The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-26
ten DEAD IN TUNNEL CAVE-lN.
WAFER had LOOSENED 4 mo.
ron MASS or ROCk.
Accident Ina, oidsble. subwa. Engineer
says Little Dynamite HAD Been lsed
IN the Blast-The Her0ism or Father
lynch The Two Prisoners Ne,d

recovered Yesterday morning AT = clock.
The total number Of killed WAS ten Five
others were injured. while seven of the
twenty-five workmsn who were in the tun-
ne when the rock fell escaped unhurt.
Nine of the ten bodies have been identified
Deputy Chief Engineer George g. Rice,
representing the Rapid Transit Commits
sion, who went into the tunnel yesterday
morning, gave this explanation Of what
had harpened
"A section Of rock, a feet long and weigh
ing 800 tons, fell from the roof OF the tunnel
and broke into fragments. Roughly speak
ing, it was wedge shaped, about Ave or six
feet thick at the butt end toward the portal
Of the tunnel. and tapering OF to an edge
~ feet further in.
The heading Of this section of the tunnel
had been carried In about a thousand feet
from l86th street. and the bench or lower
half Of the rock to be excavated had been
removed for distance of 500 feet. At
Issth street the tunnel ia about forty feet
below the surface of the street.
The masonry work had been completed
from the portal to within 200 feet Of where
the men were working and heavy timber
snoring had been put in almost up to the
point Of the disaster. As matter Of fact.
when the rock fell it dragged down two of
The timber arches with it.
The men who were at work were getting
ready TO put up more timber. The blasting
on Saturday was very liglt and merely
for the purpose Of cutting out lodges along
the rock walls oil the tunnel on which to
place wall plates, These wall plates are
heavy timbers set along the, side of the
wall horizontally a. supports for the timber
arches, which in this section of the tunnel
are not more than three feet apart because
Of the dangerous character OF the rock.
so at the very hour that the accident oc
Cured the men were doing the precau-
tionary work to provide against that very
thing
Moisture in the rock was in all prof. "a
b!ity the cause of the disaster The rock
in all that part of Manhattan Island is what
the engineers and biologists call Hudson
schist The laborers call it bastard granite.
II is full Of seams, and the Identification FOR
the most part is almost vertical, so that
water readily finds its way down bet weeh
The layers.
There has been a grea; deaf Of rain
recently Probably as the result Of that,
his 3OO-ton mass. with moisture filled seams
on both sides of it, Just slid right out Of
place There was no way 10 guard against
it and there was no way OF detecting the
danger beforehand
u don't know, but | assume that after
The blast the men took the usual precation
of sounding the rock OF the sides and the
roof OF the tunnel by sounding with their
hammers before resurning their work.
But a mass Of rock weighing 100 tons ID
70 big in itself that it would seem secure.
regardless of the seams. and the sounding
won!d not reveal the defect.
The strange feature OF this cas-. is that
the rock did not fall till half an hour after
the blast The men had waited a reasonable
time before going hack 10 their work. and
were justified in assuming that everything
WAS all right
In Chief Engineer Parsons's last general
there il this statement relative to the rock
near Foi' George, where IN" cavern
occur ed:
The rock in these tunnels has generally
been good. except the ground south IRON
Fort. George, where Vas Vas d disroyeredd o the
where on the work, In spite OF the very
strong timberina put in /, WAS found necessary
0Ninr to The care exercised by Mr.. Hunt, the
superntendent no accidents have occurred
The Mr. Hunt referred TO in the report
is Rufus G.. Hunt, who has superintended
The work Oh the section ever since the
general contractor, John b. McDorald, took
over the lob from sub contractor McC abe.
Hunt and Richard Beyers, the general
foreman. were the two men arrested on
Saturday night, Neither Of them was
at the tunnel when he rock fell. They were
arraigned Yesterday before Coroner Jack
ron, who held them in SlO.O0p bail each.
Bail was furnished
Foreman Beyers who reached the tunnel
within half an hour after the slump OF the
roof, talked TO all of the SURVIVORS ana
earned from them that they had sounded
the walls ard roof OF the tunnel ana 'hat
the rock was apparently secure he agreed
that water was the cause OF the accident
Not more than two pounds OF dynamite
nil told were used in the blasts at that point
on Saturday night" he said. we were
not excavatng, but working on the timber
supports. A. .,.,..,o;on w.s tho
first OF the gang OF twehty-lwo men h, "s,'
returned TO the tunnel after the Diast
He went in TO connect the wires, which
are always disconnected before blast,
Schultz was killed "a the result Of accom-
no iating friend He was the electrician
Of the day gang, but the night man Wanteoi
10 20 70 the theatre
chute took his place Schuttes pro.hei
Is policeman of the West l52d stree, ~ "a :
rou and was one of the men sent up 10 lhe
lwner with the reserves.
TIE electrician was followed into the
iur mel by the other twenty-one men III
orgrge Of the section foreman, limo'hy
Sullivan, and sub-foreman Frank Upper
six Of the men were at work WIN pneu'
matte drills when the rock caught them
and the rest known as muckers, were clear
ing away loose rock and working on inc
linber supports. ,,L.,
Tie survivors and those who had taken
part in The work of rescue were SIN taiANht
yesterday afternoon Of the heroisin OF
Father Thomas T. Lynch Of ~. Elihabetil
Roman Catholic Church, who ciam'efe''
down the steep side Of the rocky mn W
TIE mouth Of the tunnel And went ih W
where the men, under the rock, were moan
Ing for help There, forty feet nnds'
~ md, he chanted "A litany and ADMINS
Tered extreme junction. to all ne coulo
Ipi"h
len feet above him, wedged N bet"ee
lvu masses Of rock were two men s'n
ayr. with the crushed body OF "a usau
Companion between them One o. ,he
D men still living was CONSCIOUS, bu' hiiape
~ speak With one arm that was hee
he motioned feebly to the priest VINO stooa
o. The foot Of the rock Father Lyhn
performed the last rites for the dying MAJ
and lien, Standing on the wreck OF roon
car held on ivory cruclhk mp 10 NE man
lipe
Tie ist " the dead IL
htNesIu4o. Aipnossl ,,,,.. ..,.c,