New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-09-12

cut
The accident happened at 1881
o'clock. lust as the congregation OF St
uobn's Roman Catholic Church, two
block from the scene on the Hudson
boulevard was pouring out after mass
The crash of the hundreds OF tons OF 1aii-
ing rock was heard by the churchgoers
and By the priests who had been official
ing at mass. and who were stiil in the
church Captain Nicholas A Toppin OF
the Sd Precinct. of Jersey City, who hao
been in the congregation at ST Jonn s.
LED the rush TO the scene of the caVe-in'
while Father p w. Smith, Father w t.
Dunn and Father J. F. Mulligan hur-
ried out of the church and Joined the
crowd of rescuers.
James s Browning. janitor of Public
School 81. at ST Pauls avenue and
Hudson Boulevard. had been looking out
81 one Of the upper windows of the
school when the accident occurred. and
it was he who turned in the first alarm,
t,lephoning TO Police Headquarters and
the three hospitals. St. Francis Hospital,
Christ Hospital and Jersey City Hospl-
tai
Police and Doctors RrftSe
Captain Toppin also telephoned TO Po-
lice Headquarters. and a few minutes
after the accident the reserves from the
I'd Precinct arrived under Lieutenant
Michael CASEY Reserves from the six
other procincts Of the city were soon on
hand with patrol wagons The hos
initial alnbulances were close behind with
George
Ter. Edward w Presley. Alexander Fer
s11son and Joseph NJ Rector went from
the City Hospital. while Doctors F1ana
gan. John Mooney and Franklin hurried
from ST. Francis and Doctors Stark and
Walter Weber from Christ Hospital.
Seventy-four men We're working in the
tunnel when the cave-in happened, four
teen drill men, with their fourteen help
ers, one nipper man, forty muckers, two
hosting engineers and three signal men.
The last blasting had been done on Sat
llrdsy, and the men were at work clear
ing away the muck from the blasts and
preparing to drill and blast again to-
gay. With the exception of the hosting
engineers and signal men they were clus
tered around a glory hole fifty feet
square that had been cut through the
brick arch Of the tunnel, about one hun
dred and fifty feet from the portal. All
were working with sledgehammers and
crowbaTs. clearing away the rock that
had been ioosened by the blasts of the
day before, and preparing TO reset the
drills for to-days work. Browning said
sfterward:
II was looking out of the window,
Watching the work. When they blasted
last Thursday they broke five windows
IN the school building. and I was Won
dering how many they would break to-
morrow.
Tumble Down with Rock.
Suddenly I saw the earth begin TO
reave and slide as though giant charge
of dynamite had been set off in the tun-
mel. anc the next second the crowd of
workmen was tumbling down with the
rock and disappearing under the huge
blocks.
Il was dazed for an instant. and only
remember seeing two men jump from
The side of the tunnel into the new cut,
while half hundred more stood dazed,
as I was. clinging to the steep and
broken sides of the tunnel. In the wink
Of an eye. ii seemed, some began to
scramble for safety, while others slipped
and slid down into the tunnel on top Of
the pile of rock and began TO tear at 1t
with their bare hands.
THE dust was still rising from the
open roof of the tunnel. where nearly
fifty feet had caved in. and partly OBJ
scUred my vision. / looked toward the
street and saw the people rushing from
all directions St Johns Church was
just letting out, and I saw Captain
Nick Toppin break from the crowd
and start on q run for the parapet of
The Boulevard over the scene of the ac-
cident. Hundreds from the congrega-
ton followed him. the women screaming
and crying and the men fighting to be
first.
1t all seemed like q dream to me- l
was so dazed with the horror, until with
one glance that covered hundred
feet, / saw an automobile pull up al the
side Of the Boulevard and two men jump
cut and leap over the parapet while two
women in the back seats screamed and
glance I caught sight Of the robes of the
priests from st. Johns as they hurled
themselves into the crowd and made for
the parapet over the tunnel
Hurries to the Telephone.
With that glance the screams of the
men buried under the tons Of rock
seemed TO break on my ears. and
turned from the window and dashed
down the stairs to the telephone"
When Browning next saw the caye-in
q throng Of two thousand persons, con-
stantly augmented from the stream of
passing automobiles and the lines of
pedestrians on both sides of the Boule-
ward, crowded the parapet above the
tunnel and stretched in long banks o.
both sides OF the cut. while Father Null
Hgan, swinging in q scales basket
hundred feet in the air, was administer
ing the last rites of the Church 10 the
first man 10 be brought up from the
ruins.
The first help 70 those caught by the
slide Of rock came from their fellow
.I-bp