New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-23

tho blast loosened the snoring ana
started the entire structure crashing
down until the stronger steel construc-
,ion checked the force of the collapse
"Tbe thing we are most intereste1
+, IL IN find out whether this kind OF
snoring. approved by the Public ser,
vice Commission engineers and useu
generally by contractors, IS strong
enouoh 10 withstand the STRAIN OF con-
slant blasting. In view OF the serious
ness Of this accident IL is time 10 TAKE
some action relative to other subway
construction now under way. Inc flre
Department has jurisdiction only over
tho dynamite used in blasting, Dut
something should be done relative 10
insnection of the street foundations.
According 10 Commissioner Adamson'
the United States Realty Company mas
a hermit to keep 100 pounds OF dyna-
mite in a magazine on the pavement
near Twenty third Street he mas as.
certained that there was only my
pounds Of the explosive in the maya
zine Yesterday morning when thItty
five sticks were taken out TOT DiaS''hs'
Sixteen Sticks Used In Blast.
I've have found twelve sticks, he
continued "and | understand that SIX
teen were used in the blasts, including
one blast that was not hred. nav
leaves seven sticks unaccounted TOT;
probably they are buried beneath the
fallen timber. am told, however, tnat
there Is little danger OF stray SUCKS
being exploded"
Six fire alarm wires were carried
down with the debris, putting forty
four boxes out OF commission from
7.55 until 9:03 o'clock. Commissioners
Adamson had his men at work all the
afternoon and evening interviewing
eve-witnesses OF the accident and gain
cring evidence from persons involved
Ue expects TO continue the investlga
tion to-day. .,
Robert f. Livingston, OF the Consoli o.
dated Gas Company, issued a statemen
last night intended to show /at IL
Eliminating gas was In no way respoh-
sible for the accident.
"The large mains in that neighoor-
hood were disconnected at the time the
subway's construction was begun, ne
saws. land we were using eight-inch
mains laid on the street in the cutters
Not since the starting Of the subway
construction has any gas been con
viewed through the large buried mains
Owing to the fact that d. Maher, one
of the gas companys foremen, was
standing at the corner Of Twenty-third
Street when the cave-in occurred, an
emergency crew had shoppers IN the
disconnected gas pipes ten minutes ar
ter the street fell in"
Representatives OF the Department
Of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity
had shut off the high pressure hre SER
vice mains eight minutes after the ac-
cident happened. Ordinary water
mains were shut of by the subway
Contractors. Commissioner Williams
arranged to have temporary service IN
stalled for the residents in the block
cut off from water. Through the use
OF adjoining mains the high pressure
service was ready for use within an
hour.
1--WE are interested primarily in the
cars" said Frank Hadley, vice,presl-
dent and general manager OF the In
terborough Rapid Transit Company
"How often have you been riding IN
streetcar and have heard blast be-
meath il? In this case, II the motor
man had got the signal he would nave
STAYED out Of the block. have heard
that there was no effort made to warn
the motorman."
Henry D. Sayer, secretary Of the
State Industrial Commission, Madl-
son Avenue, said last night that the
commission had begun an investigation
acting under authority Of the law
which relates to blasts.