The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-06-17
a MAN BURIED ALIVE.
HORRIBLE DEATH OF JOHN SMITH
BY al ualqus ,C,aullty at ths CITY Water Work,
Yesterday Afisraooa-A Fellow Workman Mar. /.
,rouly Esesp.s Tho Same sad End-rhe
rrtsehsrou, Qaltk,and1 Fatal Etsslt.

Yesterday afternoon fatal accident occur.
red at the Water Works, the tletalls Of which
are both distressing aud peculiar. The we'll
being dug for the now pump cayod In md
buried beneath tons Of earth, rocks mud tim.
bora ono Of the workmsn, named John
Smith, whose homs was 10 Wellsvillo. Pat.
rick soul!eu, OF East Liverpool, another
workman, wpa-also carried down, bu! by al.
most snperhumsn efforts on the part OF him.
escape without baing ss:ionsly injured. 81 lilo
was barely covered up, but II 10 estimated
that Smith 10 under from ton to thirty feet Of
earth. II he was not instantly killed by the
rocks and timbers, he must hive suffooated
In very short time. Y .5.t. fgg; Rt ts',t7, tii
S5i CHARACTER or THE WORK. .
The we'll Is situated In tho vscsnt lot north
OF the new bUilsr hcuss and oAst OF tbs p,
W. & Ky. track. Men have b0en busy dig
| cling It Tor several weeks past, and bad II not
been for the unfortunate occurrence OF ye,.
tsrday afternoon, the digging would have
probably been completed last evening" Only
few more inches wers TO be taken our 10
make the depth iitty-two isot, as required by
the contract The contractor, William
Chisholm, Of Esst Liverpool, expected 20
commence laying the brick curblpg to-day,
or tomorrow OF the farthsst, and thousands
OF brick are already on the ground for that
work. In order for the public to under.
stand the nature OF the accident It will DO
necessary 10 first explain how the we'll was
dug. Mr.. Chisholm worked on the Sailie
plan IS that no used In digging the Island
crib last summer. !. A steam hnisting appsr.
atus wss employed for hoiating the earth
out, and syphon pumps were used to force
the water out The sides were prevented
from caving In by strong crib made of up.
right timbers brsced on the inside with
heavy pieces, and covered OIL the Outside
with Two inch oak plank. This crib was
was dug 1t sank dowu, go that Its base was
always ut the bottom Of the we'll, and as II
became necessary additions were made 10 tho
crib at the top. 4,i- - q J,,s,:s p
THE SOURCE OF DANCER. &
The disne.sr OF the we'll, as II was beinr
dug wss % feet. After tho digging had been
completed 1t was the intention to build o
brick curb three feet thick, thus reducing
the diameter oil. The we'll whom ready for the
pump 10 % feet. The brick curb Tas to have
rested OIL concrete aud stone foundation.
The soil 10 which the well was dug was oil
q very loos0 sandy nAturs md many vic
have watched the progress OF the work bavo
predicted that q cavs-in would take place be.
foro the work wss completed, but had II no.
bsen for the quicksand found neaS the bot.
tom'it Is not likely thes such would hava
been the case for the wooden crib was very
strong one and being made tighter-practi.
cally long box-did not allow tho slides TO
fall in. 1t WAS the treaoharous quicksand
that did the work. About 8 o'clock 1t was
noticed oozlng in under the bottom OF the
crib. togsther with cunadsrahie water, and
the ten men a! work In tho bottom we're or.
dered out, Contractor Chisholm not dnemine
1t safe for them to remain there. He also
cautioned them not 10 stand too near the
edge Of the we'll. The syphons were kept q,
VOTE and 1t WAS hoped that the quicksaud
wss only small vein and would soon atop
coming in, bat about 4 o'clock thero7vas i
crash and the mouth Of the we'll, which hat
been % feet scro.s, suddenly became nearly
60 feet. f-sF5j y. - 4 *, 81. ~ n :
\ The qnicksend had undermined all around
the we'll, especially that part between ths
we'll snd the railroad track. ip..s
| AN EXCITING icsSK. b
: The crash was loud one, snd added to i
were the shouts Of horror OF the woIkmey
and the Water Works employees as the form
OF John emith and Patrick 6culeu we've seer
: going down into tie aTiul pit, followed b,
planks, rocssana bricks, n huge nlortar.miS
! tr and the holstiug engine and apparatus
The crib wa crushed and spiiutered 8.
:. though made Of straw; in fact, stone wal
could hardly have wiils!ood the force tina
WIS thrown against tie crib after tho Quick
sand had done its work. hller tho noise VA
over and the sides had ceased rolling dow,
tho men jumped down to ths bottom, who.
, was now only about twenty feet from tho Sur
face, aud, lifting tho timbers and shovclinl
/ away the dirt, aoor had Scullea out, r., :. !.
. His head WEI badly bruised and his bress
there were no Internal injuries, and in few
Moalerta he wss able to walk around.
He bRd hsau standing several feet ava,
! from the opening, while Smith WAS nearer
The latter had bsen warned to keep farthe
avsy, but lad not needed It, a, when th
, ceys N to:S place Wal almost the first obiat
seen plupsiDg down.
steom wss at once ahut off from th
syptous and Superintendent Riddle snd Cor
trsctor Chisholm lcst no ,imo In getting thei
forces 10 work. A detail OF police was or
dered to the spot, and stretching ropes, KEEP
the crowd at a eafs distance. The rsp!dIi,
with which the news spread throughout th
city was wonderful. hundreds OF people wer
on the spot IN a few u,inpteg, and II kspt tb
officers busy keeping them ou;lds tho lines
TIE WORK OF r1rEIcATIos. (.
The work Of g.tling the engine and ,wha
timbors could be reached ont Of the hnls We
t attended by considerable danger, as tn
, ground about tho opening WIS., urauksd an,
. The earth every now and then would cay
away. Planks we're fra! laid to Slide th
lloistirg apparatus up OF, and after, r hal
hours hard work it vas gotten out
! a gang OF men was thea put Il
work building = platform for at I,
stand on 50 lst 1t conld lie Issd to sosist il
, cleaning out The we'll. Another gar 6 To1ke
: steadily getting cut What plansa snu timber
could be reached; horseg aud csrts wera seu
for, and two large piles Of brick that wer