New-York tribune., 1906-06-06
MEN DISAGREE.
Fail to Agree on Number of Deaths
from Bends"

Coroner George F. Shrady resumed Yesterday
his Investigations into the deaths of the men
employed in the construction of the Pennsyl-
vania tunnel in East 33d street by S Pearson s.
Son, contractors. He sought to learn whether
the officials of the company were guilty of GRIM
inal negligence in providing proper safeguards
for the health of the men employed there
Coroner shrady is vehement in his declaration
that he will go 10 the bottom of the subject and
that If any of the officials are found guilty they
will he dealt with to the full extent of the law
Pearson & Son told the Coroner that they We're
willing to cooperate with him
However, in strange contrast to these offers
Coroner Shrady said man was about the Coro-
ners office who made il his business to send
employees away from the building that were not
served mith subpenas. In this manner two i'm
portant witnesses who came 10 give evidence
by their own volition We're not examined Suits
have already been brought against the company
EX-Assistant District Attorney Marshall p
Clarke has brought suit for $4,000 for the death
OF laborer, Robert Griffert. who. il is alleged
was hlred without strict preliminary examina-
ton' and had died that same day al midnight
after emerging from the tunnel.
among those examined yesterday was Dr
Fred L. keays. Of No. 300 West 56th street. who
SAID ne had beer employed by Pearson & Son
as as Hleolcal director of the tunnel since March
~ In his statement he said:
There are four other physicians under nv
orders. When a man comes to work he l. axy a,!
ahmed and record made of his case II any,
@ llslI ~ Lald on on account Of illness he is re-
examined before he is allowed 10 90 bac, -
work man who works right along is NOT
examined We examine heart lungs and rous
GUAR developments. The age limit is fort,
ears, IN case or a new man. Old workers are
an exception 10 this rule. The average weight
Is 100 pounds but we take men over that weight
II thelr muscular development is good
We call every mans attention 10 our rules
Wnlch are posted in conspicuous places and
printed in all languages If men are unable 10
read or write, the foreman generally instructs
sae .ieit; out me physicians are not supposed to
see that the foreman carries out these instruc-
lions don't go down into the lock very often
Some OF the doctors go down into the tunnel
once or twice week. I can't tell YOU whether
the air gauges have been removed or not
don't know anything about the sanitary condi-
have died from the bends
The men do not work six hours continuously on
Sundays. TO the best of my knowledge They
are working under pressure of from twenty
nine 70 thirty-three pounds. I think that six
hours continuous working is not too much for
an Old worker.
Another witness examined was Hugh LLOYD
assistant superintendent of tunnels He said
the only air gauges are now on the outside Of
the concrete bulkheads OF the locks coupled
with the air pressure under the lock He had
worked for three years in the Blackwell tunnel
under the Thames and he did not know whether
there were any gauges inside that tunnel or not
The men in the Pennsylvania tunnel worked
eight hours day, under pressure of thirty-two
pounds. and six hours over thirty-two pounds
he said.
Timothy Smith. a medical attendant in the
tunnel for the last seven months, on the Long
Island side, said there no doctors there
He said he had seen hundreds of men taken
with the bends, and known Of eleven men dying
from the bends