The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-12-29
SLUMP UNDER "SUB" STATION
TWO NEN BURIED 90 FEET
down ny TUNNEL CAIFTN.
Track and station at Atlantic Avenue In
Brooklyn show signs OF tndcrmining
and Traric Partly Held t'p for
while Engineers say Danger Is over.

while Engineers Say Danger Is over
Two men we're killed early Yesterday
morning in "A cavein at Foruth. Flatbush
and Atlantic avenues in Brooklyn They
were working with gang of fifteen in
the new Fourth avenue subway bore.
which cuts under the Atlantic avenue
station Of the Interborough subway
ninety feet below street level. when the
hravy snoring groaned once or twice
aud gave way. dumping from twelve
TO fifteen square yards Of sand into the
narrow drift
Herbert Cole. n negro. - years old,
Of II Fas, i3Ith street Manhattan. and
Thomas Williams. 10. of l2i 81 Mark.
place were buried Most or the men
were working near the mouth Of the
eighty foot drift and got ont with nothing
worse than few bruises John Lump
kin, - years old Of 10 West Thirty
seventh street Manhattan. was struck
by piece of snoring and he was all bu;
buried before he could regain his feet
and reach the exit
The men were hardly out Of the drift
| before Cole and Williams were missed
and work was begun Of digging them out
The work was directed by Willliams's
| brother. Night Superintendent s IT, Will
iams. and was finished AT about clock
by O'Clock all traces Of the Caveiu had
been cleared away and work was going
! on IA usual in the drift. subway ser
/ vice on the lines above had BEEN sus-
/ PENDED on one track. and u was late in
the afternoon before fun s"rViC" was
/ resumed.
II was feared at first that the shifting
1 A. II It
! tracks and station settle. but Alfred
! Craven, chief engineer oi the Public
| Service Commission. after an eNamina-
| iion said that this would not take place
| Grouting machines soon filled the cavity
| caused by the Cavein and extra strong
snoring held the foundation firmly in
place. MIR. craven thinks that the accl-
/ dent was due to the looseninC or break
! ing Of some brea sting boards a. the north
end Of the south drift
| Four of the five concrete walls which
are being put in at the place where the
cavein occurred 10y Jacobs 4 Davies.
engineers for the Bradley Contracting
! Company. had been finished and the
men were digging for the 18TH. Some
: Of those thought the heavy traffic over
! head might have had something to do
with the Cavein 4 subwJv station.
several surface lines and an elevated
| structure are above the new tunnel
| Alfred Craven chief engineer 10 tho
Public Service Commission. after investi-
| eating the caVrin sent report to the
board. of which the following il a part
The work under this station i being
| prosecuted for contractor bradley by
Jacobs Davies. who ON account OF their
large experience in work somewhat Of this
nature were selected nv Contractor Bradley
"a best fitted TO do this work successfully
| ] he exact cause Of the accident is unkno Un.
but II was probably due to the loosenins
! or breaking of some of the brcasting boards
ut the end of the DRIFT. There is apparently
no danger of any serious settlement OF in
jury to the present subway.
As matter of preCaution II was deemed
| advisable not to use the southerlv track
AZ the Atlantic avenue station until the
work had been caught up underneath the
track and the croutinE completed. An
examination Of the drlit and also within
the Atlantic avenue station showed nothing
that would indicate a dangerous condition
in regard tc the present subway. Only
a slight settlement has taken place in the
tracks and platform. and il is not material
and no more than has occurred where the
work has been successfully completed
There is no cause for alarm IN regard to
the present subway, nor II there reason to
apprehcnd further trouble. The serious
part Of the whole matter is the loss of life.
Frank Hedley, vice president and gen
eral mana ger Of the marlborough, made
statement in wAiCh he said:
| The AOrk under the existing subway
AT Atlantic and Flatbusn avenues for some
time past has caused a gradual sinking of
the present subway. The cavein rendered
the operat ton of one track at Atlantic
avenue unsafe. and when the engineers
of the Public Service Commission re-
quested that the lnterborough discontinue
the operation Of trains on this track we
turned some Of our Brooklyn bound train.
around the South Ferry loop and sent
others only as far as the Borough Hall
| station