New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-16
Backed Up by Chairman Me-
Cali, Engineer DiSobeyS Off,
DIAL and Big COntrO-
verSy May Result.
FIND FOUR MORE VICTIMS
Fire Department and Holtz
hauser Both Ignored When
Powder Is Used in Cave
in to Blow Away
Great Rock.

" w 1AN w &A"t'J
Great Rock.
In open defiance OF the orders o,
Coroner HolZhauser. defiance in
which he was backed up by Chairman
Edward T.. Mccall of the Public Scr
vice Commission. Bradley Hipkns,
chief engineer Of the Bradley Con-
struction Company, blasted yesterday
a part Of the huge rock which crushe !
out the lives Of ten laborers i'm its ian
following a blast on Saturday even
ing.
As A result of this action Lively
controversy J tween the Coroner and
the Public Service Commission. the
Police and the Fire departments. :
promised for to-day. when rival n
vestigations will be held. The Coroner
was diSobcyed. The Bureau Of Com
bustibles, under the Fire Department.
was ignored. If the question Of au-
thority is not taken to court it will be-
because "alls well that ends well" ."
even in the melancholy sense that de-
fiance of authority resulted in the re-
covery Of three bodies, which was the
end sought by all.
Coroner Holtzhauscr. who arrived at
the scene Of tho disaster soon after il
happened. remained on duty until early
Yesterday morning. The Coroner was
stcadfast in his refusal 20 give 10 the
representatives Of the Bradley Con-
tracing Company permission To use
dynamite to blow apart tho rock
Absent Coroner Overruled.
Bayly Hipkins. engineer Of the Brad
ley Contracting Company. said the
blasting Of the rock was the only prac-
tical way Of clearing away the mass Of
fallen rock and getting at the two
bodies which are believed To be still
buried underneath The Coroner held
10 the belief that blasting would result
I'm the mutilating Of the bodies. and de-
spite the advice offered by chief En-
ginccr Ridgway. who agreed with Hip
llins. the Coroner refused 90 grant per
mission. He threatened 10 arrest the
man that ordered po~der-usec and gave
instructions as To how the rock could
be removed Hand drills and the
method known 10 engineers and rock
men as plug and fcathcring" was Of
fcrcd by the Coroner as the more fitting
way to break up the rock.
After much arguing the advice OF the
Coroner was adhered TO. but ten hours
of this work showed slow progress.
Hipkins tried to get In communication
with the Coroner at his home 10 reopen
the question IL was learned that ne
had left the city with his family for the
day. Coroner Winterbottom was next
appealed TO. He was located at his
Nyack home. His advice was to do as
they thought tit, he having jurisdiction
i'm Coroner HOltzhauser's absence
when former Judge Mccall heard Of
the difficulty he hurried To- the scene.
He told Chief Engineer Hipkins To use
powder IL he deemed IL necessary, and
gave him authority for ordering away
the Coroner II ne came TO interfere i'm
the work He even went so far as 10
instruct Police Sergeant Fogerty. Of
the East 5lst street station. To place
the Coroner under arrest II he tried
To enter the shaft opening which
opened into the hole
Application for permission 10 use
powder on Sunday was then made To
Police Inspector Cahalane. and accord
ing 10 representatives, Of the company
the inspector granted it. Here the
question Of authority again arose. Such
permission. II was explained by DR..
X. s. Kennard. chief Of the Bureau Of
Combustibles, should have been asked
Of the Fire Department.
Four Bodies Found.
Soon after the first blast was set off,
about 3 o'clock, it resulted I'm the find
ing Of two bodies, one an unidentified
Italian and the other that Of Paul Mu-
riella, thirty-eight years old, of No. 20
Monroe street. In the pocket Of the un-
lUentllle0 man ulStHdIbt pdp'io "tic
found which showed that he was to
discontinue work for the company at
the end Of that tour Of work. ii o'clock.
The BODY of Patrick Joye was taken
out late at night. 1t was badly crushed,
but recognizable.
The body of John Green, OF No. ii
Audubon avenue. The Bronx, was
taken from under the bowlder shortly
before = O'Clock this morning. 1t was
Identified by a fellow workman.
Chief Engineer Ridgeway said yes
terlay that his investigation revealed
no negligence on the part of the con-
tracing company, and that he knew of
nothing which might have foretold that
the mass Of rock would give way.
FLED WHEN TWINS CAME