New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-24
rIIr TUNNEL NOT REACHED.


~ REMOVING THE BODIES VI ihh I'VE
.,sv ~ THE HUDSON RIVER TUNNEL-oNsoc-
rrssrrI WORK OF THE PUMP AND DNhNs-
.yw Machinery TO BE RIGGED TO-DAY.
IT, scene of the Hudson River tunnel disaster
..orted an unusually gloomy aspect yesterday
PS;nc The low wooden building, with its half
..d ord stands in the large field, Uttered with
-, ~ Sand and piles of brick lumber and iron
~ along the upper boundary of which the long
S,ol ,res les of the coal works extend, and into
hitch cncroaches the dirty dock filled with dingy
..oalbosts With this muggy sky raked by the
.te,eton-hke rigging of a number of vessels IN the
~;ver combined TO make a gloomy picture. In mar
orv with the minds of many of the visitors 10 the
rlace There were larger crowds on the GROUNDS
Yesterday than at any time since the accident Inc
sones which have inoosed the building from inc
first were extended that they included much
larger area than before and increased number OF
nocemen succeeded in keeping the people beyond
The ropes.
croat many plans were resorted to in order to
,,n admittance within the lines, but without sue
.oss Some persons falsely claimed relationship
18th the dead But it was of no use; only those
xxere allowed TO go in who could show authority,
y, mass the gate-keeper's rigid examination There
was larger proportion of women and girls IN the
crowd than usual and when the sun struggled out
IN the afternoon their number increased, until 1T
Utmost equalled that of the men and boys
The appearance of matters inside the building was
much the same as the day before except that the
sjghtseers were gone. and the pump was throwing
mt great volumes Of dirty water.
The efforts to work the pump daring Thursday
night were unsuccessful. 1t seems that when it
fell 10 the bottom of the shaft the night before the
spindle had been sprung, and this together with
other causes incident to the using of the machine
for the first time, made stoppages frequent, so that
the losses equaed the gains. Yesterday morning
however, at o'clock. the pump was started again.
md did better In an hour three feet of water was
removed from the shaft But then the belt slipped
from the wheel, and required tightening; and other
matters kept the work back while the water grad
ually rose until 1t was almost high as it had been
when the work began. After a WHILE however, an
other start was made At 2 o'clock p. M the water
In the shaft was being lowered at the rate of foot
eyery half hour and at halfpast o'clock the water
was seven feet lower than 1t was when the pumping
The spindle of the pumps. which had been injured
by fall kept the machine from working up to IT'S
spmde had been procured and the pump was stop
ped until il could be put ln This interrupted tne
work just thirty minutes. and IN that time tue
water rose thirty inches in tine shaft. 1t had be-
come evident TO the engineers finally that the single
pump i'll use could not accomplish the END In view
Tor whenever it required attention to the extent OF
much of what had been gained was lost
While the pump was working well 1t removed the
water from the shaft much faster than the water
from the outside flo ed ill., and Tor that reason 1T
was decided that If another powerful pump couid
be secured and run with TINS one, the WAFER might
be lowered until the two tunnel pumps, which are
particularly adapted for deep pumping, and have a
limited capacity of about 1000 gallons minute,
could be reached and set TO work. These pnmps
are 80 feet from the top of the working shaft. Men
were sent therefore, to the city in search of
nnmns which might be procured immediately but
hofb he promised ground e.
fore evening. At 8 O'clock the water was rising
faster than it could be pumped out
In the meanwhile the diver, Wonneberg, returned
10 the tunnel works. He had been spoken to in
the morning regarding further examination OF
The bottom of the shaft. In the afternoon he
brought all assistant who volunteered to make the
rescent AT this time the water IN the shaft as
black as ink from the silt, and, as 1t would be i'm
possible to see in such a medium, the attempt was
Considered rather dangerous. But the new diver
was young man named Robert Rogers. and he sooD
got into the queer looking garb. About his waist
were tied $50 pounds OF lead weights, In order 10
sink him. for the iron shod shoes and heavy helmet
were not regarded sufficient AS he cast of into the
water he rolled over a number of times and then
disappeared amid many bubbles. Everyone in the
building including two women. leaned over the
Edge of the shaft and watched the bubbles
Rogers was He descended at O'clock aud
Renamed down twelve minutes. Upon his
return he said that although he could see nothing
be could feel the outside of the air lock, and II
was shut. He tried to move 1t. but could not. Al
the same time the great current OF water coming IN
Almost carried him away from the place. Rogers
attempted to make second descent at half past q
o'clock but the water got tnroasn one 81 '1c
pome back. At $50 he entered the shaft again. the
pump having been stopped until the water ID the PIT
knd the water In the river were on nearly the same
level. THIS time Rogers succeeded In en-
tering the air-lOck, and he brought
up small thermometer. He found also thai the
top of tie inside door open about two and
half inches. He felt timber and some broken
pieces OF iron resting against the back OF
the door. and some of the wooden timbers used foI
braces on top He thou ght that 1t would be i'm
possible to open it, Rogers will go down the shaft
hgain at o'clock tins morning in company with
President De Witt c. Haskin seemed very much
annoyed by unsuccessful work. !" his pump is moi
Dong what expected it to do, he said g." and we
have had so many accidents and DELAYS that We are
how only about where we started We have or
hered new pump which we hope will be here thlt
evening Brush punp espeoiaS ad h,. ~ III
dep As g he deP pd the eis
slso much greater. When we get the new machine
we will run both pumps together. and although
this one will loss In capacity as we 90 down' we
hope to reach own tunnel-pumps. which are
bdapted for low pumping. and can throw out aboni
900 gallons minute. They are set on platform
sbout thrty-fve feet from the top of the shaft. II
able to 90 through the air-lock in an hour after
ward We viii begin building large caission to
et
pumping we may have to depend on getting the
bodies build the caisson. but that will re-
guire some tme.O
>" 1t is reported that you discharged number OF
your men to-day"
"Yes, / let some fifteen or twenty Of them 20 be-
cause there was no work for them 10 dO.o
Colonel Haskns and Engineer e. b. Bush held a
consultation yesterday afternoon, and decided 70
built between the ryer bulkhead and the
Dhaft, and will be fifty feet square. The
heavy guide piles fifty or sixty feet in length
INTO the ground, forming the outline of the Golfer