The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-07-29
TNR TUNNRL,s FlRsT YICrIMs.
a gesribso. .catastropho Under the nud-
JERSEY Cry N. J.. July 2i


sss7Fonhaing the deep well leadliag 20 tie
entrance OF the Hudson River Tunnel in
the course Of CONF tEectiqnl sihe fttot!oS
Sixteenth stseets inE thig Etty, cayed Id
carryingiwislFi ii ATE immehse 1uantitysos
earth. Twenty.one workmen were
buried. Seven were soon after taken out
alive and fourteen remained underneath.
The water gfFoErf thas river flowed : 10
rapidly snd steam fee engines, were 2set
t6 work 20 save, II possible, those who
might still be alive from drowning. The
workingmen resided in the vicinity of
the tunnel, aud rery largo and excited
crowd Of persons soon eongregated.
The night gang Of thirty men. includ-
ing Assistant Superintendent Woodward
and two firemen, entered the shaft at
midnight, the hours Of work for this
gang being from IL TO o'clock. The
depth ;of the shaft is sixty.fiye feet, and
while most Of the men were employed '.t
the bottom Of tue shaft about one-tbird
OF the gang were engaged on the brick
wall of the arch, twenty feet higher.
II twas this latter isqdad, who were all
6ricklayers, that escaped, except two.
The main arch Of the tunnel runs out
from the t,ehaf hs diatalce of about
thirty feet, when It Opens anto two dis
tinct arches that form the tunnel
Through some negligence of the men 1t
properly adjusted. When the process of
shifting commmencsdd dthe Jbrick wall
connecting the two arches gave way, and
the water rushed into the cave. The
superintendent ShinEs sthe nir inE the
tunnel must have eseAped through the
silt. He has put gang Of one hundred
men at work to dig o new passage to the
ttinnel, but they win not DO able TO reach
there in less than three days.
AN OFFICIAL ACCOUNT.
The following is the official report of
the Hudson River Tunnel Company
through itsengjnsers NessEss svviiman
ard Brush. Relating t0tbeaceident to the
ut the 1b6f Of aSixteD6G Street, Jersey
City;
rgSliis morning about haif-past 4
o'clock, while the men were changing,
shifts, that portion of the iron roof ad-i
joilikgA the shaft Of sahes conneetfng
cham6eks between the. .awos tupnelsi apd
che sinking shaft fell in. Twenty.eight
meniwere in the tunnel at the time, of
whom eight escaped through the air-iocki
and twenty were killed. The accident
occurred at the connection of tho iron
plates With tile brick @allofthe working
shaft, which, during the changing of
shifts, was probably not watched by the
men as closely as it should have been,
and the compressed air vas allowed to
escape. This compressed cir is relied
upon to assist in supporting the roof,
which was also sustained by etrong
tiIhber.bracihg, and the escape of air
has always been prevented by stopping
any 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 tho escape Of the
twenty men who were killed" ,a,- So
FtURTHER DETAILS.
The building of the connecting cham
her, though q difficult piece Of work,
progressed until now. Thekouf wasS ali
in position. and securely DoltedA The
connection of the iron plates was tsing
made at the time of the accident. Tile |
work will be prosecuted night and day |
with all the men that cab bSsadsantage-
nusly used until the bodies eau be fecav-il
cred, which will; probablyr take, about
days the accident will probably delay Tire |
work about three, weeka.. s;ys,see .,.,s
Ths fpll6Afi1g statement was made by
oi,s }3g lshB sh1an MHho !e4esped After
Sibht iliCu ssdu OSCoptu OiiS iIldu III tEJluE 4
10 pass through the door leading from
the air.iocI into the Temporary chamber |
of the tunnel wes jhihned iiii the edUof.
way, and in spite OF. the efforts of those |
ahead could not be brought out, as the |
door closed upon him aud held him fastg
Peter Woodland, assistant superinte,i-
dent told the mon -, try ranG ges ont,
and Lbnen = The q ainfhs man was |
fastened in the doorway called out to |
thnse who had escaped. telling them. ito /
lurryiand try and get assistance to help |
thes-Feat~ end himself who were left !
hehind. He refused to leave himself, |
saying that he would stay and make |
evefg5 etibEt f0 tgth d fest cut, ana if it'd
,yers not b bSt thcsA e:so kscaps
ing must try to get the ssst and Himself |
uuL, alive ii possible.
Almost all of thpse killed, as we'll as !!
those aaved, resided In; Jersey CITY
The men who were rescued did notreach |
the surface moment too soon, for the |
water rushed after thenns with, atpazine
rapidity till IL reached 3 level within Eve |
feet of the top of the shaft. The purvi. |
vnrs were so bewildered thst theyseemed |
to lose all presence of mind, even if |
fellows In the pit. Nearly all the men |
employed iii . Il ID pe0xini-
~ to the works in 18th. 18th aud |
10Th streets; and thei friends and reia-
tives rushed To the place in the ni0at
excited irainpp mind, s The uewslD of theJ
disaster stireagd Ike wiid.fire through the |
surrounding eities q From all points ird.'ll
,nense crowds tbronged to the scene cil
the calamity. About the fatal excays
tim the awe-stricken spectators stood. |
A GORDON of police officers were Rtations
ed abepts che shed and engine room |
10 prevent aany interference with the |
Iaborery at work 10 recover the bodies. |
.:i: .:,:.;: =.:::;,::= &c tl,e
shait.lioGse the faces of distressed wives, |
ninthstS aud Children weEo seen distorted |
with anguish as they sought in vain for |
the forms that would never be seen again
alive. VI. s3 q
Thomas Van Nostrand, one Of the men |
rescued in the waste lock, gave n
reporter thrilling account of his narrow
escape. HeBaids There were tweDtys |
eight men asty0:k in tliS tunnel They |
went on - o'clock last night for an |
eight hour shift. /, was at work near the |
eat END OF tssa waste lock and in the |
west end of the, tunnel !, II wgs about !
half past 4 o. 'cfocg thai I heard tli5 bolts I
snap and the hrace5 give way. q at the |
same time I felt rush Of air In |
my face FaE,sfted back with. seven OF |
the men who were near me and ran into |
tho air lock. The air pressure crowded |
the door shut at the east end. At first it |
was hloeked by juist which we pulsed |
mt and then tho fioOr slnflfFsfl "a sFhS1