New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-22
probably all caved in, was about 30 feet long, 80
feet deep and about 40 feet wide"

| shaft, which. during the changing OF the shiits,
| was probably not watched as closely as IL shonid
| have BEEN and the compressed air was allowed 10
escape This compressed air was relied upon 10 as
supporting the roof which was also sustained
by strong timber bricng. and the escape OF the AIR has
always been prevented by stopping any leaks with
the waste silt. As the roof fell. the plates closed
the door of the air-lock into tho tunnel, and the
water rising rapidly, cut off the escape of the
| twenty men who were killed. The building of this
| connecting chamber. though difficult piece OF
| work has advanced very successfully until now.
| The roof all IN position and securely bolted;
the connection of the iron plates with the shaft was
| being made at the time of the accident. Work VIII
| oe prosecuted night and day with all the men that
can be aivantageously employed until the bodies
are recovered. which will probably take about
three days. This accident will probably delay the
work for three weeks"
COLONEL PAINEs VIEWS.
Colonel W. II. Paine, engineer of the Brooklyn
Bridge and consulting engineer OF the Hudson Inn-
mel Railroad Company. said:
Z" eau tell you little about this sad disaster, be-
cause have never been IN the tunnel, and have not
! even visited the works since last May Ny time is
| so continually occupied with the affairs OF the
Brooklyn Bridge that l found some months ago
| that L could not give proper attention
to the Hudson River Tunnel, and so j
asked Colonel Haskins to appoint some competent
man, VIII would give constant and careful atten-
! ton to the work in all its details. He appointed
| Messrs. Spieman and Brush. and was perfectly
satisfied. MIR. Brush have known for years, and
| believe him to be thorough engineer
| and careful man. / first learned OF the
disaster through the papers about noon to-
| dav. I went over at and took look
| around. From what saw | think the men had
| pushed the tunnel without making close con-
| nection with the shaft. They engaged in
| building the brckwork back toward the shaft,
and the OVERLAPPING stratum at the point where
| the connection to be made between the
shaft and the tunnel was disntegrated. 1t
was not so compact as at the other end of the tun
mel. 1t had been broken up there and disturbed by
the sinking of the shaft. Plates of iron curved in
| the form of tho tunnel and serving outer
velope of the tunnel, had been carried up to the
shaft. The air had tendency to escape wherever
| there was any opening, and evidently it escaped
through the small space left between tine brick wall
of the shaft and the edge of the iron, which place
| had been kept covered with CLAW.
| 'The escape Of air through that opening should
have attracted the attention of the men, and 1T was
| their duty Immediately to stop W the hole with
| clay, but you know familiarity with danger makes
men careless. This Just at the time when
| they were to change shifts, and it is quite
possible tnat tneY were not az careiui as
| they should have been. The report that the fore
| man called to the men to come and stop The leaks
would look as though that the point
| of failure. / blame one, because i
| do not know enough of the matter.
! This working compressed air in the tunnel is
| pertinent 1t has never been tried before to my
knowledge. have Known it to be used in caissOns
| and in shafts but never in tunnels. confess |
never sanguine OF it's success and this disaster
| does not tend to make me think any better of H.
At any rate 1T should be used very carefully. but
dr Brush is a very careful man, and do not think
any blame can attach to him in any way"
NEGLECT OF THE MEN WATCH.
J. F. Anderson. engineering superintendent OF the
| tunnel, sand to TRIBUNE reporter:
There is question but that the accident was
| caused by leak overlooked by the watchmen. Yet
can't see how it could have escaped them, for they
stood close enough together to touch each other.
! By putting up little of the clay leak could
always be stopped IN time and all danger averted,
| and the work could have gone a long time in
this way safely with careful watching. l can only
| account for the accident by believing that in
| changing the groups the watch was neglected for
| short time. 1t was spot needing close watching,
| and the workmen aware of this. The only
| thing that we can now do Is to org where their
| bodies are"
! as has been suggested 7"
Because we wished to test the compressed air
power fist To do this we built work under the
river aud put to proof. The air held up the earth
successfully, and thus weresnre OF its power.
| When this fact was assured we came back and be-
gan to finish the approach. am satisfied that the
brick work IS uninjured and thar the air-lOck is III
good condition but the arch for probably thirty
feet is caved in. By digging it ont carefully we can
get to the tunnel proper, and then 90 on with our
work Just as soon as / can get 10 the ar-lOck
will be able to whether it possible to get the
bodies out. We hope to reach the bodies by the day
after tomorrow Workmen will be kept digging
all night and an electric light will be furnished TO
enable them to work faster. The workmen
were apt TO be careless in entering and leav
ing the tunnel one gang hurryIng to get out
before the other fully in. From this must have
occurred the accident the watchers of the first gang
having left their places before the men coming to
their relief were quite ready. The men were close
to the spot where the aIr-iOck enters the tunnel
from the main shaft If in any way the air became
diminished the resistance offered by the air would
he withdrawn anG the earth, OF course. would cave
in in spite of braces. The little air-hoie which
must have been overlooked, quickly grew laIgeI.
and then the rushed out and the tunnel tell ~.
door leads from the air-o INTO the tunnel, ana
the twenty eight men in the tunnel made rush tor
that Seven only succeeded III getting through and
reaching the steps winch ted to the shalt The
opening of this door caused draft which closeu
the other and nefore 1t cOu.d again be opened the
water and earth must have poured and buried
the men. TIE water which now fills the shaft came
III a few minuter alter The accident. Ii Is surface
water which through the air lock- Our
pumps will be started tonight to pump IL out.
REsCU.NG THE IMPRISONED MEN,
Michael Hurley, the outside foreman on the sur
face who has held that position since the tunnel
was begun. in the Office. when one
of the named Meehan ran in
and told bin that the tunnel was caving in. "
saw what had occurred as went down"
sa Hurley to a Tribune reporter. "and telling
Nike Burchard to come with me / fastened