Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-09-22
PRECIPlTATED u.
INTO A TRENCH
Two Hundred Persons En-
gulphed by 'Cave-in of
New York Subway.
CAR IS CARRIED DOWN
People. Hurled From Sidewalks
Tumble Into Great Gap Police
Forced to Club Back Crowds.

( New York. September 22-SiX per
sons were reported by the police t
have been killed and many other
seriously injured today when dy
! Mantle explosion in the excavation
Of the new 7th avenue subway caus
ed a cave-in which engulfed a sur
face car and numerous pedestrians
New York, Sept. 22-Two hundred
persons were dropped thirty feet lntt
Il great gap in Seventh avenue toda!
when the new subway, under con
.truction, caved in for an entire BLOCK
between Twenty-third and Twenty.
fourth streets, carrying down crowd
ed Seventh avenue surface car. which
was flattened out like mushroom
Estimates of the dead and lnjur.
ed were wildly at variance, on ac'
count of the great confusion ana
ranged anywhere from one dead u
twenty five. Those rescued from tine
pit were hurried away in ambulance>
or taken into neighboring building:
so that the police could not get col
lective figures at once.
A big brewery truck went down IT.
the crash. Many persons were hurled
from the sidewalk, tumbling into th'
great trench, and everyone who was:
n the street itself was engulfed.
The street car was jammed witt:
persons en- route to work. Perhaps
raf the passengers were wolned AZ
$3.50 the police said that there were
Two known dead and six reported
dead"
Enormous crowds of persons en-.
route down town to work collected IL
surrounding streets, but the police
threw up barriers as quickly as pos
s;ble. Another section of the new
subway, half block from the 'por-
ton that collapsed, began to settle
as the crowd gathered. The police
rushed the big throng with their clubs
aad drove them out of danger.
The street car slid into the gap and
completely latened out. Women or
the rear platform gave wild screams
and then disappeared in great
cloud of dust. The cars fall was part.
ly broken by the timbers of the ne"
subway which held it for severa
seconds at it settled and then gave
way. dropping the car to the bottom
IF the tube with dull roar tnat was
heard for blocks.
Hundreds of persons rushed from
adjoining buildings in panic as the
street gave way. Great clouds of dust
rolled up and obsecured sight of the
great trench. spreading from one
sidewalk to the other, and in the first
! j ush many of these tumbled into the
pit.
{, Others made mad dash to the rea'
lof the buildings fronting the hole
fearing that they were about to col
Ilapse.
!! The cave-in after the accident look
Fed like a great hole into which tim
hers had been thrown in utter con
illusion. The whole underground work
|ing had been braced with eight-by
eight timbers and cross-pieces which
Ie.ve the whole cave-in the appea
E1ance of debris.
=, One water main broke and a small
/, stream made little pond in one par
Of the cave in, but emergency mel
were soon on hand to prevent tn
threatened food.
Fire companies for several mile
around in the downtown section
were on the scene of the acciden
within a few minutes. They threy
ladders down the steep sides of tn
cave in and carried women passen
gers. many of whom had tainted, t
the street. Several persons were hal
! buried by the collapse and had to b
Gug out with shovels.
New York, Sept. 22-Three uniden
tilted bodies Of victims and one ideu
rifed body were taken to the Wes
Twentieth street police station a
1855 o'clock. -
i The woman victim was about sixt