New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-26

plunged INTO tne more
Il was not possible last night TO get
clear and comprehensive story OF the
details The man whose taXleao
6ronned into the excavation. George
SomMcrcr. Of 200 Eighth Avenue, says
he left the taxicab unoccupied at the
po,n; whore il later fell to 20 to the
krickerhocker Theatre, across the
street. TO ask what the traffic RUE
would he after the performance.
Another chauffeur, John Soler: OF
Wcstwood. who was injured, ssid ne
,ens walking on the sidewalk, and zen
rsrt WAY IN. The police say that "a
f,o'r1a- O'Connor. OF the west lhliu-
eth Street station. pulled Soler out, eN-
Treating him from among some t'inDe'
four fcct below the edge OF tne con
e~cte Sidewalk that had been chippeu
oG. ~ more
rot injured through the plunging OF
.,,~fsrc cars and automobiles into inc
oncnirc is not apparent Nheh' sum
,,o,c8 hv the crash Of timber and OF
s.onp pedestrians and shopkeepers IN
10 rcicrborhood ran % the scene, me
nearest northbound street car was nan
block distant. and the nearest souSh-
bound car was that operated by Murphy
ITlHCT
OF course. the situation Immediately
$40 tor+b a breath OF horror IN eX-
aegcraion Of the facts. A man 1riN-
49, li,ht delivery wagon turned bacK
tts horse within Nv feet OF the
po.'h end Of the hole. whipped the
animal. and had then abandoned 'he
fleeing horse 70 jump down ana rescue
Young woman who was on the orthh
o. the cnasm. The rumoTs had IL th"'
she had fallen in. 49,
cabe and several pedestrians had tai-
/. "a into She hole, and il was not am
c,it 70 practically convince WIN 'hcS'
stories tho hundreds Of men ana won
o., aho. hIithelv on their way IN search
81 entertainment a minute or so DC
4orc. qa-bered eXcitedly on the edges OF
T. vas not possible 10 see clearly
ovcrvthinc that was at the bottom o.
tie excavation. The thin stree pam
inc and the heavy Snoring timbers had
tumb'ed into masses that gave creoehcS
10 the reports o. what they grippe"
beneath chem. ~. Go
In about FIVE minutes more 'ne IL
apparatus. with extra hook ana Iaoue'
c6mponies. began 10 arrive. one nun
a.
;r, - automobiles and on foot. search
Tgbts we're sent for. and ambulaneesL
+birtv Of them-were banging on tneir
,yav-au Of this noise and hustle pro
voking panicky interest that thSeaV-
eDod 70 interfere with the Work OF the
authorities. ,,..o,nred
Tho 6rst fremen 20 arrive discovered
,bet a Gas main had been punctured
hv one Of the falling timbers, so 'ne
rolicc were told to force the crowns
bock 20 seventh Avenue, Ihirty-seV-
ertb Street. Sixth Avenue and Forueth
street and 20 warn every person III
+bo immediate neighborhood Of the &C
cisor- n refrain from smoking. ne
department also ordered the railway
companv 70 shut off power from Ihlrty-
fourth 10 Forty-second street.
An ambulance surgeon and driver
from New York Hospital were the frst
"a 90 down into the hole on ladders.
accompanied by fremen. They found
the tavicab overturned almost unueI
meath the east sidewalk. They chopped
avav the door. against which mass
Of plarkinr and timber columns rested
and lifted out the woman, who was
unconscious. Her skull was fractured /
ana she was internally injured. she /
was carried up a ladder and placed IN .
The New York Hospital ambulance .
which hurried her TO Bellevue, where .
she died less than an hour later.
Nelson was walking along the west
side Of the street when the cavern oc-
cured. and he fell into the hole, striking
against the wall and planklng. That
he did not experience direct, unln-
terrupted descent saved his life, al
though he sustained the fracture OF
several ribs, necessitating his removal
10 So. Nincent's Hospital
Timbers Pin Electrician.
Howard Cross, the electrician. was
not pulled out until an hour after the
crash. lie is employed by the con-
struction company, and was preceding
through the cut when two Snoring TIM
bers fell on him. One pinned his out
stretched arms over his head and an !
other pinned down his legs. lie was
unconscious when hremen and an am
bulance surgeon, after forty minutes
Of chonDing through a hill Of wood over
him. got 10 him. When he was raised
10 the Sidewalk Father Walsh, Of the
Church of the Holy lnnocents, Thirty /
reveuth Street. near Broadway, gave
He was taken 10 Bellevue.
The excitement was still AZ its height J.
when city and county officials began TO |
arrive. Police Commissioner Woods, /
who rad passed the spot about ten
minutes prior to the accident, was sit /
ting down 20 dinner at the Racquet
club. on West Forty-third Street, when
he was notified lie hurried down and,
when he got 20 Broadway and Thirty
ninth Street. saw that the planking
might further give wagon the east
side - YVES badly bowed so he went
into the Casino Theatre and notified
tie management that the performance
should be held up until he could learn
whether IL would be wise to permit the
public n use the sidewalk.
At that theatre "The Blue Paradise"
g. playing, and the company was back
stage when the Commissioner order
was given. Lee Shubert tried to get more
definite information, and. failing, dis
missed the members Of the company
and announced at the box Office that
holders Of tickets would be accommo-
dated. II they so desired, at other Shu-
bert theatres. and that those who were
not satisfied by this arrangement could
exchange their tickets for next week.
The management Of the Knickers
booker Theatre. where the Triangle
Films opened Thursday night, closed
the house for the night. Later Com
missioner Woods said that this was not
necessary for either theatre and that
performances could be given tomorrow.
Fire Head Begins Inquiry.
Robert Adamson. Fire Commissioner,
began an investigation. District At
torney Perkins, with Assistant District
AaAnrrn,.e Rrcck inridre Wilrnof and