New-York tribune., 1902-01-29
CITY NOT RESPONSIBLE.
PROTECTED IN CONTRACT-MDONA
THINKS THIRTY POUNDS COULD
DO THE DAMAGE

DO THE DAMAGE.
The question of financial responsibility for the
damage done by the dynamite explosion in Park
ave. on Monday was discussed yesterday at a
meeting in the Office of August Belmont the
president of the Rapid Transit Subway Con-
structlon Company. John B. Mcdonald the
general contractor for the work, was present
With him was Major Ira A. Shaler, the sub-con-
tractor for the work in Park-ave Ex-Judge
Henry E. Howland. Major Shaler's counsel was
at the meeting. Mr.. Mcdonald and the others
present declined afterward to tell what had been
done at the meeting but in his office late in the
AFTERNOON Mr. Mcdonald said the city was pro-
tected against the payment of damages because
OF explosions the contractor indemnifying the
city against such losses. There was an intima-
ton that the damages would be settled out of
court.
MT Mcdonald talked with newspaper men
more freely than he had been wont to do of late
lie seemed to feel acute sorrow for the accident
L have been proud of the work up to this time"
he said. and it has been work of which any
one might be proud.
Il wish in the fret place II express my deep
est sympathy for the people who were injured
and for the relatives and friends of those who
were killed, and for those who suffered loss"
continued Mr.. Mcdonald II desire also TO en-
phasize the fact that the sub-contractor on this
section is one in whom had the utmost
hdence for there is contractor on any public
work here or elsewhere who is more competent
and more careful than Mr.. Shaler. 1 believe
Mr.. Shaler implicitly in the statement he made
TO me yesterday and to-day. to the effect that
his dynamite in storage was within the limit al
lowed by city ordinance. On last Saturday the
inspector of the Bureau of Combustibes visited
the magazine and found thirty pounds there
which is about one-half the limit allowed by
law. 1 suppose the delivery wagon came along
just before blasting hours which is the rule on
the entire work"
"Is there any rule to the number of pounds
left before the blasting begins?" asked.
THE CUSTOM AS TO DYNAMITE.
There is a custom. that is. a days work."
said Mr. Mcdonald This dynamite comes from
COmmunipaw, and goes up by boat and is de-
livered by wagon from various docks along the
line. Each sub-contractor takes about the
amount which his general foreman has drilled
for the night before. or what he thinks he has
for in the blasting hours of the day The
blasting hours are settled by contract. Mr.
Shaler had had delivered to him early in the
morning his allowance for his days work. 1
have heard that it was about eight cases. or
about four hundred pounds. Inasmuch as the
greater part of the blasting is done before II
O'Clock. four-fifths of this amount that Mr..
Shaler received had been used up by that time.
This four hundred pounds was for both shafts
the one at Thirty -fourth-st. and the at the
upper end of his tunnels, but I do not know
what proportion of it was to be used at Thirty
fourth-St. at the upper end. There
blasting going on at the part of the tunnel in
front of the Murray Hill Hotel; the tunnel that
point was finished, and the concrete was being
put in the arches. The statement that this dyn-
ar1ita set off nv a blast incorrect
the statement attributed to Jones. the blaster.
that he had put in cartridges for blast and
that they did not explode, is, think. all rumor
without any foundation. because there was no
place where you could put blast in. 1 do not
know whether Jones said that not. and at
present he is in hospital with fractured
skull
SAID sHALER WAS CAREFUL.
Mr. Shaler was particularly careful in caring
for his explosives. which he did in most scien-
tific way He had radiator at certain tenn
perature and had a box for dynamite that was
iron bound and fireproof; he had the spaces
filled in with manure. and took all the precau-
tions known to the scientific world for the pro-
lection of these articles. The thawing of the
dynamite was done in a house built especially
for the purpose.
What is the most usual time for blastngr'
"The drilling is done overnight but the sub
contractors are not allowed to blast during the
night. All the blasting takes place in the morn
ing hours, and then blasting may take place in
the afternoon for as much more as they have
drilled during the morning hours. Generally
the sub-contractors entirely through blast
ing by from to o'clock in the afternoon;
that is the routine of the work"
You think. then that four-fifths of this load
Of dxpa ito had used before
"Yes. Mr.. Shaler has no doubt of it,"
Mr.. Mcdonald and Chief Engineer Deyo then
exhibited the progress maps of the subway on
the Park-ave. section. which show that the
nearest point of blasting TO Forty-frst-st is be-
low Thirty -ninth-st-
How many storage places there for dyna-
mite on the subway" Mr.. Mcdonald was asked
Continued second page.