American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01
Struggle for Life.

A LOckport, n. Y, letter to the New
York Herald thus graphically describes Il
struggle for life in that city:
Four men in the employ of the Rich
moGd Manufacturing Company, of this
city, had a terrific struggle for life in a
tunnel which carries water from the Holly
Tunnel to furnish the motive power for
the manufactory. on Sunday night. They
had been sent into the tunnel to clean it
out, there being Il large accumulation of
debris, which INSTRUCTED the passage of
water to the wheels. A man was sta
toned at the flood gate of the tunnel to
keep the drift ice i'm the canal from dam
ming up and flooding the tunnel. The
man left his post in a 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 a terrible roaring, rs of wa
ter rushing through the tunnel, and in
few minutes beheld, by the light of a Ian
drift ice and water sweeping towards
them. They were hOrrOr-stricken at the
thought of the possible fate that awaited
them, as they had no way to escape from
the flood except in the direction from
which it was rushing. There was no
time to be lost, as the water was gradual
iy rising, surrounding them at first waist
deep. They at once commenced making
their way back to the entrace. The trln-
mel is entered from above by ladder,
through an opening. The man with the
lantern led the way, and by its fitful
CLEANS they managed to avoid the larger
cakes of ice in the way for some time.
About half way to the entrance, however,
the lantern was eXtinguished by the surg
ing 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
description. The nearer the struggling
men got to the end of the tunnel the deep
er the water grew, until they coul 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 strug-
Cling on against the icy tide.
After nearly an hours exertion they ar
| rived at the place in the passage where
| the ladder led to the ulface, but, to the
horror of the suffering labOrers, it was
gone, evidently swept away by the flood.
Here was most unexpected and disheart-
ening dilemma. Their only hope of es-
Gaping death by drowning was now that
| the waters might lower; but before that
event, if probable, death by freezing sure
| ly awaited them. The Shiny walls OF the
| tunnel rang with their vain cries for help.
There was no answer but the hooking
echoes. In this fearful dilemma one OF
| the men, named Henry Steiner, while
clinging to jutting rock on one side of
the tunnel, brought his hand in contact
with sonnet hing also held by the rock.
Grasping hold of it, he found to his joy
that it was the ladder lodged against the
rock. The announcement of this discOv-
cry 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 Il very few
minutes the men were out of the noisy
passage, which they had all expected to
| become to them a watery grave.