Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-09-12
Workmen Tearing Down Old
Arch Are Buried Beneath
Tons of Rock.
HUDSON COUNTY OFFICERS
ORDER THOROUGH PROBE
Will Endeavor to Establish Re-
spOnsibility for Latest Disas-
ter on Jersey City Work.

JERSEY CITY, sept. lz.-IWeIVe men
are dead and eight are lying in seri-
GUS condition in Jersey City hospitals
as the result of a cave-in of the arch
at the west end of the old Erie rail-
road tunnel yesterday.
The accident occurred at the extreme
end of the tunnel where the walls and
roof were being torn down that more
room may be given at the west end
of the new cut for four tracks. This
work was begun from point under the
Hudson county boulevard. There are
four tracks through the new cut, and
when 1t was found inconvenient to
switch cars to the third track. as has
been necessary while the walls on the
old cut remained, 1t was decided to
break into the old tunnel just north OF
the new cut. About hundred feet of
the old tunnel had been removed up to
the time of the accident. The remain
ing part of the arch. composed of a
brick arch three feet In thickness COW
cred with trap-rock, was ready to be
broken through and stood unsupported.
List of Dead.
The dead are
James Feeney, age 80, of 144 st.
Paups avenue.
Angelo Pareeano. age %. of % Porter
street.
Vincenzo Colenzono. age 81. of 223
Fifth street.
Joserh Bauman. are 19, of Summit
and ST. Pau's avenues
Dali Irrytx,
St Paul's avenues.
Louis Martini. age as. address un-
known.
Fred Schuvet, age 20. of 45o Hoboken
avenue.
William Hallisey. age %. of 81 Oak
land avenue.
avenue. 49, -
John Lewis. a negro, of Jersey City.
Firentino Sciublia, aged 20. of 450
Hoboken avenue.
Unidentified man, aged about 35; en-
8 ployees' check No. 1892
There were twenty eight rock drill
ers and helpers digging away the rock
and masonry that formed the arch at
the western mouth of the tunnel. Be-
low them were forty laborers and
InuChtIS idulIB away biiS oiSiooBSN
stone and mason work as it rolled
down into the tunnel opening.
When the arch collapsed the drill
runners and helpers were plunged
thirty feet to the tracks below In a
mass of rock, earth, mortar and brick.
The laborers on the tracks escaped be-
ing crushed beneath the avalanche Of
rock that rolled down when the tunnel
arch fell.
Yesterdays accident was perhaps the
worst that the Erie Railroad Company
has experienced in construction or ex-
cavation work for many years. Since
the Erie began to drive it's tunnels
through the solid rock of the Palisades
about three years ago 400 lives. it Is
said, have been lost in pushing the
work. For long time deaths of work.
men were of almost daily occurrence.
but no accident accompanied by as
heavy loss of life as yesterday oc-
CURED.
About a year ago the Millard Con-
struction Company, which is In charge
of the work of constructing the tunnels,
was indicted by the Hudson county
grand jury for criminal negligence after
a heavy rock had been hurled by a
blast through tIe Tool VI d HouSo' a.
Hoboken and Baldwin avenues, inurj-
ing the mother of John Westell, at that
time supervisor of the census for Hud-
son county. When the construction
company was brought to trial it was
fined $1,000 by Judge Blair.
"AII in the Days Work.
j. M. Barrett, terminal superintend-
ent of the railroad. voiced the only
comment on the accident heard from
the Erie, when ne declared today that
II was all in the days work.
''Such accidents as that are in the
hazard of the hard-rock man." de-
c1ared Mr.. Barrett "All the men who
were injured yesterday knew the risk
they we're running and should have
looked out for themselves"
Quite an opposite view from this is
taken by the police and the prosecutor
Of the pleas. Prosecutor Garven has
already ordered an inquest. and Prose-
cutor's Detective William Charlock is
looking for A. L. Morehead, resident
engineer of the Erie railroad. and
James Smith, superintendent Of the
tunnel job.
George Bloss, foreman, who was in
4ured in the cavern, was placed under
arrest last night in the Jersey City
C,tv Hospital by Detective Sergeant
Maxwell of the Third precinct. charged
with criminal negligence.