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

each section independent OF the otner
the accident is more ineXplicable than
ever"
Mr.. Little also explained the section
of the subway where the accident oc-
CURED was in such a finished state that
they were ready to put in the steel CIR
ders and final construction yesterday.
In the absence Of President Wilson
s. Kinrear who is travelling from the
West as fast as trains can carry him,
no statement was issued at the head
quarters of the United States Realty
and Improvement Company, Ill Broad
way. The other officers are Henry 5.
Black. chairman; William A Merriman,
vice-pres dent Richard J. Barbage, sec
rotary. and Byron VI. Fellows, treas
urer.
Mr.. Kinnear is expected to arrive
here this noon, his secretary, Mr.. San
ford said, and probably will make
statement for the company as soon as
he assemblies the investigation data
gathered by his engineers.
"Just Happened" Secretary Says.
at Just happened, that's all we know
down here" said Mr.. Sanford eve use
the same snoring and false work con-
struction In the subway work in Sew
enth Avenue we are using in Broadway
from Twenty-sixth to Thirty eighth
street. Public Service Commission en-
gineers and inspectors have been run
ming in and out Of our excavations for
months, never uttering word of crlti-
cism Of the snoring. I'm sure the
company took every precaution to pre-
vent just such an accident as has hap
pened, and yet it looks as though the
supports were so arranged that one col
lapsing brought down all the others"
Chairman Mccall had little to say
about the accident. Commissioner
Cram has been put in charge of our
soon as we heard of the cave-in," he
said. "Any statement that might make
now would be only guesswork. There
will be an examination of witnesses
and thorough investigation"
District Attorney Perkins and several
members of his staff were at the hole
in Seventh Avenue all day. On his re-
turn to his Office last night Mr.. Perkins
gave out a statement reviewing the
construction of the subway and details
OF the accident
According to his investigation one
blast could not have blown out all the
snoring. 1t was evident, he said, that
one portion of the snoring went down,
and since there were transverse braces,
this part carried the remainder with it.
Expert to Aid Mr.. Perkins.
Mr.. Perkins will secure the services
Of an expert engineer to-day who will
investigate the circumstances leading
up to the accident and upon whose re-
port the question of action for criminal
negligence will be determined
Mr.. Perkins and Deputy District At
torney Toilette corroborated the state
ment Of Motorman John Mayne that
the emergency brake on the trolley
car had been set and that the car had
stopped two minutes before it went
down into the excavation. Mr.. Toilette
examined several witnesses with Coro-
ner Israel Feinberg in the West Tween
tieth Street police station. "In my
opinion. the accident was not caused
by a premature explosion Of dyna-
mite" said Mr.. Toilette.
Coroner Feinberg did not doubt that
constant blasting had weakened the
snoring. If such were the case. he
said that the chief engineer OF the
Public Service Commission and the
engineer of the construction company
were responsible, as il was their duty
10 see that the snoring was strong
enough to stand any stress placed
upon it..
81 have been expecting an accident
like this for long time" the Coroner
said. 81 will make a rigid investiga-
ton to ascertain the esponslbihty."
Believes Blasts Not Excessive.
Fire Commissioner Robert AdamSon
said that the investigation carried on
by John J. Healy, chief Of the Bureau
Of Combustibles, and Deputy Chief Ed
win s. Coy, OF the Bureau of Fire Pre-
vention. had convinced him that the
blasts fired just before the cavern
were not excessive.
I've have ascertained nothing posi-
lively" Mr.. Adamson said, but all our
evidence tends to this theory Mr..
Healy formerly was superintendent of
blasting for the Department of Water
Supply, and Deputy Chief Coy is an
engineer familiar with problems of
construction.
Here are their reasons for believ
ing that the blasts were not excessive:
"First-Not a window was broken in
any of the buildings in the Immediate
vicinity.
"Second-None of the timbers we're
torn or splintered.
Third -The rock broken loose By
the blasts was found in large chunks.
some as big as a desk. An excessive
blast would break the rock in smaller
bits
Fourth A piece Of fire hose that
hung right over the spot where the
blast WAS fired shows no signs OF
terrific explosion. Furthermore. the
appearance of the debris bears out this
theory. II was an orderly collapse
the street looked as though it had gone
down fatty in one continuous drop.
Deputy Chief Coy tells me that, in
his opinion, the collapse of timber
would have extended for a mile. or at
least as far back as this particular sec
ton OF the subway runs, II IT had not
been for the steel construction brought
up to Twenty-third Street. He thinks