The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-10-27
LIVES OF TEN MEN ARE CRUSHED
oUT1Y cAvE-IN OF A TUNNEL
ROOF At NEW YORK.
FOUR PERSONS BADLY HURT
ACCIDENT OCCURS WHILE WORK.
MEN ARE ADVANCING TO RE-
MOVE LOOSE EARTH.

lost by the cave-in OF he ROOF n
walls of the subway tunnel at One
Hundred and Ninety-ffth street Satur-
day night and four persons were bad
" injured. All Of the dead and In
jured were workmen, and most OF
them Italians. Following Is the list
of dead: Timothy Sullivan, William
Schuette, Giuseppe Barone, Stan
zione Bruno, Louis Tippio and five un-
identified Italian laborers.
Tho accident was the most disas-
trous that has occurred in the con-
struction of the subway. At that
point where the cave-in occurred a
gang of twenty men were at work IN
the tunnel, which is about ITO feet
below the surface.
Rufus G. Hunt, general s~uperintend-
ent of the tunnel work, said that "
converging seams had appeared IN
the roof of the tunnel during the
work on Saturday. The presence OF
these seams, however, was not be-
lieyed to indicate any more dangerous
character OF the rock than had pre-
viously been encountered, although it
was thought necessary to prop the
roof with a number Of upright timber
braces.
Blasts Loosened the Rock.
The tunnel was being bored by open
ing a perpendicular embrace In the
face OF the bore and blasting the sides
to the right and left of this embrasure.
Three blasts were arranged by the
drillers, the holes being charged well
toward the roof. The drillers then
withdrew and. the three blasts were
set off in rapid succession by electric
ity, 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
advanced, the latter intending to string
wires and hang electric lamps to light
tho way. They were followed by six
teen workmen. The vanguard OF the
game had reached the broken stone
when a rumbling sound was heard.
It grew in volume with lightninglike
rapidity. Those in the rear had just
time to turn about and run when. with
a deafening crash, hundreds of tons
Of rock fell on the meE at the face OF
the boring. IA
The drillers and two or three Italians
who were out Of reach of the deluge
Of rock, were knocked fiat on their
faces by the rush Of wind driven
through the tunnel. When the roar
had ceased the cries of injured work
men echoed through the tunnel.
Survivors Send in an Alarm.
Two negroes, in charge of a tramcar
which they we're pushing along the
track to be loaded with the blasted
rock. rushed to the opening at Two
Hundredth street and to the Speed
way livery stables, a block away, and
there telephoned an alarm to police
Headquarters. Reserves were imme-
diately ordered to the scene, while
ambulances were sent from several
hospitals.
A policeman and two ambulance
surgeons we're the first to enter the
tunnel after the accident. They ran
along the track, which was still
lighted by in~candescent lamps, until
they reached the great pile of bould-
ers and crushed rock. The first VIC
tim found, an Italian laborer, was
pinioned on a shelf Of the excavation
by one leg, a boulder of about ten
tons id weight having fallen on the
limb. He was hanging head down,
grooming in semi-consciousness. The
rock which held him was restrained
from falling further by a small piece
OF stone insecurity wedged under 1t.
An examination showed that an ct
fort to move the boulder would cause
the Italian to be completely crushed.
The doctors then determined to ampu-
tate the pinioned leg and 1t was done
in the light of the ambulance lamp.
The mar, who was not identified, died
later at a hospital.
Work Of Rescue Delayed.
The work Of further rescue vas de,
layed for some little time owing to
the threatening position of the bould-
er. 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. The cave-in
released a natural spring in the earth
above the tunnel and in a few mo.
ments a stream of water was rushing
in and trickling about the feet Of the
workers, and to some extent interfer.
ing with the work of rescue.
The firemen and policemen con
tinued the work Of rescue and by re
moving tons of rock released the
lcrushed and mangled bodies.
Rufus G. Hunt, superintendent, and
Richard Beyers, general foreman FOL
John b. Mcdonald, the contractor who
: is building the tunnel, were arrested
as soon as they reached the scene OF
: the disaster, but being experts in tun
mel work and blasting, were permitted
! to direct the work of rescue. Later
/ magistrate remanded them to the
| coroner, who held them in $4,000 bal
each.
Coroner Jackson said he believed
the accident was caused by criminal
negligence.