New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-12
MORTARS WERE NOT SAFE
so EXPERT TESTIFIES AT MADISON
SQUARE EXPLOSION INQUEST-FOUR-
TENTH VICTIM DIES.

..SIortars like those used at Madison Square
election night not safe to use in public place
l would keep people two or three hundred feet away
from them testified Captain Edward L. Zalinsky.
expert explosives. AZ the coroner's inquest
yesterday regarding the fatal fireworks explosion
election night. His testimony was most en-
phatic as to the danger Of the exhibition. John c
Craig the pyrotechnist. did not consider the eX-
hbition unusually dangerous
The courtroom was crowded The half dozen
women present were all in deep mourning Coroner
Scholer told of the conditions under which the
explosion occurred. Then began the taking OF
testimony.
DR. Weston coroner's physician. told Of the
wounds sustained by the injured, exhibiting a
piece of tubing several inches long which had
penetrated Policeman Sheas heart He found no
wounds resulting from being trampled on
After his testimony Coroner Schoer and the jury
visited the scene Of the explosion. and examined
the house of n. " Bishop. No. II Madson-ave
where the library wrecked. The room had
been left in the condition in which IL was after the
explosion. The jury visited Fire Headquar-
ters. where some Of the mortars were examined and
the method firing them explained
At the afternoon session Sergeant Brennan told
Of having received instructions 10 take all n"ces-
sary precautions for public safety. At O'Clock on
the evening Of the explosion in a converse ton
with John Craig the expert pyrotechnist employed
by the Pain Manufacturing Company. Craig told
him that there would he no danger " the street
were cleared from curb 70 curb. The sergeant said
he mad about eiEnty-uNe ulen Az tuS NiiuN VI '''-
accident he was at Madison ave. and Twenty
sixth-st He heard three explosions In raptd sue
cesson the last one the Ioudest He hurried TO the
spot and declared that II looked like bowling
alley The mOrtars were scattered all over the
street.
The testimony Of John c. Craig, the pyrotechnist,
was heard with attention He had been in the
business for twenty-one wears he said. and had
hred thousands of eight-nch shells. He described
their manufacture and said about ten in one thou
sand would explode prematurely. craig said ne
had assured Inspector Brooks that there was no
danger and then told Of placing the mortars can't
ing slightly toward the park. No one had asked
him he said. II the crowd were too close for safe
ty The people sometimes pushed into the street
| He had used mortars on many occasions, nut
knew Of only instance where they had eN-
ploded. He attributed the election night casualty
To the accumulation of gases
Captain ZalinSky. Of the army, after explaining
technically the mortars said that the quick fuse
might have failed TO ignite the propelhng charge
and the slow fuse lighted the charge within caus-
ing detona ton and then testified emphatiCaly that
the mOrtaTS dangerous.
Thomas DAWN. fOrtV-ni0e years old. of No S+2
East Twenty third-St is the fourteenth victim of
the explosion at Madison Square Election night,
He died night at Bellevue Hospital. after hav-
ing his left leg amputated-