The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-07-22
BURIED ALIVE.
Sad Accident in the Hudson River
Tunnel.
TWENTY-FIVE WORKMEN LOSE
THEIR LIVES.

TWENTY TWO WORKMEN LOSE
THEIR LIVES.
NEW YORK, July 21.-This morning the Gals
son surrounding the deep well leading to the
entrance of the Hudson river tunnel at the
foot of 10th street, Jersey City, caved in, car
rying with it an immense quantity of earth.
Twenty-one men We're buried Seven have
! been taken out alive and fourteen remained
| underneath Water from the river flowed in
rapidly and steam fire engine was set to work
| to save If possible those who might still be
| alive from drowning. The workmen residing
in the vicinity of the tunnel and very large
and excited crowd soon congregated.
[sEcoND DISPATCH.
| Twenty-Five men lost their lives in the
! Hudson river tunnel at Jersey CITY this morn
ing, while eight had an almost miraculous
| cape. The night gang of thirty men, includ-
| ing assistant SuperintendentsWo odward and
| two firemen entered the shaft at midnight to
| work. The depth of the shaft is sixty.five
feet While most of the men were employed
| at the bottom of the shaft third of the gang
| We're engaged on the brick walls of the arch
| twenty-five feet higher. 1t was the latter
| squad, who were all bricklayers, who escaped,
except two. The main arch of the tunnel
| runs out from the shaft thirty feet, when it
| opens into two distinct arches that are to form
| the tunnel. Through some negligence of the
men, it is supposed, the air lock was not prop
! erly adjusted. When the process of shafting
| commenced the brick wall connecting the two
arches gave way and the water rushed into the
| cave. The following is the list of killed:
Frank Woodward, assistant superintendent.
| Frank Oleston, foreman.
Thomas Burns, foreman.
| A. Erickson, Peter Frisher, Patrick Kimin
| Charles Nelson, William f. Bagley, Andrew
| jacobson, Bregan Sheridan, Charles Svensson,
| Q. Andernon, Matthew Mccarthy, Patrick
| Broderick, Otto Besclen, John Jensed Patrick
iEn Ia11 If
| and Frank Bark of Hoboken.
In addition three men, names unknown, are
missing. The officials say they must have per-
ished. James Crevy is also reported among
| the lost. The superintendent thinks the air in
| the tunnel must have escaped through the silt.
One hundred men are at work to rig new
passage to the tunnel, but they will not be able
| to reach there IN less than three days.
THIRD DISPATCH
AT the Hudson tunnel this afternoon work
| men have been rigging a strong pump sor
| drawing water out of the tunnel, which is
| filled to its extreme limit. The water in the
| shaft has fallen ten feet i'll consequence of the
| receding tide. 1t is impossible that any of the
imprisoned workmen are alive, as the water
| wit hin the whole length of the tunnel is up to
| the roof and even above it. Laborers who are
| making excavation west of the shaft will
| however not cease their labors to get at where
the bodies are supposed to be, but it is impossi-
| BILE to force any air into the tunnel, as all
| which has been forced in has escaped through
| the shaft. 1t is now feared only seven men es-
capped, as one reported saved is missing.
A SURVIVORS, STATEMENT.
James Hayes, one of the last to escape, made
| the following statement TO reporter:-Th ere
| were twenty-eght of us all told in the tun mel
| at the time of the break in the roof. with
| five or six others was at work in the main
| shaft leading to the twin tunnels, which di-
verges from it and about ten or twenty feet
from the air-lock, which is about ten feet from
fha choff i nf1 bod hA1, - I.
