New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-24
Defective Timbering, and
MOI Blast, Responsible,
Says District Attorney.
CLEARS FOREMAN
WHO FIRED CHARGE
public Service Commission Has
tens to Inspect Other Sections
Undermined by Tube Work.


no-,inr was the decision Of District
Attorney Perkins yesterday. He had
,.e much sought blast foreman. Au-
rs.,us Mezzarotte. also called Mid
night" before him for an hour, and
,ner hearing his version Of the affair
dismissed him. convinced that he was
in no way oulpsble.
Az the same time he dismissed the
anton that the blast was the funda-
mental cause Of the catastrophe. He
had ample testimony from many wit
,esses. he said. that the shock which
started the defective snoring going TO
r;ecss was Of only ordinary force.
Even 4 the blast had been too
bsovv il could not az most have dam
AGED more than fifty feet Of the tim
herring" he said. But here. after an
ordinary blast. we have 400 feet f it
eollspsine 10 would be just as SEN
sbe for me 20 have this blast fore
nan arrested ss 1t would be arrest me
for going up and looking at the wreck
age"
The shock Of the accident jolted the
Public Service Commission yesterday
INTO feverish activity along the line
Of inspecting temporary street under
pinning Ia subway construction
throughout the city. AS II not sure as
20 the safety Of the work under the
commissions control. practically the
whole inspection force was ordered to
Get busy.
Literary Force at Work.
In addition 70 this the commissions
literary force was put TO work issuing
statements. one Of which was in the
nature Of & defence Of the "cut and
cover" method Of work, of which the
section that caved in was one form.
No one came out yesterday with a
definite statement Of opinion as 70
Just the nature Of the fault in the
skorng method used, although many
engineers who looked over the situa-
ton pointed out privately what they
believed were faults. Senator Thomp-
son. chairman Of the legislative
committee investigating public service
commissions, received statement from
prominent engineer setting forth
hat the underpinning was plainly de-
fcient despite which the Public Ser
ice Commission engineers had ap-
proved it.
Senator Thompson called Commits
sioner Hayward into conference to get
an idea o. the commissions place IN
The situation He said afterward that
many persons had brought facts 20 his
sitention and urged him TO start an
investigation, but that he would wait
until he saw what was being done.
One great defect in the method en-
poyed. according 20 a report made TO
the Public Service Commission, was
that the cross frames we're bound to-
gether longitudinally throughout the
length Of the cave-in. so that when one
portion went. all the others were pulled
down in turn after it, In mines the
practice is 20 bind the frames to-
gether in separate groups.
Bound by Trolley Rails.
Robert Ridgway, engineer in charge
Of subway construction for the com
mission. also pointed out that the sur
face car lines on top of the snoring,
consisting Of steel rails in a concrete
bed. bound together with steel, really
constituted a binding that held the
whole section together, and that II one
part went, IL by its weight and tensile
strength would pull the others down:
l. II. nF
blasting. gave District Attorney Per-
sins detailed and graphic description
o. just what happened. He is forty
I'VE years old and lives with his wife
and six children at 6 Jones Street. lie
tss been al the blasting business ten
years, and said he aever before had
mad an accident.
Il got 70 the work az o'clock with
gang OF six drill runners, a powder
nonkey and q nipper," he said. 81 went
10 the magazine az Twenty-third Street
and Seventh Avenue and got twenty
I'VE nlne-Ounce sticks Of 40 per cent
eynamite We loaded three blasts be-
e firing any.
The first blast was Of one hole. in
Nnleh ! put three-quarters OF stick
oi dynamite. This was set off at 1850
oelock. II was on the floor of the ex-
eaystion.
The second blast, which was the one
Just before the cave-in, consisted OF
our holes az different angles within
pace Of twelve feet on the bench,
'out four feet back fSom the face "
70 cut. The holes were nine feet deep,
"a IN each hole | placed three nine
'anee sticks OF dynamite"
Third Blast Not Fired.
Did you cover the place TO prevent
ntsgments Of rock from fying?" the
instruct Attorney asked.
., No,'it Is not customary in the case
suen deep holes" he said. 1--WE only
over IN case Of shallow holes. The
Ho oiast. (Which was never set of, but
soaded, contained two holes, in
lsh placed three and three-fourth
s'o@s. After all were loaded ] told
e powder monkey TO take the remain
,ag I'VE pounds and the detonators back
me magazine
Inc hrst blast was fired and moth
ungSual happened. Then we got
oy ior the second ] sent a man
-o~h tne excavation 20 warn all work
% h out and then went TO the street
lh the rest OF the gang. sent the
s~neer monkey 10 the batteries at the
'neast corner OF Twenty-ffth Street
~ ~ seventh Avenue. | stood about fif-
sh ieet south Of him. and sent the
s nd h'e men out with flags 20 warn
sanse, which we always stop about one
nnoreo feet each side Of a blast.
=. saw the car coming and motioned
omoerto Girardi 20 stop il. The
vi came right up TO him and stopped"
continued on page 4. column /