The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1902-10-03
# # r: II: i II Il
- - Digging New
1t Tunnel ~ >.
II: Fl. = = Il Il II:
VIE New York city rapid trans
1t tunnel, which has already
cost S21,000,000 and twenty
four human lives, is exactly

IL tunnel, Which has already
cost S2l,O00O00 and twenty
n four human lives, is exactly
three-ffths completed, accord
ing to statement of progress Just is
sued from the office of Chief Engineer
Parsons.
The work of building this great sub
way was contracted for by John Il.
Mcdonald. the price to be paid him be-
ing $35,000,000. The work was then
sublet in sections by Mr.. Mcdonald,
and the tunnel building has gone for
ward under Il number of firms and in
dividuaIs, each having one or more
sections to construct.
There have been only two notable
disasters to call attention to the dan
ger to life involved in the great I'M
dertaking On oct. IS. 1901 five men
were crushed 10 death under tons of
rock in the deep tunnel at one Hun
dred and SiXty-fourth street and
| Broadway. On Jan 81 last seven per-
sons were killed by the dynamite cX-
plosion at Forty-Grst street and Park
avenue. Here and there Il man has
been killed from time to time, but at
tention has not heretofore been called
to the impressive total of twenty-four
lives sacrificed during the two years
since active work was begun.
1t is estimated that the task will oc-
cupy another year at least. If the per-
centase Of deaths keeps up in ratio,
twelve more deaths must be recorded
before the tunnel is completed. This
is a matter which is constantly in the
minds of the contractors and engi-
neers, and every fatal accident teaches
a lesson and leads to the adoption of
new precautions to safeguard the
wOrkmen.
But the human element is always
present to upset the wisest calculations
and most carefully laid plans, and no.
body can tell when something will oc-
cur that will bring disaster.
Detailed reports of every accident
along the line are received at the office
of the chief engineer. There are now
ering the case of every person injured,
whether employed on the work or not.
Several times there have been narrow
escapes from appalling disasters.
The men in charge of the work are
of the opinion that they have been for
tunate thus far in reducing the peril
to life and limb to the minimum. They
say that after millions of people have
been walking. driving and riding in
street cars for two years on the brink
of an excavation extending for miles
through the city and thousands of men
have been employed in hazardous un-
derground work the wonder is that the
list of victims is not much longer.
One of the greatest sources of dan
ger in the work has been from dyna-
mite. 1t has been necessary to eXca-
vate 100000 cubic yards of solid rock,
and for months the contractors have
been using one and one-half tons of
dynamite n day for blasting. This In
| itself constitutes a menace which
makes the engineers and contractors
shiver.
With the exception of the persons
killed by the Park avenue explosion
nearly all the victims of fatal acci-
dents in the tunnel have been men en-
ployed on the work. The latest fatal
ity, however, called attention to new
source of danger. Edward Morris, a
chauffeur. was running an automobile
at Forty third street and Seventh ave-