The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-12
THREE KILLED IN TUNNEL
SENSE OF DUTY LED WORK.
MEN TO DEATH TRAP.
All Reiterated Except Them, but They. Being
skilled Tunnel Workers. Believed They
Alone Would he Able to Put Out q Fire
whose Smoke .sssea r-en. the sha9t.

skilled Tunnel Workers. Believed They
Alone Would he Able to Put Out q Fire
whose Smoke Issued E-c.. the SHAFT.
The early morning shift Of twenty-five
men at work in tube d, at the East avenue
shaft Of the Pennsylvania tunnel work in
Long Island City, left the air pressure sec
ton, just behind the shield, at 4 o'clock
yesterday morning to get what the English
foremen in charge of the work calls supper.
To reach the completed section OF the tube.
where there is no pressure, they had to
60 through the air lock. Michael DAILY, the
lock tender, was left at the outer door of
the lock. While the men were eating
smoke began oozing into the finished part
of the tube from the lock.
The workmen retreated toward the street
end of the tube, except George Chapman.
the walking boss; Joseph Peers, shield
foreman, and Daily. They apparently sup
posed that the fire they could not see was
of a trifing nature and that they could
put it out unassisted. They we're seen TO
go into the door of the air lock. What
happened to them after that nobody can
tell definitely, but as they did not reappear
and as the smoke grew denser in the tube
their fellow workmen decided that they
were in distress.
Four men, Peter Winners, an inspector
of the Pennsylvania, New York and Long
Island Company; Leonard Hough, Herman
Ford and Frank James, made an effort to
reach the lock and rescue the missing men,
but they were overcome by smoke and were
themselves dragged to safety by others.
Long Island City firemen were finally
called 10 to subdue the blaze and after they
| bad WyOrkod aODna TINA IL uaa nrGGihla m
reach the outer door of the lock. The pres
sure Of many shoulders was necessary TO
move the door, which opens inward. The
men wondered what the obstruction was
behind il and found a few seconds later,
when they entered the lock, thai 10 was
caused by the bodies Of Chapman, Peers
and DAILY. They were dead.
Officials of the work. which is being done
by the British firm of Pearson h Son, said
| that the could not say positively how the
fire, which smouldered more than il blazed,
originated but that they we're pretty certain
that some one had left a candle in the tele-
phone booth in the air pressure section.
They declare that a preliminary examina-
ton has convinced them that the fire was
not due to defective insulation. This is
what the company thinks occurred after
the lock tender, DAILY, had admitted Chap
man and Peers into the lock:
The three men after entering the lock
went to the door at the inner end and opened
it. A sitting smoke Immediately poured
in on them, and they rushed TO the door at
the entrance TO the lock, where they fell
unconscious.
The dead, who were residents Of Long
Island City and Greenpoint. were among
the most experienced hands in the business
Their foreman said that it was not necessary
for them 70 sacrifice their lives, but that they
had lone so through a sense Of duty. Police
Captain Tracey of Long Island City arrested
Arthur W. Manton, superintendent Of the
tunnel work, charging him with homicide.
He was paroled by Magistrate Smith in
custody Of his counsel for examination on
October IS.
The fire destroyed merely the telephone
booth and a small section of timber, and did
not materially interfere with the progress
of the work.