Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-22
Disaster Also Results in Seri-
GUS Injury to Nearly
100 Persons.
MANY WOMEN AND GIRLS
ARE AMONG THE VICTIMS
Accident Caused by an Explosion Of
Dynamite in Excavation-An
Investigation Ordered.
NEW YORK. September a.

DIX persons were reported Oy
the police to have been killed
and many others seriously in
jured today when dynamite
explosion in the excavation of the
new 9TH avenue subway caused a
cave-in, which engulfed a surface
car and numerous pedestrians.
The accident occurred shortly
before 8 o'clock. and more than
half of the injured were women
and girls on their way to busi-
ness.
There were seventy-eight pas
sengers on the trolley car, which
dropped fifteen feet into the sub
way excavation when the entire
block on 9TH avenue between 24th
and esth streets collapsed. Al
though the car remained upright,
it was partly buried under an
avalanche of concrete, rails, tim
bers and earth, and many of the
passengers were severely crushed.
Thousands Of persons. on their way
to business In the crowded shopping
section. rushed to the scene Of the
accident. Police roped of the entire
district between 22d and eth streets.
and for half block on either side Of
7th avenue. Persons in houses or
buildings adjacent to the cave-in were
warned to vacate at once. but later
we're allowed to return.
Number Of Injured Probably 100.
After rescuers had worked four hours
In the debris-filied excavation 1t was
announced the number Of injured would
total between s5 and 100. - -
Fire Commissioner Adamson, after a
long search. found Frank Midnight.
the blaster who exploded with cleo
tricity the dynamite charge that caused
the cave-fn. Midnight said he watched
the effect of the blast and saw large
rock hurled against the wooden under
pinning which helped to support the
street and car tracks. This. in turn,
considerable length to give way. he
said, and when the trolley car passed
over the undermined area the cave-in
occurred.
Contradictory statements were given
as to whether the cave-in occurred just
before or at the moment the street car
reached 25th street. A number of per-
sons who witnessed the accident told
District Attorney Perkins they saw
workmen with red flags signal the car
to stop near Gath street. but that the
warning was disregarded. Other per-
sons said no warning had been given
"Great Roar Accompanies Crash.
Persons who were in a large office
building close to where the car went
down said there was a great roar as
the pavement and portions Of the side
walks sank. This was followed mo-
ment later by cries Of the partly en-
tombed passengers and Of pedestrians
who were either thrown into the exca-
walton or knocked down.
Men and women smashed the car
windows with their bare hands in an
effort to escape, eye-witnesses said,
while pedestrians who had been thrown
into the hole struggled to avoid the
falling debris and regain the street
level.
Police reserves were called out. two
fire alarms were turned in and fifteen
ambulances. with thirty surgeons. were
rushed to the scene. The hospital
directly opposite the cavern turned
out.
The cave-in broke water and gas
mains, and within a few minutes after
the accident heavy flows of gas and
water threatened the lives of the one
hundred or more persons In the exca-
vation Prompt work by city employees
in shutting of the flow Of water and
gas in the broken mains put an end
to this danger.
. Rescue Of Dead and Injured.
Fire ladders and ropes were lowered
into the great hole and police and fire.
men began carrying out the dead and in
jured, while contractors employees and
others worked furiously clearing away
the ttmbers and debris that imprisoned
many persons.
Within an hour more than fifty in
jured persons had been removed from
the cave-in. Two Of these, a man and
a woman, died on the way to hospitals,
and surgeons reported another woman
dying A short time later the rescuers
reached the worst part of the wreckage
and the first body was recovered. Po
lice and firemen later reported taking
five dead from the cave-in.
Rescuers found numerous sticks of
dynamite scattered about in the sub
way excavation, and foreman for the
United States Realty and Improvement
Company. contractors on this section of
the subway, said much blasting had
been done this morning between 23d
and 25th streets under 7th avenue.
Alleged Cause Of Disaster.
E. A. Little. general superintendent
for the contractors. said:
THE disaster was due to a small ex-
plosion of dynamite, which caused a
number of street props or snoring in
this section to give way. The charge
which actually caused the accident was
a regulation dynamite charge. and the |
cave-in was not due to any carelessness |
on the part of our employees. Rather. 1t |
was due to the crude. loose formation |
of the dirt which we came across"
Mayor Mitchell drove to the scene Of
the accident early. There he found |
Police Commissioner Woods, Fire Com |
missioner Adamson. officials of other |
city departments. and Edward e. Nc
Call, chairman Of the public service |
After an inspection of the |
cave-in, Mayor Mitchell said there had
been seventy eight persons in the |
wrecked surface car, but that SO far as
he knew only one passenger had been
killed in the car. He added that 1t was
too early to suggest criminal response
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