Evening star., 1914-07-07
THREE MEN KILLED,
TWO ARE INJURED
Laborers Are Victims of Ex-
plosion in Sewer Conduit
Under Construction.
TWO OTHER EMPLOYEES
ESCAPE THE FLYING ROCK
Disaster Attributed to Blow on Dy.
Mantle Charge Left in Ground
by Night Force. =.

namlte Charge Left In Ground
by Night Force. =.
Three laborers were killed and two in
jured when an explosion occurred this
morning in a sewer conduit more than
As feet underground and about go feet
tered the tunnel they were boring under
hill in Rock Creek Park. All are col
ored men, Two other laborers employed
in the sewer escaped injury. The bodies
of the dead were horribly mangled
Seven men were employed in the con-
duit. putting in the Rock Creek Park
main interceptor. The shaft is in Cole
man Park, just outside the north entrance
to the Zoo, near Klingle road.
The men killed are John Murray. aged
twenty-six. who lived on 26th street. near
F street: George Boxley and Bud Mas
terson, who lived on 41st street, Tenley-
town.
Those injured, who are in Emergency
Hospital. are James Signor. S14 c street
southwest. who suffered abrasions of the
left arm and severe wounds on his head
and Albert Saunders, 141O 10th street
abrasions Of the left thigh and injuries
about his head
Herbert Harrison and Ernest Penn, both
of whom live at 1872 4th street north
west.
The dead and injured were brought
from the end Of the tunnel to the open
Ing on hand car and brought to the
surface In big iron hosting bucket.
District Authorities Investigating.
Immediate investigation of the cause
Of the accident was commenced by Dis
trict authorities. Capt. Roger G. Powell
assistant engineer commissioner, in
charge of Underground construction, and
Asa E. Phillips, superintendent of the
sewer department. visited the scene of
the explosion and carefully noted con-
ditions Inspectors were dispatched from
the municipal building with instructions
to make full reports.
The contractor in charge of the ex-
cavation states he does not know what
caused the explosion. but Saunders. one
Of the injured men, said that the night
pit six feet deep and that when the
day gang put their seven-foot drill into
the hole. and commenced to bore the
dynamite was exploded.
Capt. Powell. who was the first official
to reach the scene Of the disaster, ex-
pressed the opinion that 1t could not well
have been avoided. His theory of the
accident is that a workman accidentally
struck the cap on a charge of dynamite
placed in the tunnel by the night work
ers. 1t is believed that this charge failed
to explode at the time three others were
fired last night.
Contract for the work is held by the
Warren F. Brenizer Company, which re-
Gently completed 2.OOO-foot tunnel un-
der Geological Park. The foreman in
charge is Norman Embrey.
Part of Intercepting Sewer.
The tunnel In which the explosion oc-
CURED is a part of the big Rock Creek
intercepting sewer, which has been under
construction several years. Congress hav-
ing authorized total appropriation of
100000 for the work. The sewer, when
completed. will extend from the P Street
bridge to Military road.
At Emergency Hospital 1t was stated
Sanders and Signor were but slightly
injured Sanders is suffering from a
wound on his head, which was inflicted
by a flying rock; slight deafness. be-
lieved to have been caused by the con-
cussion of the explosion, and an injury
to his left thigh. Signor has a wound on
his head caused by a flying rock and
suffered an abrasion.
Il was working about eight feet away
from the place where the explosion
came said Sanders. THE men on the
night shift had left some dynamite in a
hole last night and We were not warned
Of it. George Boxley and Johnny Murray
were working at that hole. The hole was
six feet deep. and they had just put a
seven-foot drill into 1t and started to
work when the explosion came and they
were killed"
Saunders said that Bud Masterson.
one of the men who was killed, was
working only two or three feet from
him when he was struck by flying
rock. Il was knocked about nine or
ten feet by the explosion and large
rock struck me on the head" he
added
signor Only Few Feet Away.
signor said ne vas sitting down
about FIVE or six feet away from
Saunders when the explosion occurred
The first 7 knew was when the ex-
plosion went of and rock struck me
on the back Of the head I fell for
ward and my head still aches from thai
| blow"
| II was stated at the hospital that
Saunders and Signor will soon be able
to leave the hospital
1t is expected an inquest will be held
at the District morgue tomorrow
morning.
Freight Wreck Blocks -Four Tracks.
i UTICA, N. Y. July IA freight ac.
cident on the New York Central rail-