The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-03
FIRST EDITION
The East River Bridge Fire,
A Novel Jail Delivery.
ETC., Etc.. Etc.. ETC.. Etc.
THE EAST RIVER BRIDGE FIRE.

The wsrk Probably DELAYED for Years-Fall
PssticnIsrs of the Firo-FleodinE the Sab
aaueeus vault.
The are in The eaisson of the East River bridge
was briefly reported last evening by telegraph The
hvening Post has the following PARTICULARS
ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
1t appears that early last evening the workmen
discovered the smell Of gas, and about O'Clock
found hre smouldering In one OF the apartments
This they endesvored to exti1euish by forcing in
steam instead Of water, SO as not to interrupt the
work OF EXCAVATION.
THE PLANES
were Thought 70 be extinguished, and the men con-
tinueo their All night the regular relief
having come on ut midnight. The smell Of burning
no mateTal Increased as morning approached, ard AZ
soon % the situation of the 1re was discovered q
secons effort was made to extnguish 1t, but this
proved futile, and the names soon gave evidence OF
obtaining the mastery.
DESPERATE EFFORTS TO SAVE THE STRUCTURE.
The work OF blasting and excavation at once
ceased, and the men applied every effort to save
labor IL became painfully evident that the task
was in vain, and orders were issued to call for as
sistanee.
was ruBg the ere bells and soon the steamers OF
the fire department. were on the Sroun1 The work
face in safety. A messenger was also sent at the
time fer the nTe-boat John Fuller, OF the New
York Fire Department., which at once steamed to
Hose was stretched at quarter before 10 o'clock,
and water brought 10 bear on the flames: the hrs
nothing could the caisson from total destruc-
tion except 10 no0d 1t and drown out the fire.
THE LOSS.
At noon an immense quantity OF water had been
poured into the vault but the fire was still burning;
and, as it was simply matter OF impossibllity for
any person to descend the shaft, the actual condi
OF the interior could net then be ascertained
1t is almost certain that it will have to be taken up
from the pecuniary less, will prove public calamity
and delay for years work the completion OF which
m its entirety is many years distant at best.
DESCRIPTION OF TRB CAIssoN
Some idea OF the appearance OF the interior OF
the eaisson previous to the fire may be gained the
reader imagDes a 17o feet long, Ss feet broad,
without Inconvenience. The sides OF this huge box
are wedge,shaped and vary In thickness, from eight
at the bottom. This shape is OF course adopted to
facilitate its total suomersion- The roof has at
press mt q Uniform thickness OF five feet.
The whele chamber is constructed Of solid blocks
OF OAK and yellow pine timber twelve inches square,
been carefully caulked with vegetable tar. TO make
the walls yet more secured a sheathng OF iin en-
closed In felt is inserted between the TWO outside
As the caisson gradually sinks beneath the water,
courses OF timber are laid upon the roof, and when
these wooden walls have attained an altitude OF
twenty feet the vacuum was to be illed with con-
crete, and upon this mass the foundation OF the
Through the rooi OF the csisson six shsfts made OF
boiler plates, communicate with the upper air. Two
Of these are the excavatlng shafts, which are
rectangular in shape and seven feet in diameter.
The TWO supply shafts or pipes through which the
wUrkmen gain access to the chamber beneath are
fOrty-hve inches in diameter and are circular in
FORM Finally, the two air shafts, which are also
circular in FORM twentyone inches in diameter.
Force pumns OF great power supply the chamber
with air through these tubes, and the atmospheric
pressureEalso excludes the water, and enables the
workmen to descend to the bottom OF the river.
The caisson cost about 100000.
FOUR FIRES IN THE oAIssoN.
This is not the Rrst occurrence OF the kind Three
have previously occurred within the last month
The compressed air within the cavity OF the caisson
renders every in1ammaole substance especially so
The huge beams In the roof OF the caisson ore
caulked with tarred oakum. Gas is generally used
for lighting the interiOr, but at times when moi
obtainabe, talloW candles are used. The proximity
OF a candle name to this oakum, snder the innu
enee Of compressed air, has each time been tnt
cause Of its speedy ignition. These fires, however
were soon discovered and the flames easily extin
gpished by water.
On one occasion the cavity was ned with steam
which had al equally effective result.
CONDITION OF TEE WORK.
The caissOn Is now sunk thirJy-siX feet below tn,
bed Of the river which is ALL that is thought neces
sary. 1t has six chambers. Part OF these are com
pletely cleared, and the work Of laying stone col
INNS, four feet apart, TO the roof 10 In progress
there. The rest OF the space Is to be filed witt
sOd concrete. The remaining chambers have stll
earth sBd rock upon their flooring which require
removal Seven tiers OF granite blocks, each thirt
inches thick, and weighing sixty thousand tons
have been laid upon the sunken WOODWORK.