The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-08-18

4
mcnt among the Cttizens---The
whole Male Population of the City
turns out TO Assist I'm ExtricatfnS
the Body.
CONCORD, August ia most distress
ing accident occurred in this city yesterday
afternoon. George A. Dow, of the firm of
Dow, Kennedy & Co., well-known master
masons, was engaged with two or more men
in digging well on the premises of Colo
mel George Fl. Hutchins, On Merrimac
street. Up to noon everything had gone on
| well. The workmen had reached depth
of about thirty weight feet. As far as the
shaft descended the plank curbing was put
| in by Mr.. Dow in person. His wife asked
him in the morning if he did not consider
| it dangerous undertaking. He answered
Yes, somewhat, but have no fears, for |
shall build all the curbing myself"
At the time of the accident, which oc-
Cured about quarter-past o'clock, Mr..
Dow was at the bottom of the well at work
upon the curbing. His assistants were at
the top letting down lumber and tools. As
| the clock struck 3 he sang out pleasantly to
the men above: Three o'clock, and ALPS
we'll we are getting along nicely" These
h.
Soon afterwards there was n rumbling in
the bottom of the well and the men looked
down and saw that the bottom was one con-
fused mass of broken curbing and Garth.
AZ the rumbiing sound commenced they
heard MIR. Dow's voice, but could not dis
tinguish his words.
The alarm was at once given, and hun
dreds rushed to the spot. Mr.. Lyman r..
Fellows, with his gang of men, who were
engaged on the sewerage work on Main
street, were promptly on the spot, and Mr..
Fellows directed affairs until the arrival of
Captain A. B. Holt, who assumed the charge
| Mt the request of all present. At first it
was attempted to lower man with bucket
| and windlass to commence exhuming at the
| bottom. A Mr.. Patch was the first to get
| into the bucket; but he had not been more
than half way let down when another cavng
began, and it was found that his life was
| not safe in the we'll.
| Part Of the crowd then commenced dig
ding away the surface Of the ground near
| the top of the well, and others began the
construction of new curbing, to be let down
inside of that which remained whole. The
work was prosecuted with all the rapidity
and earncstness that hundreds Of strong
men from all classes of society were capa-
bic of exhibiting. at o'clock the first
piece Of new curbing, fifteen feet in length,
was successfully let down. Other pieces
were got in with considerable difficulty. At
about 3 o'clock this morning, after nearly
twelve hours of unremitting and dangerous
labor, the body of Mr.. DIV was dis
covered at the depth Of some thirty-four
feet. He was in an upright position and
| lifelcss. The question then arose as to how
the remains could be cxtricated. The men
| had reached the bottom Of the lowest sec
ton of curbing, and as each piece excepting
the first two had to be smaller than the one
preceding, it was evident that still another
section would have to be much more con-
tractcd. The work was then pronounced
very dangerous by engineers, who said that
another caving was likely to occur ut that
time, and which would inevitably carry
death to all in the shaft. Still, brave men,
whose heroic deeds will long be remembered,
came forward and calmly volunteered to 90
| to the bottom and relieve those there whose
| hcrculean labors had almost exhausted
them. A large crowd Of people were still
collected, representing all classes of citi-
coffee and refreshments. a rope was placed
| at Il suitable distance from the well to keep
back the eager crowd, whose pressure upon
the earth was likely to induce another
caving. Just outside Of the rope stood re-
| licfs Of strong mcn--tcn times as many as
could possibly be wanted under any circum-
stanccs--all anxious to join in the work.
The vicinity of the well was brilliantly
lighted up with lamps, while lanterns were
| thickly hung in the trees near by. In all
directions the houses we're lighted, showing
that the people could not sleep under the
excitement of the occasion. All night long
heavy teams were rafting to and from the
spot, carrying away gravel and bringing
back lumber and tools. The scene was a
sud and painful one, whose impression will
not soon he forgotten. The next step to-
wards recovering the body was to construct
another section of cmbing, which could be
only two feet square. This was let to the
bottom, directly over the remains, so as
to inclosc them as it settled. Then COM
menced the toilsomc and difficult labor OF
removing the earth from the body. Only
| one man at time could work inside of tue
cuibing, and the dirt had to be removed
with trowel. 1t was o'clock this morn
ing before the remains could be drawn up.
| The head was pressed against one side OF
the well, and death by suTocation and COM
preston must have been sudden. One hand
was placed on the top of the head and q
hammer was grasped in the other. Physi-
clans were on the spot, who were unani-
nous in pronouncing life to be extinct.
/