New-York tribune., 1886-11-14
TERRIBLE TIMES IN THE CAISSONS
WORKING UNDER THE BIG BRIDGE PIERS.


EXPERIENCES OF MAN WHOSE HEALTH WAS
RUINED THERE-THE AIR PRESSURE.
A white headed lab0riDg man with foreign fea-
lures occupied of the seteesat the pero
the Brooklyn Bridge one last week. He was
wellbut man and fairly we'll clad. but his snowy locks
and the deep lines In his face him an extremely
AGED appearance His voice was husky. He seemod
deeply Interested in the movements OF pedestrians anu
vehicles the hour thronging over 10 NOV"
Yorks bedchamber Then he glanced critically up anu
down the massive Bridge pier patted the great wire
hawsers and finally said TO young man VINO happenea
TO he near:
These people trsmpng aud riding the Bridge To-
night give little thought the body OF suffering msn
VINO, hfteen years ago. prepared the foundations i''
these PIERS and who did a good job at H. TOO
Look at me- shattered wreckl What am these Bridge
piers made me. ruined In health ana pocAo' w
them for the sake OF little money"
The man was lanes McHuire. About 1870 he was
usty blacksmith of forty-hve He was out OF WORK III
New-York with a sick wife, when the lanor OF shA'ns
the cassors the piers OF the Bridge were "
stand was begun. Mr. Mcclure was compelled ny 'no
seek work In the caissons as aoorer' "
was one OF the who were able to wihstand the
air pressure under the aborers were
Obliged to work the oaIssons approached the bed
rock during this work that MS healtn gave
way. HIS hair turned white. aud, to crown MS
troubles he discharged soon as the work under
the bedside OF his dying wife Then he fell sick with
the dreaded caisson fever When he to himself he
was in Erie, Penn where friends caring for him.
and where he has since remained making his visit to
the Bridge last week.
McGuires story of the suferlngs OF the casson men
interesting one The cassons were Immense
boxes Georgia pine fifteen feet thick top and shod
with heavy bars their lower or cutting edges
The sides Of these macnoes OF timber nine ieet
thick. As fast the caissons sank the ma
sonry OF the piers laid upon them The
cassons were alright As they were pressed
downward the air pressure within increased'
and gradually this pressure became heightened from
this canse and also because pumping in OF air to
collapse OF tho hugo fabrics and to drye ou
waIer that only few nen were able TO bear up And
work under the terrible strain. There no serious
OBSTACLE 10 the work until The shores OF ne river were
water evel. Tnen the ground found fun of huge
Doulders which interfered with the progress OF he
caissons by continued blasting aud drilling down In
these dark boxes bed hnally reached and
solid foundation formed for the great towers over
wDich the Bridge cable- are now suspended ,sx
The discharge of Mcclure together with the otner
caisson employees as soon as that WORK was dons' we
caused by the habit whcn these empoye%s % hdera
time 10 time OF striking for more pay. rhe ouluers
resisted them In every manner possloIe, 1u wsfo . %
able to get men who could 90 the woIh unuot taS Iii
terrible air pressure II was extremely oeo
at the outset. aud their numbrr was peng ~ "hs
tniDned out rs one after another ieI victim o .n
the laorers mad driven Drdgebuiiders TO paying
them $40 a day for eight hours OF WORK .o
employed aud, according to his own story ne was
leader in tber debates upon labor troubles down under
piers OF the great Bridge HIS experience pegdh un
der tue Brooklyn pier Or II lie SAIL; ,
40 ave you Idea OF the awful strain we we're SUB
jected TO- let me tell you something very ifeqhenuy
tue air pressure was so great that mel droppsa oy
removed TO the open air uielr races
black though they were In the last Stages OF
suffOcatIoD." , A.,
WHAT was tho highest pressure you ever sustained T.
=" Cwenty-seyen pounds to the square inch. Under
this il was Impossible 10 whistle Inc namo or ahp
extlngulsned would al once ourst INTO pidAo
again. aud tue pressure WAS so Intense mat IL was ln
possDle talk Streams of blood were forced out
OF the of the lab0rers, aud remom er now
one man, his youth, who recovered ms near
ing while under the effects OF the wnn Ra'eeu %
minutes after he had entered the calsson. on tno
NewYor side used to use the air pressure 70 Iuu
the refuse, gravel stone and sand up through arge
tnat frequently 1t pulled OF the workmen out
WHOM by accident they got them entanged
"What WAS the caisson fever like r. ,,,-
A shudder passed over McGuire's face. flnalIy
he said: at terrible, terrible ! Men
would be struck Dy 1t as suddenly as Dy Duec 90
quick that shock that 1t subdued men OF lne
strongest nerves with pain that felt as though some
thing was tearing The flesh from your bones Fleshy
men the oftenest al pars OF tner boiles were
generally paraly yzed before the disease eit tb-n
trouble that at one time We had only naI
force aud those affected that tney
were unable stay down over four hours at stretch
lone day W struck aud the contractor put Iot OF
Italians into placea II terrible slght III tnose
the full pressure was lot on To
ike unatic asylum than anything ever saw. iney
could stand the strain and tercrdzy curslhR anu
mporng be let out they were taken 10 tne surIace
aud reDstated One ot the papers sent young
see II we had not Stretched the truth IN
our oomplans, but bless you the poor felbw nearly
died before he the aud when lie got back
Office he wrote In his paper tbat III We uemahueu
a 81, 900 day we on ght 10 get It.
made q good stake out OF the work. said McGuire'
and prepared to walk over 70 the BrooEyn n
end OF the great structure Dut I've Wlsneu ever snoo
that Id never heard OF tho BE idgo