Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-07-22
BURIED ALIVE.

river tunnel, IN course OF construc~
ton at the foot Of 10th street, in
this city, caved in, carrying with it
an immense quantity of earth.
Twenty>one men were buried. Seven
were soon after taken out alive.
Fourteen remained underneath.
Water from the river flowed in rap |
idly, and steam fire engines were
set to work to, if possible, save
those who might still be alive from
drowning. The workmen who re-
side in the vicinity Of the tunnel
and a very large and excited
crowd of persons soon congregated.
The night gang, thirty men, in>
Guiding Assistant Superintendent
Woodard and two fremen, entered
the shaft at midnight, the hours of
work for this gang being from II
to 8 o'clock. The depth of the
shaft is IS feet, and while most of
the men were employed at the bot
tom of the shaft about onesthird of
the gang was engaged on the brick
wall of the arch rs feet higher. 1t
was the latter squad, who were all
bricklayers, that escaped, except
tTo.
The main arch of the tunnel runs
out from the shaft a distance of
about thirty feet, when it opens into
two distinct arches that are to form
the tunnel. Through some negli-
gence of the men, it is supposed
that the air lock was not properly
adjusted when the process of shift
ing was commenced. A brick wall
connecting the two arches gave way
and the water rushed into the cave.
The superintendent thinks the air
in the tunnel must have escaped
through the silt. He has put a gang
of 100 men at work to dig a new
passage to the tunnel, but they will
not be able to reach them in less
than three days.
The following is the report of the
Hudson river tunnel company
through its engineers, Messrs.
Spilman and Brush, relating to the
accident to the Hudson river tun,
Del, which occurred at the foot of
18th street, Jersey City This
morning about 4;30 o'clock, while
men were changing shifts, that por-
tiop of the iron roof adjoining the
shaft of the connecting chambers
between the tunnels and sinking
shaft fell in. Twenty-eight men
were in the tunnel at the time, of
whom eight escaped through the air
lock and twenty were killed. The
accident occurred at the connection
Of the iron plates with the brick
wall of. the working shaft, which,
during the changing of shifts, was
probably not notched by the men as
it should have been, and the com
pressed air was allowed to"escape.
This compressed air is relied upon
to assist in supporting the roof, which
was also sustained by strong
| timber braciDg and escape of all
) has always been prevented by stop
: ping 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 of
the escape of twenty men who were
killed.
The building of this connecting
, chamber, though difficult piece O
work, progressed until now. The
roof was all in position and securely
bolted. The connection of iron
plates with the shaft was being made
at the time of the accident. The
work will be prosecuted night anc
day with all the men that can bt
advantageously employed until the
bodies are recovered, which will
probably take about three days
The accident will probably delay tht
work for three weeks.
The following statement was made
by one of the men who escaped
After the eight men had escaped
one man, in trying to pass through
9 the door leading from the air loci
3 into the temporary chamber of the
tunnel, was jammed in the doorway
7 and, despite the efforts of those
r ahead, could not be brought out, a:
,, the door closed upon him and helc
}. him fast. Peter Woodland, assist
t ant superintendent, told the men t.
). try and get out, and when the ninth
man was fastened in the doorway
f called out to those who had escaped
}. telling them to hurry and try and ge
= assistance to help the rest and him
l. self, who were left behind. He re
Il fused to leave himself, saying h
% would stay and make ever.
d effort to get the rest out, an
# 1t were not possible, that thos
Is VINO were escaping must try and ge
d the rest and himself out alive,
possible. Almost all of thos
killed, as we'll as those saved. re
j. sided in Jersey City. The me,
IA who were rescued did not reac