Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1913-05-16
Says Contracting Company
Responsible for Fatality at
|. v. Coal Bumper.
MAY HOLD INQUEST TO
DETERMINE NEGLIGENCE
Two Men at Hospital Will
Recover Others at Homes
Body is Claimed.

Because there was only one brace
OF timbers comprising four piles
about twelve inches in diameter to
support the huge mass of steel form
Ing the shute or pan" of the new
Lehigh Valley 100000 coal car
bumper being constructed here.
Coroner James ]. Flynn may call an
inquest to place the responsibility
for the catastrophe yesterday after
noon when one steel worker was
killed, one seriously injured and
-FOUR severely cut and bruised, on the
Myler Interstate Contracting Com
pany, of Cleveland, o. 1t seems that
the piling which supported the dis
connected end of the shute, which
weighs probably $4,000 pounds, was
or insufficient size and strength to
Withstand the load of the pan and
the continual hammering and rivet-
ing OF the steel workers on top of it,
The ptling gave way in the middle,
showing that they were absolutely in
capable OF bearing the strain for
which they were erected. After q
personal investigation the coroner
believes the contracting company re-
sponsible, though he is not certain
Seemingly as q premonition of the
accident and az a warning about one
half hour before the giving way OF
the piling and the fall of the massive
shute, James Klegg, of Toledo, O.,
fell from the top of the iron struc-
ture to the railroad track on the
dock about fifteen feet below. His
right ear was split and he probably
sustained internal injuries. He WAS
sent to the city hospital, where he Is
being watched for symptoms of Sc
rious internal injuries.
The victims of the second accident,
which occurred when the piling split
In the middle and one end of the
shute, which was supported by such
piling, crashed about forty feet down
to the side of the dock, are as fol-
lows:
ANDREW CANAVAN, of Syracuse,
N. Y, killed instantly when body,
was crushed between the steel of the
pan, and the dock, body now at
the coroner's morgue
CHARLES MCCORMICK. of 15s
East l2Sth street, New York city. at
the city hospital with fractured rib
and horribly bruised and probably
Internally injured.
JAMES OWENS, OF South Amboy,
foreman of the gang of worRmen.
at his home with cut between eyes.
scalp on skull and badly bruised.
E. @. MDONALD, of Birmingham.
Ala, burned back, split scalp from
forehead to rear of the head and
badly bruised, taken to boarding
house
ARTHUR OWENS. OF Port Wash
ington, L. T., left ear split, second
and third fingers nearly cut In two
at second Joints, and left side of body
and back severely bruised, walked to
boarding house, but today in bed.
JOSEPH IRELAND, of Canada,
bruised body and badly cut sclap.
Canavan, Mccormick, Mcdonald
and Ireland boarded at 22S Rector
street, and Arthur Owens at the Is
land house in Smith street. All the
men are expected to recover entiEe-
ly.
e. G. Mcdonald. of Birmingham,
Ala, one Of the victims was on top
of the shute or pan" heating rivets
at forge when the piling gave way
and the six men were precipitated
into the river. AS he fell the forge
followed him and he went to the
bottom of the slip alongside, which
Is about twenty-five feet deep. with
the hot Goals flying around him, and
with the bed of the forge's heated
iron furnace pressing against his up
per back. Large splotches were
burned on his back by the hot iron,
He landed at the bottom of the
sound with the apparatus on top of
him, though the fall of the forge had
been broken by striking the surface
of the slip.
Part of the iron of the forge struck
his head and plowed a deep cash
from his forehead to the rear part OF
the skull. He was held to the bot
tom of the slip momentarily by the
weight of the forge. After much
scrambling in dazed condition from
the wound on his head he arose to
the surface of the water Just as Can
avian arose. Mcdonald grabbed for
the man and caught him by the
shoulder with his left hand. He
caught hold of the end of the steel
shute with his right. which was par
TALLY submerged in the slip and kept
Canavan on the surface of the wa
ter until boat came to pull him In.
When he was taken aboard, it is
said, he had been dead several sec-
onds. Mcdonald then heroically
(Continued on page 81