Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-07-22
CAIssoN CASUALTY.
SHOCKING TUNNEL DISASTER.

LATER AND WORSE.
NEW YORK, July 21.-The shocking disaster
occurred at half-past five this morning. Twen-
ty-two men lost their lives, while eight had an
almost miraculous escape. The night gang OF
thirty men, including assistant superintendent
Edward and two fremen, entered the shaft at
midnight, the hours of work for this gang
being from i2 to 8. The depth OF the shaft Is
65 feet, and while most of the men were en-
ployed at the bottom of the shaft, about one
third of the gang was engaged on the brick
wall of the arch 25 feet higher. 1t was the lat
ter squad, ell brick layers, that escaped, ex-
cept two.
HOW IT OCCURRED.
The main out of the tunnel runs out from
the shaft a distance Of about thirty feet, when
it opens in two distinct arches that are to
form the tunnel Through some negligence OF
the men it is supposed the air lock was not
properly adjusted. When the process OF shift
ing commenced the brick wall connecting the
two arches gave way and the water rusneo into
the cave. Following is
LIST OF CASUALTIES:
Peter Woodward, assistant superintendent.
Frank Alesaon, foreman.
Thomas Burus, foreman.
A. Erickson, U. Anderson,
Peter Feisher, Frank Bark, Hoboken.
Patrick Kinnin. Mat McCarthy,
Charles Nelson, Patrick brouerick,
VIM. f. Bagley, Otto Besseiln,
Andrew jacobson, john Johnson,
Rrvon Sheridan Patrick Collins,
Charles Souepson, Mike Broderick.
In addition to these, three men whose names
are not known, are missing. Officials say they
must have persisted. All whose names are CIV
en- resided in Jersey City, except Bark. He
resided in Hoboken. The superintendent thinks
the air in the tunnel must have escaped. He
has put gang of 100 men to work, These
will make new passage to the tunnel. They
are not expected to accomplish the task in less
than three days.
OFFICIAL REPORT.
The following is the official report Of the
Hudson river tunnel company through engin-
GERS Spellman and Brush: This morning
about 4:90 o'clock while the men were changing
shifts that portion Of the iron roof adjoining
the shaft of connecting chambers between the
two tunnels and the sinking shaft, fell in;
twenty-eight men were in the tunnel at the
time, of whom eight escaped through the air
lock and twenty were killed. The accident
occurred at the connection Of the iron plates
with the brick wall of the working shaft, which,
during the changing Of shifts was probably
not watched by the men as
closely as it should have been, and
compressed air was claimed to escape.
The compressed air is relied upon to assist in
supporting the roof which was also sustained
by strong timber bracing, and the escape of
air has always been prevented by stopping any
leak with waste silk. As the roof fell the
plate closed the door of the air lock into the
tunnel and the water rising rapidly cut of es-
CAPE Work will be prosecuted night Gnd day
with all the men that can be advantageous ly
employed until the bodies are recovered, which
probably will take about three days. The &C.
cident will probably stop the work for three
weeks.
STORY or A SURVIVOR.
The following statement is made by one of
the men who escaped. After eight men had
escaped one man, in trying to pass through the
door leading from the air lock into the tempo
rary chamber of the tunnel, was jammed in
the doorway, and despite the efforts of those
ahead could not be brought out, as the door
closed upon him and had him fast. Peter
Woodland, the assistant superintendent, told
the men to try and get out, and when the
ninth man was fastened in the doorway, called
out to those who had escaped, telling them to
hurry and get assistance for the rest and HIM
self who were left behind. He refused to leave
himself saying he would stay and make every
effort to get the rest out and il it were not
possible, then those escaping must try and get
the rest and himself out alive. The following
lisa
COMPLETE LIST OF THE SAVED:
Thomas Brader, b. McGovern, a. J. Moline,
Thos. Cummings, Christ Hansen, ]. Van
Nostrand, John Doyle, James Hayes. Almost
all reside in Jersey City.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
The Evening Post has the following account
of the disaster: There are about 100 men at
work on the tunnel, divided into shifts of from
40 to 40 men each. shift is sub divided
into two gangs. They work continuously day
and night on the tunnel, each shift working
eight hours At the time the accident hap
pened the morning watch had just gone
into the tunnel, and the other gang was coming
out, Eight men were in the air lock,
and when they heard the dash of water they
hastened out of the chamber, but SO quick q dld
the water come in that the cage was partly hlled
with water before they even could open the
door and get into the shaft, and they ran up
the ladder leading to the bottom shaft and
escaped. The escape of one OF the eight,
named Moline, is not absolutely certain, as he
has not been seen by the officers of the COM
pany. The shafts are handled at IN the
morning in the afternoon and II midnight
The men take meat at 4 80 in the morning, and
they were just coming out for the meat when
the disaster occurred.
The tunnel has been extended out about 300
feet from the working shaft. The accident
occurred close to the working shaft. There is
space of about thirty feet from the working
shaft to the new in-tunnel where the per-
manent work is being built. This slopes
toward the river. and has hitherto been pro-
tected by temporary filling. Workmen have
been engaged for several days replacing this
temporary packing with permanent works The
placed in position, and the men
were working their way downward
through the silt and debris, pntting in iron
plates at the sides. 1t is supposed that some
of these plates which were placed next the
brick wall of the morning shift were not
placed close enough to confne the. condensed air
supplied to the men working in the shaft by
the engine on the surface. This compressed
air worked its way out, turning the plates out
backward and allowing the water to flow into
the tunnel. 1t was not water directly from
the river that flowed ip, as the place where the
break occur I'd S ato1t fifty feet from
the bulkhead, but the ground is filed in AID
was much loosened and broken up by the ex.
cavation fo~working the shaft. The ground
is filled with water, and, as current was ere
ated, water from the river rushed in through
~, At,nn el and