New-York tribune., 1913-06-17
CORONER GETS PICTURES
FOR CAvE-|N EVIDENCE
HoItzhauser After Trip Into
Subway Says Gross NegII-
qence in Snoring Prevailed.
WARNED AGAIN BY M'CALL
Public Service Commissions In
quiry Brings Testimony in
Regard to Impossibility OF
Preventing Disaster.

While the public Service commission,
with the permission OF District Attorney
whitman. was conducting its investiga-
ton into the cave-in OF the Lexington
avenue subway yesterday afternoon Coro-
ner Holtzhauser. with Coroner Fenburg
and Assistant District Attorney Brecken-
ridge. was down in the shaft at 55th
street taking pictures Of the snoring
timbers and making notes on how the
evidences Of negligence on the part OF the
Bradley Construction Company had been
wiped out by the blasts set off TO get ac-
cess TO the bodies Of the ten victims be-
meath tons Of granite.
Gross negligence prevailed down there
said Coroner Holtzhauser when he came
up 10 the surface THE snoring timbers
on the side walls were planted on slip
perry. sliding base rock. irsecurely wedged.
There were no central snoring timbers
where the cave-in occurred. More work
ers are sure to he crushed in that hole II
greater precautions are not taken I'm the
future"
coroners would meet to-day 10 call on
Corporation Counsel Watson FOR dehni-
ton Of the Jurisdiction Of their office. he
said he would summon Edward r. Nc
Call. chairman Of the Public Service COM
mission. as a witness at the Coroner's in
quiry next Friday II necessary in order
to get at the bottom OF the tragedy
Mr. Mccall. at the close OF the inquiry
Yesterday. said the only difference he had
with Coroner Holtzhauser grew out OF the
fact that the Coroner undertook last sat
urday night 10 dictate TO the Public Ser
vice Commission engineers how the blast
ing Of the fallen rock should be carried
on 10 recover the bodies Of the workmeh'
II did nothing to interfere with the en-
gineers." said Coroner Holtzhauser last
night. in reply to Chairman Mccall.
gave orders 10 use no dynamite, because
tho hir rocks could be broken up just as
well by bolting and feathering. issued
the same order to-day. and Thomas Roo-
inson an inspector Of the Bureau OF
Combustibles. said he would see that II
was enforced"
Chairman Mccall ridiculed the idea
that the use Of dynamite after the cave
in had oblltcrated evidence valuable 10
the Coroner.
IT'S all poppycock. he said. IT was
outrageous for any city official 70 inter
fore with the work of the Public Service
Commission engineers in the tunnel II
Coroner Holtzhauser or Corporation
Counsel Watson wants 10 try 10 Illustrate
the authority of the Public Service Com
mission In the prosecution Of its work
in the subway he will find out that he IS
on the wrong track
District Attorney Whitman yesterday
said he would not take any action until
the findings Of the Coroner's court are
made.
Corporation Counsel Watson's comment
on the controversy between Coroner
| Holtzhauser and Chairman Mccall was
that the issue Of law could be settled In
few hours.
The witnesses before Chairman Mccall
and Commissioner Williams included the
engineers and inspectors Of the commits
sion and the officials OF the Bradley
Construction Company, none OF whom
was I'm the tunnel when the accident oc-
CURED. They appeared without sub
prnas and testified In answer 10 ques-
tions put to them by Le Roy Harkness,
assistant counsel for the commission.