me
buidings forced tins rotten rock through mass
of solid rock from i've twenty feet thick. which
SeCIuenI @ ,1 We 'i1o % fn,St ton Of tTonbe We had
sounded the wall and had round it perfectly solid,
There was no possible means by which We could
have detected the rotten rock beyond. To guard
against repetition Of the slide have shored
up the east wall Of the tunnel for a distance OF
has been damaged, This VIII minimize the danger
OF another occurrence o. 81 tne same KIND properly
The work Of the tunnel will be pushed forward
support the earth under the wrecked houses. and
soon We can clear away the Iubbsh III tne
from ten to twenty feet in length. The tunnel is
completely choked and cannot be cleared for sew
eTa
politan Street Railway tunnel; That Is far above
and some distance from the subway tunnel
when will the householders be relieved from
this disagreeable blasting" Mr.. Shales was
asked.
That is hard to say he replied 1T depends
On how fast we can push the work. There re-
mains several hundred feet of blasting TO be
lone but this blasting will not be severe Hair
he diameter of the bore has been already cut
Subsequent blasting will be Of less disagree
able character than that of the past"
How is the rock beyond your section, In front
Of the Grand Central Station?'
Perfectly satisfactory. The stone is solid. and
presents no difficulty"
WORK ON THE WRECKED HOUSES.
Acting under orders of Perez NJ. Stewart,
Superintendent of Buildings who has given all
his time since the accident to the safeguarding
OF lives ana property IN the immaculate Vicinity
of the cave-in, forty wreckers of the Buildings
Department worked Friday night and yester-
day on the houses the fronts of which were
partially demolished by. the cave-in. Through
Commissioner Stewards courtesy Contractor
Canavan piloted a Tribune reporter through the
Easements Of the damaged houses and showed
what measures TO redeem the property had been
taken. During the night three spur braces of
pine tinbers hfty-six feet long had been
firmly against the top of the second story of the
houses The braces planted against other
timbers which reached. horizontally, we'll be-
yond either side of the deep hole through which
the stoops and areaways fell. 1t was noticed
that the front room floor of the first story of
the houses belonging to Mr.. Murphy and Mr.
Mccullough had sagged eighteen inches This
saggng said Mr.. Canavan, would not be in
creased, because of the snoring in front of the
buildings and the lateral pressure from the
houses on either side
The property of Mr.. Murphy and Mr.. McCul-
Tough will be saved" he said. After two or
three weeks the owners will doubt be per-
mitted to move back into their homes. Mr..
Stewart has temporarily condemned their prop
erty in order to be on the safe side. I have no
reason TO believe that the house at No. 81, which
belongs to D. Leroy Dresser, president OF the
Merchants Association. is in danger. Neither
do l think that the home of F. w. Devoe No
So which lies Immediately next the spot where
the cave-in occurred, will be seriously damaged
We posted telltaIe strips OF paper over cracks