The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-09-26
[IIY STREET YAWhS AGAIN AND G0BBLES
UP PEOPLE IN DITCH A BLOCK long

an investigation r ne seventh
avenue cave-in, hur to the scene
of the latest stree 3 ,llapse tonight
and began an iY - late investiga-
ton. The Sever tvenue disaster,
It has been sho . resulted from a
blast Of dynami., t:nat weakened the
supporting stantions and caused the
STREET.-THE give way. A preliminary ex-
animation tonight revealed no cause
for the Broadway accident and In
creased the apprehension for the
safety OF miles of other New York
streets.
Built Over Tubes.
Broadway. Seventh avenue and 9TH
er main thoroughfares are built in
part over tubes, burrowed either for
subway lines or for the New York
aqueduct. On the day following the
Seventh avenue tragedy, it was an
nounced that a competent engineer
would be hired to examine the sup
ports Of all these street sections. to
determine whether 1t was possible
for similar cave-ins to occur again.
Two minor accident of similar nature
have occurred since the Seventh
avenue cave-in. Two motor trucks
broke through the street flooring. but
no one was injured.
The second automobile that
plunged into the gap tonight was
driven by George Commers. Som
mers had just driven his car up near
the sidewalk at Thirty eighth street
and had stepped out. He heard a
loud crash as he reached the curb
and turned around to see his car dis
appear down the hole.
A taxicab in which were several
women, was speeding northward in
Broadway when the sag in the street
became noticeable The chauffeur
quickly reversed his engine and be-
gan to back out Of danger, just as
the street gaye way One af his
front whsels hung ov6r the jagged
edge OF the thirty foot hole. The oc.
cupants Of his taxi alighted in safety
Five Seriously Injured.
Five persons were seriously injured,
two OF whom 1t is feared may die,
when they were thrown into the
yawning pit. Charles Nelson was
crossing the street when It gave way.
He was removed to hospital suffer
ing from fractured ribs and probably
internal injuries. A subway worker,
Howard Cross, was trapped and
crushed beneath twisted beams in
the hole. A priest climbed down
through the debris shortly before 8
o'clock, and administered extreme
JUNCTION to the man who it was feared
was fatally hurt. Later he was re-
moved to hospital badly hurt.
An unidentified woman was re-
moved to a hospital, badly hurt. She
was crossing the street when 1t gave
way and was thrown into the pit.
John Solar had started across the
street when a policeman grabbed him
as the street began to sag. He
slipped part way into the hole and
suffered from badly lacerated legs.
A fourth injured man was lifted from
the debris at 9 o'clock and taken
away in an ambulance.
Police Commissioner Woods, Fire
Commissioner Adamson and other Of
flcfals on the scene agreed that the
accident was not caused by an ex-
plasfon, but to a straight cave-in or
landslide"
The subway under Broadway was
inspected Immediately after the Sew
enth avenue accident and declared to
be In good condition. The ground in
this section OF Broadway was soft, it
was said, and slide. starting near
the sidewalk probably caused col
lapse Of the entire street. Half Of
the sidewalk was carried away in
some sections.
With the first crash, the throngs on
Broad way and adjoining streets, fled,
but returned to crowd forward to-
ward the hole opened by the cave-in.
When the police finally drove them
back. other sections Of the street
were beginning to sag.
The First Death
The injured woman died after reach
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