| short time previously, eating lunch, and had
| gone below to finish the watch, expecting to
| come up again at O'Clock, when we would be
relieved by the other watch. Meme of us were
| employed in the twin tunnels. as they had al
ready been bricked up their entire length, 300
feet. All but myself were engaged in stopping
up leaks overhead and on the sides, preparatory
to putting in layer of iron plates, so as to
make this part OF the work conform to that al
ready completed. was then attending to
blow-pipe connected with the airslock and was
suddenly startled by hearing superintendent
Woodland, who was near the group, say, ''Stop
those Leaks pointing to the roof, short dis
lance from the door of the air-loek; the words
had scarcely been uttered before I heard a
noise like the escaping of steam, and upon
| looking up saw the roof of the tunnel crumb-
| ling in. Knowing that all the ground above
| and surrounding us was made, and filled with
| water like sponge, and realizing the great
| danger in which we were in, I made rush for
the door of the air-lock, through which we had
| to pass to gain the shaft and safety. Eight of
| us scrambled into it, and Woodland called to
us to close the door as the air was escaping too
| rapidly. We tried to but were prevented BY
| Oelsen Anderson.
| THE OFFICIAL REPORT.
The following is the official report of the
Hudson River Tunnel Company through it's
engineers, Speilman and Brush, relating to
| the accident to the tunnel:
This morning about 430. while the men
| were changing shirts, that portion of the iron
roof adjoining the shaft of the connecting
chambers between the two tunnels and the
| sinking shaft fell in. Twenty-eight men were
| in the tunnel at the time, of which some eight
escaped through the air lock and 20 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 the shifts,
| was probably not watched by the men as close
| ly as it should have been, and the compressed
| air was allowed to escape. This compressed
| air is relied upon to assist in supporting the
roof, which was also sustained by strong tim
| Der bracing, and the escape of the air has al
ways been prevented by stopping anv leaks
| with waste silt. AS the roof fell the plate
| closed the door of the air lock into the tunnel
and the water rising rapidly, cut off the es-
| cape OF the 20 men, who were killed The
| building of this connecting chamber, though a
| difficult piece of work, has progressed until
now. The roof was all in position and secure
| ly bolted. The connection of the iron plates
| with the shaft was being made at the time of
|
night and day with all the men that can be ad-
vantageously employed until the bodies are
recovered, which will probably take about
| three days. The accident will probably delay
| the work three weeks.
| STATEMENT BY WORKMAN.
The following statement is made by one Of
| the men who was saved: Eight men had es-
| capped; one man in trying to pass through the
| door leading from the air-lock into the tenn
| porary 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 held 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 try to get assistance to help the rest
| and himself, who were left behind; he refused
| to leave himself, saying he would stay and
make every effort to get the rest out, and if it
| were not possible, that those who were escap-
| ing must try to get the rest and himself out
| alive, if possible.
| STORY OF ANOTHER EYE WITNESS.
Thomas Van Nostrand, one of the men res
| cued in the waste lock, gave a thrilling ac-
connt of his narrow escape. He said there
were 26 men at work in the tunnel; they went
| on at II o'clock at night for an eight hour
shaft; l was at work near 1.-THE east end of the
| waste lock and in the west end of the tunnel;
it was about half-past four that 1 heard the
| bolts snaps and the braces give way; at that
! Ululc L lolG d IuSu VI dir III Lly laC6, StarC6Q
back with seven men who were near me and
ran into the waste lock; the air pressure
| crowded the door shut at the east end at first
| it was blocked by ioist which we pulled out,
and then the door slammed too; the lock has
doors at both ends and glass dead-eyes to adj
init the light; through the dead-eyes we could
| see the men inside the tunnel; water was fast
| rushing in; Peter Woodland, Assistant Super
| intendent, stood at the door outside the waste
lock, which was stationary; it would not move
with us without knocking out the dead-eyes;
this would be fatal to the men outside, as
water would rush in and drown the men in an
instant; Woodland knew this, but stood at the
door, his face CHASTITY white, and he realized
/ the terrible danger. He said to me, ''Tom,
quick, burst the dead-eyes and do what YOU
| can for u.s. knew it was death to all of us if
1 did not, so 1 obeyed the order ;sas the glass
broke the air rushed in and the waste lock shot
| out into the main shaft, leaving the men to
drown, as the space occupied by the shaft filled
| with water in an instant; we were wholly
| stripped of onr clothes when we crawled OUT l
heard the rush of water at our back; it filed in
| fast, but the distractions kept it back long
| enough for us to escape from the main shaft; it
III I