The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-26
TO MEN IN CHARGE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SUBWAY
DISASTER is ASCRIBED.
TEN LIVES WERE A PENALTY
FOR THE ALLEGED CRIMINAL
CARELESSNESS SHOWN.


dent the Most Disastrous in the
History of the Subway-BIasts
Caused the Roof of the Tunnel to
Give Way. and Tons of Rock Were
Precipitated Upon the LabOsers.
How Rescues Were Effected.
New York, Oct. 25.-Ten lives were
lost by the cavern of the roof and
walls of the subway tunnel at One
Hundred and Ninety-fifth street last
night, and four persons were badly in
jured. All of the dead and injured
were workmen and most of them Ital-
ians. Following is a list of their names:
Alfonso Armetello.
Giuseppe Barone.
Luigi Pocci.
William Scheutte. electrician.
Giacomo Schaccetti.
Timothy Sullivan. foreman.
Ferri Tall.
Two unidentified bodies at Harlem
morgue.
Frank Uppert.
The accident was the most disas-
trous that has occurred in the con-
struction of the subway. At the point
where the cavern occurred a gang of
twenty men were at work in the tun-
mel, which is about ITO feet below the
surface.
Rufus C. Hunt general superintend-
ent of the tunnel work, said to-day
that two converging seams had APP
peared in the roof of the tunnel dur
ing the day work on Sunday. The
presence of these seams, however, was
not believed to indicate any more dam
gerous character of the rock than pre-
Viously had been encountered although
it was thought necessary to prop the
roof with a number of upright timber
braces.
How the Accident Occurred.
The tunnel was being bored by open
ing a perpendicular embrasure in the
face of the bore and blasting the sides
to the right and left of this embras-
| ure. Three blasts were arranged by
| the drillers, the holes being charged
well toward the roof. The drillers then
withdrew and the three blasts were not
| off in rapid succession by electricity,
| loosening large quantities of earth and
rock.
The drillers say that about ten min
utes elapsed to allow the smoke to
clear away before Timothy Sullivan,
the foreman, and Electrician Schuette
approached, the latter to string
wires and hang lamps to light
the way. They were followed by six
teen workmen. The vanguard of the
gang had reached the stone when
rumbling sound was heard. Those in
the rear had just time to turn about
and run when, with deafening crash,
hundreds of tons Of rock fell on the
men at the face of the boring
When the roar had ceased the cries
of injured workmen echoed through the
tunnel. Two negroes, in charge of
tram car, rushed to the opening at
Two Hundredth street and telephoned
an alarm to police headquarters. Re-
serves were Immediately ordered to the
scene, while ambulances were sent from
several hospitals.
The first victim found, an Italian
laborer, was pinioned on a shelf of the
excavation by one leg. a boulder of
about ten tons in weight having fallen
on the limb An examination showed
would cause the Italian to be COM
pletely crushed. The doctors then de-
termined to amputate the pinioned leg,
and this was done in the light of the
ambulance lamp. The man, who was
not identified. died later at a hospital.
The work of further rescue was de-
layed for some little time, owing to
the threatening position of this boul-
der. Meantime the cries and groans
from under the mass of stone wrought
such excitement among the rescuers
that they were prepared to undertake
any danger to render assistance to the
imprisoned injured.
Tons of Rock Raised,
The cave-in released a natural spring
in the earth above the tunnel, and in
few moments stream of water was
gushing in and trickling about the
feet of the workers and to some extent
interfering with the work of rescue.
The firemep and policemen cleared
away the rock from about the big
block, and as soon as the injured in its
immediate vicinity were removed, the
stone was blown up with powder and
was taken away piece by piece. Back
of this rock was a fiftY-ton block.
which had dropped from the roof of
the tunnel. In a crevice beneath il
the bodies of two men, one lying across
the Olner, were IOunu. z Inc upper man
had been crushed to death, while the
one underneath was alive, though his
legs and body were bruised and
crushed. IT was an hour before he
was extricated. The big stone was
partly blasted away, while it lay over
him. and a hydraulic jack then ele-
waited the remaining portion of it suff1-
GENTLY to permit the mans removal.
He was Juno Baski. He has been
pinned under the body of his dead fell
low workman for hours, part of the
time conscious.
Four feet beyond the place where
Baski lay the crushed form of AL
phonse Armetello was discovered I'M
der a quantity of small rock and shale.
He was quickly extricated and sent to
a hospital. Then were found the bodies
of several unidentified Italians, some
of them crushed beyond recognition.
Later the body of William Schuette,
the electrician, was found. 1t lay
within ten feet of the face of the tun-
mel, and he had been killed instantly.
The most pathetic incident in con-
nection with the accident was the
finding of the body Of Foreman limo
thy Sullivan. 1t was wedged and
damned far beneath the stone and was
not recovered until long after daylight.
From about o'clock in the morning
his 10-year-old son, Samuel had stood
close to the policemen, who were help
ing the laborers and blasters pick away
the debris. and could not be induced 70
leave until his fathers body had been