The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1888-04-05
rHE SEWER CAVES N.

Street crosses Ash street were quit
ting their work for the day that
they were warned by a rumbling
noise and the next instant "A land
slide from the south bank was upon
them. There we're six men in the
excavation. Mr.. DumproIe succeed
ed la mounting the ladder leading
above aud escaping harm. Three
others were embedded up about
their limbs aud we're easily exiri-
Gated by their companions, not hav-
ing been bodily injured. Julius
Buschke was forced back sgainst the
wa u in sitting posture, and i'm
paled with the descending timber
and earth up about the body, and il
was while an effort was being made
10 dig him out that the first slide Wa-
followed BY second Ia about fifteen
minutes. The second was really
greater than the first. Peter Eng
wald Was working with might aud
main Ia remove the eartn from
about Buschk~, when they were
both covered some inches above
their heads. The dirt WAS Oi loose,
sandy nature, and these men run
their hands shove them, making an
aperture that afforded them q
chance tO breathe. Ia fifteen or
twenty minutes Engwsld Was re-
leased from his place Of confinement
in al exhausted condition aud then
conveyed To the residence Of J. &.
johnson, on South Seventh street.
where he was this morning. lie
was hurt about the back aud suffered
considerable pain, bat with proper
care will doubtless recover hi
| full health. Then the work Of r.
leasing Buschke Was rednulled with
every p0s-ible tfIOrt, Mr. Fiizgib-
bon, the contractor for the sewer.
joining hi- companions Ia digging
the earth away from around the un-
| fortunate mau until the sweat rolled
from every pore. II vas within a
few minutes that lac was taken out
and up the ladder and soon placed
in q spring wagon and conveyed to
his home on the east side. H.,
suffered great pain and was groHning
much. Dr. Devices was called aud
found that the left leg had sustained
IA compound fracture. extending
from above the knee six inches. The
requisite attention was given
Buschke and this morning he WAS
resting easy.
The names al those caught ia the
/ two slides are Thomas shield. Larry
Tewey. John McCabe. Ar Zri--
ing, Julius Bushke aud Peter Eng
| Wald. All but Bushke and EneWald
were out this morning, seemingly
hut little worse for the catastrophe.
| As far a. We are able to learn all are
unmarried. BuEchke, Iei-ing and
Engwald are the only ones, we lie
! iieve, who are residents OF Saliua.
Bnsehke aud his two brothers are
the support Of their aged mother, and
live " ith her.
The accident il one Of those o.
eurrences which will happen -oinr-
times in sew-r-building, let the pre-
cautions he what they may. On this
south bank WAS derrick which
swinging back aud forth in renov-
| ing the dirt from the excavation
caused vibration to the ground .and
/ the space near To- the brink ami
| twenty feet back Vas loaded with
| the tons Of earth which had been Re-
I moved from the hole. This state of
circumstance Ia addition to the
| fact that the late heavy rains has
made the ground quite moist, served
To help cause the slides, If they we're
not the direct and only causes. The
water from the rise In the river
which flowed through the completed
sewer to the vicinity Of this occur
renee may have been instrumental ia
tue devastation, a. the footing If
! quick-sand must have been weaken
ed thereby.
The only possible eensure that
can entail upon the management
would appear to be- that they failed
/ To brace up the earth-walls - thor
oughly aud securely a. they should
have done Thanking WAS placed at
/ intervals Of about fifteen feet aud
/ braeed, ~ fast ~ the ditehing WAS
completed. Really the planking
ought Ia have been set At half Of that
| distance. The sewer-building WAS
progressing ~ fast as Il was possible
/ To DO aud the contractors may have
I thought they were exercising the
necessary caution for the short pc
! riOd the excavation remained open.
However. they conld not afford To
accept any contingencies when the
/ lives of their wOrkmen were in
vOlved. The excavation where the
accident occurred had just been fin
ished and some OF the planking was
already in position. when the slide
came the planks were snapped
short oil.
Five hundred persons must have
gone To the scene upon the first init
nation, as rumor had it that the
sewer had cayed in and several men,
variOusly estimated from live To-
twelve Ia number, had been buried
underneath. All were eager, ex-
tire mely 50, to learn the situation,
aud the services Of the police were
required to- their full extent To keep
back these persons from cr1wding
close upon the sides Of the place
where the men below were
striving with all their powers to re-
lieve the remaining man from his
very uncomfortable position, to say
the least. II was relief TO know
that there WAS Ouly one man still en-
tangled down there In the earth. and
when he was brought forth, some
what disfigured il j. true. the tension
Of suspense gave way to feeling Of
gladness. What might have been
finds u sweet solace In the Thought
that 10 was M worse than it VS.
The Ellsworth Reporter says -