Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1880-07-31
HORRIBLE ACCIDENT!

HORRIBLE ACCIDENTi
| Terrible rale Of . Number or Workmen
| In the Hudson River Tunn~I-The Walls
Suddenly Give Way. and Twenty Me"
| MiserabIy Perish-HeroIc Conduct OF One
Or Their Number.
A New YORK dispatch of the 21st
gives the following account of the terri
bic accident at the Hudson River Tunnel:
AT i've o'clock this morning the caisson
leading to the entrance OF the Hudson River
Tunnel, constructing at Sixteenth street
Jersey City, caved In, carrying with IL an i'm l.
mense quantity Of earth. Twenty-Five men
lost their lives, while eight had almost a
miraculous escape. The night gam of thirty
men, including As,i,tant-Supcrin,endcn
Woodland and two fifemen, entered the shalt
at midnight, the hour for work for this gang
being from twelve To eight O'Clock. The de pth
of the shalt is sixty-tiye feet, and, whsle most
OF the men were employed at the bottom Of
the shaft, about a third of the gang was
engaged on the hr"k wall of an arcii twenty
five feet high was the latter squad. all
brickayers, tt capped, except two. The
main arch OF fir -'nnel runs out from TIE
shaft d stance oi about thirty feet, when II
opens into two distinct arches that To
form the tunnel. Through some negligence
OF the workmcn, IL Is supposed the air-lock
was not properly adjusted, and when the proc
ess OF shifting commenced, the brick wall
connect ng the two arches gave way and
water rushed into the cave
The following is list Of the casualties:
Peter Woodland, Assistant Superintendcnt;
Frank Aleston, foreman; Thomas Burns,
foreman; A. Eickson, Peter Fe;sher, Patrick
Kimin, Charles Nelson, William F. Bagley,
Andrew jacobsen, Bryan Sheridan. Charles
boken; Mat McCarty, Patrick Brodcrick, Otto
Besseilen, John Jensen, Patrick Collins and
Mike Broderick.
The following is q complete list OF the
saved: Thomas Brady, Is. McGovern. A. j.
Moline, Thomas Cummings, Christ. Hansen,
J. Vannostrand, John Doyle and James
Hsycs.
In addition to these, three men whose
names are not known are missing. and the
officials say they must have perishcd. All
whose names are given belonged To Jersey
City except Bark. He resided in Hoboken.
The Superintendent thinks the air in the
tunnel must have escaped through the silt.
Thomas Van Sostrand, one OF the rescued
men, says: 1.-The main shaft is sixty feet
deep, and from the bottom of this shaft the
entrance to the tunnel is effected through q
cylindrical barrel six feet in diameter and
fourteen feet in length. This is called an air
lock, and serves to preserve the density Of
the atmosphere of the tunnel winch, in turn,
is secured by the forcing Of afr through pines
from pumps. There is 4 door in each end Of
thc air-lock. They both Oren inward. At
each side OF the doors round windows of
thick glass through which, from the outside
OF the air-ock., q view can be gained Of the
work and workmen inside the tunnel. There
were twenty-cght men at work III the tunnel.
They went in at twelve O'Clock last night for
the eight-hOur shift. ] was at work near
the east end Of the lock, and in the
west end Of the tunnel. II was at
about 4:3O O'Clock that / heard the
tI,sI
same time felt rush Of air in my face. /
started back with seven of tie men who were
nesr me and into the lock. The air
pressure crowded the door shut at The east
end. At first it was blocked by.a joist which
we pulled out, and then the door slammed to.
Through the dead-eyes We could see the men
inside the tunnel. The water was FAST rush
ing in. Peter Woodland, Assistant Superin-
tendent, stood at the door OUTSIDE the lock,
which WAS stationary. 10 would not move
with us w:thou: knocking ou: TIE deaii-eyes.
This would be fatal to the men outside, as the .
water would rush in and drown tine men in an
instant. Woodland knew this, but stood at
the door. His face was ghastly white, and
he realized the horrible danger. H., said to
me: Tom, quick, bust the dead-eyes and .
DO what you can for U.s. l knew it was
death to us all if did not, so l obcycd the
order. AS the glass broke the air rushed in,
and the lock shot out in the main shaft leav-
~ the shaft filed with water in an instant.
We were wholly stripped Of our clothes
when We craxlcd out | heard the rush OF
ratcr at our back. 1t filed fast, but the OBJ
tructiOn5 kept 1t back lOn- enou b for Us to
'scape from the main shaft. II was AL we
.ouid DO to save ourselves. Woodland was
tanning in water up to his waist WHEN | saw
lin. It was sure death, and mad to knock
,ut the dead eyes as told YOU He knew
IS well as ! that II was al over with them. l
hall never forget the look ON his face or the
Ound OF his voice he told u TO save our
elves though the very act was to insure his
cath"
Another of the escaped workmen says:
after eight men had escaped one man III
rying to pass through the door leading from
he airloci. into the temporary chamoer of
he tunnel, was iamrned in the doorway. and,
es pitc thc efforts of those ahead. could not
e brought ont as the door closed upon i'm
nd held him fast. Peter Woodland. AS
istant Superintendent told the men t. try
nd get out, and. when the ninth man was
lstencd in The doorway, called out 10 those
,ho had escaped, telling them to hurry and
ry and get assistance to help the rest and
imself who were left behind He refused
, leave himself, saying he would stay and
lake every effort TO ret the rest out, and, If
were not possible, then those escdping
lust try TO get the rest and himself out
live"
ne OlHccfs oi Tue company, IN cSp'd nln-
ic accident, say the workmen, in coming
rough the ar-lock, must have exercised Z
,'usuai care ciessness, and, bo Ii doors OF the
lock being opened at the time the
Impressed air was allowed to escape. The
impressed air serves q double purpose,
lmely, to keep the water out and to support ,
ie roof of the tunnel. So. when it escaped Z
ie catastrophe was inevitable.
The engineers and officials say that it is
lpossible :or any Of the imprisoned work I
en- to he alive, as the water within the {
hole length of the tunnel is up t. the roof
I'd even above it. The labcrers who are
aking the excavation west of the shaft
Ill, however, not cease their labOrs to yet at 1
here the bodies are supposed TO he but it Is {
possible to force any air into the tunnel,
all which has been forced in So lar has es- r
ped through the shaft, in which it has I
aje the water leap up two three feet II
,ovc the surface.
1t is feared this afternoon tha. only seven
en- instead OF eight men have been saved, /
one. named Thomas Cummings. who was
ported BY one OF the wOrkIngrnen to have
cape1, is now said 20 be missing.
Women Lawyers.