Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-03-03
Accident Yesterday After
noon Came Without Warn.
ing to the Workmen.
RECENT HEAVY RAINS
SAID TO BE CAUSE
John Kucera and Antoine
Cerni of This City Are
The Victims.

A cave-in at one Of the clay banks
of L. H. McHose resulted in double
fatality and came near injuring sew
eral others at $40 o'clock yesterday
afternoon John Kucera, forty-three
years old, of 368 Stanford street; !;
and Antoine Cerni, forty-five, of $40
Stanford street, two men of Slavish
birth, are the dead. Kucera died al
most instantly and Cerni expired on
the way to the city hospital.
The fatality occurred in the Nc
Cleece banks, one of three operated
by Mr.. McHose, situated along Man
ning's Lane, between Smith street
and the Lehigh Valley railroad
tracks. The McCleece bank is the
one nearest Smith street The bank
caved in without warning, sweeping
with it the helpless men. Several
workmen in the same gang were hit
on the head by pieces of the falling
mass of clay and hard dirt, but none
were seriously injured.
Recent Rains the Cause.
Recent rains combined with thaw-
ing weather are believed to have
loosened the portion of the bank that
crushed out the two lives. In almost
every clap bank in this section extra
precaution has to be taken this time
of the year to avoid cave-ins such as
this one. Mr.. McHose has always
been careful to protect his employees
from such fatalities, but this one oc-
Cured suddenly without warning.
All day yesterday workmen had
walked across and worked about the
northwest side of the McCleece bank
ubaro tho aooidout opo,rrod Kt-
cera and Cerni were working with a
gang of seven or eight other foreign
ers in the McCleece bank bordering
on Manning's Lane. The pit in
which they had worked during the
day was about thirty or forty feet
deep. They were engaged in mining
clay from box-like portion in the
bottom OF the pit about twenty-five
feet square. This was boarded up to
height Of about Ave feet.
In the afternoon the men were set
at work on the side of the bank strip
ping and filling in the pit. They
were about twenty feet from the bot
tom when the fatal crash came. A
section of the bank composed of from
four to five tons of hard clay, dirt
and sand, crashed down upon the
lucu W MlLnOut IAS oli6htCct w al hii6'
All workmen with the exception of
Cerni and Kucera, escaped. The lat
ter were partially buried in the fall
len mass. Although one of them
sustained broken leg and hip and
the other broken leg, besides other
injuries, it is believed they died
from suffocation.
Dies On The Way.
\ tnIr
the fallen earth about three minutes
after the accident, but Kucera was
dead and life was practically extinct
in the PROSTATE form of Cerni. A rig
was secured from the banks and
Cerni was rushed to the city hospital.
Death resulted on the way and there
was no need of medical services.
The lifeless form Of Kucera was
laid on board near the boiler house
and Coroner Garretson was sum-
moned. He arrived about 6 o'clock
and viewed the remains of the men
and the scene of the accident. Per-
mission was given for the removal of
the bodies to Michael zylka's under
taking establishment.
Coroner's Investigation.
Coroner Garretson reported the
names of the men as John Kutch-
era, of 29 Stanford street, and An
tone Chairney, of 81 Stanford street.
He game the old street numbeys. Mr..
Garretson conducted a rigid examina-
ton He learned that the dead men
had families living in Europe. Ku-
cera boarded with Martu Safo and
Cernie was a boarder at the home of |
Margaret Uretska.
Charles Jureska, who lives near
the McCleece clay bank; Paul Ku-
bac, of 345 Chapman avenue; John |
Rehnack, of Sayre avenue, and four |
or five others in the same gang, man |
aged to escape from the falling clay |
and sand, but several of them were |
struck on the head by chunks of clay. |
After the downpour of clay and dirt
came sand, which is believed to have
helped suffocate the men.
CONTINUED on page 80
Ford Automobiles, sole agency, A.