The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-07
MARVELLOUS ESCAPE.

Four Men Overtaken by Water and
Drifting Ice in a Water Tunnel-Hcroic
Struggling for Lifc-The Half-FrOzen
Men Saved by an Accident.
LoCKPORT. N Y, Feb. 4, 1873.
Four men. in the employ Of the Richmond Manu-
featuring Company, OF this city, had terrific
struggle for life In tunnel which carries water
from the Holly Tunnel to furnish motive power for
the mandatory on Sunday night. They had
been sent into the tunnel to clean it out there be-
ing large accumulation Of debris, which OBJ.
structed the passage Of water to the wheels.
man was stationed at the food gate of the tunnel
to keep the drift ice in the canal from damming up
and flooding the tunnel The man left his post in
Q short time, thinking that there was so little drift
running that there would be no danger, and went
home to bed
About eight O'Clock the workmen in the tunnel
heard q terrible roaring, as of water rushing
through the tunnel, and in few minutes beheld,
by the light OF lantern held by one Of them, o
huge wall Of drift ice and water sweeping towards
them. They were horror-stricken at the thought
of the possible fate that awaited them, they had
no way to escape from the Hood except in the
direction from whichit was rushing. There was no
time to be lost as the water gradually rising,
surrounding them at first waist-deep. They
e. once commenced a na making their no, way
entered from above by ladder, through an
opening. The man with the lantern led the way,
ana by us ntIul CLEANS Cuey managed 10 aVO1u the
larger cakes Of ice in the way for some time. About
half way to the entrance, however, the lantern
was extinguished by the surging water. and they
were in the deepest darkness. The roar Of the
water through the contracted channel and the
cracking OF the ice against the sides Of the tunnel
is described as having been fearful beyond descrip-
ton. The nearer the struggling men got to the
end Of the tunnel the deeper the water grew until
they could no longer wade, and were compelled to
swim. They were bruised and torn by the jagged
ice, and chilled to the bone. But escape could
only be made by struggling on against the icy tide.
After nearly an hours exertiOn they arrived at
the place in the passage where the ladder led to
the surface, but, to the horror OF the suffering
laborers 1t was gone, evidently swept away by the
food. Here was most unexpected and dsheart-
ening dilemma. Their only hope of escaping death
by drowning was now that the waters might lower;
but before that event, II probable, death by freez-
ing surely awaited them. The Shiny walls OF the tun-
mel rang with their vain cries for help. There was no
answer but the hooking echoes. In this fearful d.
lemma one Of the men, named Henry Steiner, while
clngng to jutting rock on one side OF the tunnel,
brought his hand in contact with something also
held by the rock. Grasping hold Of II, he found to
his JOY that it was the ladder lodged against the
rock. The announcement Of this discovery was
received with joyful shout by the half-frozen
men, and the ladder was released from its position
and soon thrust upward into the opening In a
very lew minutes the men were out OF the noisy
passage which they had all expected to become to
them watery grave.