Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-07-29


AZ the space occupied by the shaft filled
with water in an instant We were
wholly stripped Of our clothes when we
crawled out l heard the rush of
the water at our back. 1t filed in
fast, but the distractions kept 1t back
enough for us to escape from the main
shaft. 1t was all we could do to save our
selves. Woodland was standing in water
up to his waist when last saw him. It
was sure death, and l bad to knock out
it was all over with them. 1 shall never
forget the look on his face or the sound of
his voice as he told US to have ourselves,
though the very act was to insure his
death"
The following is list of the men who
were saved Thomas Brady, b. McGovern,
A. j. Malne, Thomas Orimmens, Chris.
Hansen, J. Van Nostrsnd, John Doyle
and James Hayes. The last named gives
the following graphic account of the
accident
went down with the ganga at ~ o'clock.
Myself and few other men were at work
excavating in the tunnel O short distance
inside the inner door. The two doors are
about II feet apart. Each door is about
A feet in diameter. In passing in or out
one door is closed before the other is
opened. This is necessary to prevent
rush of air, which would happen if both
doors should be open at one time. At
about O'Clock, as near as l can judge, we
wero all working near the air-lock, and we
were startled by noise that indicated q
leak, and Immediately afterward there Was
loud noise, AS IL something had been sud
denly broken or burst. All this took
place in minute. l never
experienced anything that was more sud-
den. The leak was discovered on our left
as we faced the door. The water poured
in rapidly. We strove to stop the leak by
showing our clothes into it. We worked
with might and main. Some of the men
removed their trousers and even their
shirts to fill up the terrible gap, but still
the leak enlarged and the volume of water
increased. Tho water was soon nearly up
to our hips, and we saw that it was use
less TO endeavor to stop the leak. In the
meantime Anderson, the Swede, who was
the last to come through the inside door,
got damned by the door pressing
against him, and some of the
men strove to get the door back
from him to allow him to get through
Both doors opened inwardly. The pressure
of the air from within the tunnel bsfiled
all our attempts to release him from his
awful position, and we were obliged to
leave him. All our energies were given, to
| extricate the poor Swede. We had to get
the door shut before we could open the
other. BY this time, you see, we were
unable to open the outer door, which is
the entrance to the shaft. What I'm tell
| ing you nll took place in about a minute.
Inside the air-lock we suffered by the
pressure of the Dir from the tunnel. AT
last one of the men went to work to
break the headlights on the side Of the
outer door. | stopped him. / WAS afraid
if he broke the headlights that the air
pressure from the tunnel would prevent us
from opening the door. Right afterwards,
as nothing else could be done, seized q
crowbar and used it to break the dead.
lights. We then got through the opening gs
we made. The Swede could have got out
door. From the air-lock we landed
which is about thirty feet down
BY the time we reached the surface
| tue IDlDK WAS Hil ONtI. We
that there was a large falling in of the
earth on the river side of the shaft. The
door of the air-lock must be shut-the one
that opens into the shaft; the other is
wedged partly open by the Swede's body
The frightful noise we heard right aftei
we were made aware of the leak was like
the shot of gun. 1t was loud and sharp
The Superintendent thinks the air il
the tunnel must have escaped through tn,
silt He has put gang of 100 men a
work to dig a new passage to the tunnel, bu
they will not be able to reach there in les
than three days.
NOT YET RECOVERED.
New YORK, July 26.-The bodies of tn,
men who were buried In the Hudson rive
tunnel have not yet been recovered. Th
work of pumping the water from tn
working shaft progresses slowly and /
may be some days yet before the tunne
can be entered.