New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-18
Col. Hayward Hints That
Short Circuit Was Due
to WOrkman'S Drill.
CHARGES INTERBORO
"PASSED THE BUCK"
Williams Denies Stories Told by
Employer Putting Blame
on Constructor.

Was the burning out Of the cables at
the Fifiy-tnird Street splicing chamber
in the subway, which resulted in the
death OF a woman and the partial suf-
location of several hundred persons on
January s, indirectly due 10 the pierre
ing OF a cable by workmcn on the
/ I ines Square connection between the
old and the new subways?
If such were the case, did the cnGi-
ncers Of tho Public Service Commis
sion know anything about it. and had
any attempts been made on the part Of
anybody to conceal il?
These were questions brought up by
William Hayward, counsel for the leg
;slstivc Public Service committee. when
Commissioner 6. V. S. Williams was on
the stand Mt the public bearing in the
City Hall yesterday.
Mr.. Hayward did not attempt an
answer. Commissioner Williams, after
consulting with the engineers and other
members Of the commission. expressed
the belief that no cables had been in
iured b. the workmen at that point.
Stories Of Tube Break.
II seems that Commissioner Williams
never had heard of the stories of two
former employees OF the Holbrook,
Cabot & Rollins Corporation told to
Deputy Assistant District Attorney,
Breckenridge in his investigation of
the subway fire. The concern has the
contract for the work which runs from
midway between Forty-second and
Forty-third Streets to Forty fth
Street. The stories were those of for
mer employees of the company, who told
Of drill suddenly going through soft
material, becoming heated and then
surrounded by small blue fame.
They were not told at the time to the
superintendent on the job, il seems.
nor to the engineers of the Public Ser
vice Commission
ASIDE from the purposes Of the leeis-
lstlve investigation there is tremendous
importance for the Holbrook corpora.
ton and the Interborough Rapid Tran
SIT Company in the problem if the
latter should be able to shoy that III.
contractors were indirectly responsi-
bic Tor the Fifty-third Street fire. The
contractors have given 10 the Interior
ough bond of $500, 1000 to protect IN.
operating company from any loss in
Cured in their train operation throueb
any fault of the workers. II The tran
sit company could prove the contrse-
tors responsible for the fire they might
hold them for whatever damages mich,
be assessed in suits.
The lntcrborough officials were anx-
ious to build this connection themselves
through the Rapid Transit Construc-
tion Company, the bid of which was
considerably above the lowest. Th,v
laid much stress on the great danger
of operating trains at this point while
work was going on, and insisted that
they should have control of the con-
struction. Then the Public Service
Commission let the contract to the low
est bidder. and the courts upheld them
as against the Interborough in that ac-
ton.
Time Figures in Accident.
The incident related by the employees
of the contracting company occurred
between Z and s o'clock, they say, on
the morning OF January 6. The big
blowout and fire occurred just about 8
o'clock, as registered by the log of the
Continued on page 8. column I