Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-01-16
CAUGHT IN A TRAP.


TALLY Escaped-The Bodies of Some OF
the Victims Recovered.
LOUISVILLE, KY, Jan. 10.-Sixteen
men working in caisson used in the
excavation of a foundation for a pier of
the new bridge across the Ohio river,
between this city and Jacksonville
were caught by a sudden burst of water,
caused, it is thought, by too rapid ex-
cavation, and are believed to have been
drowned. Engines and workmen have
been at work all night trying to pump
out the water. repair the break and ex-
tricate the men, but thus far without
| success. The caiSson is located two
hundred yards from the Kentucky bank,
in about twenty-five feet of water.
Twenty men were at work in it. The
caisson proper is twelve feet under
water and is reached by man-hole
shaft, which projects above the waters
surface. This shaft is reached by four
I trap-doors from the interior of the cais-
SON.
! Shortly before six o'clock last even
ing while the men were eXcavating in
the bottom of the caisson the water
from the river burst under the
edge of the huge machine and the
unfortunate workmen were caught
/ like rats in trap. OF the twenty
men in the caisson when the flooding
was first noticed Frank Haddox, Louis
Couch, James Morrell and Abe Taylor sue
ceeded in reaching the traps TO the man.
hole shaft and escaped. The fate of the
others is as yet unknown, but there is
hardly possibility that any of them
are alive.
Those still in the caisson are: Thomas
Johnson, Monroe Boiling, Foreman John
Knox, Frank Mayer, Fred Soaper, JOS
| McAdams, Tom Ash, Hamilton Morris,
w. f. Haynes, Reuben Tyler, Chris
Childs, Thos Smith. John Gordon, Louis
Cox and Peter Taylor.
Abe Taylor, one Of the survivors, tells
the following story of the accident, and
the horrible fight for life of the panic
stricken workmen imprisoned in the
air chamber beneath the bed of the
river. The men were at work in the
soft bottom of the river. They made
| such rapid progress yesterday in the
muddy surf that the excavation went
down faster than the caissOn, whose
great weight was expected to carry it
gradually down. keeping pace with the
work of excavating, to a rock founda-
ton. Yesterday afternoon an unusual
quantity of water began to trickle from
under the caisSon's edges, but the pumps
were at work taking it out and no aD-
apprehension was felt. Gradually tho
incoming tide increased until suddenly
from under the caissOn on every side
flood gushed in. The men. too late, re-
allied their deadly peril and all rushed
for the exit into the escape pipe. Immc-
diately around the little trap door which
admitted to liberty and life, the frantic
unfortunates fought like demons, all
knowing that but few of them could
pass through the inner trap before the
air chamber was completely filled by
the in-rushing tide. Only one could go
through at time, and as one man
gained pre-eminence he was snatched
by his frenzied companions and drawn
back into the struggling crowd. Mean
while the flood rose swiftly and relent-
lessly. The caisson roof was scarcely
higher than the mems heads, and to be
left behind was thought to be certain
death. Taylor says he was the last of
the Survivors to escape into the outer
lock. As he escaped from the clutches
of dozen hands and leaped through the
door into the outer trap he heard Knox,
the foreman. shout: For Gods sake
hurry, boys. it's getting over my head.
Let the shortest men go first"
The trap fell back behind Taylor anC,
shut his doomed comrades from view.
1t is supposed that before any others
could escape they were all drowned.
The workmen at the pumps, at late
hour last night, however, thought there
was a chance that some of the impris-
oned workmen were still alive. The
air gauge on the engine which pumps
air into the caisson shows a strong and
steady pressure of air in the air shaft
and caisson, and it is thought possible
that the compressed air in the Caisson
will be sufficient to keep the water from
raising to the top and that some of the
men may be able to keep their heads
above water until released.
At one o'clock this morning the outer
chamber of the caisson was reached and
three bodies were found. All the men
in the caisson proper are known to be
dead.
Messrs. Sooy & Smith, of New York,
are the contracting engineers In charge
Of the caisson work. The Phoenix
Bridge Company, a Pennsylvania cor
poration, have the contract for the con-
struction of the bridge.
The engineers theory of the accident,
which is partially supported by facts
obtained from the workmen who es-
capped, is that the foreman, who, it is
alleged. had been drinking, while at
tempting to reduce the air pressure
turned the valve of the supply pipe too
far and the pressure of the air on the
interior of the caisson became so low
that the caisson settled in the mud of
its own weight. at the same time admit
ting the water.
Released Bail.
CHICAGO. Jan. 10.-W. II. Bidgood,
the Englishman who clerked in n. C.
Fredericksen's land office and was in
dicted with him as accessory in his
fraudulent mortgage transactions. was
released on s., 900 bail yesterday. 1t is
said that the receiver of the Frederick
sen accounts has become convinced that
Bid good is innocent, and that he would
DO of great assistance to him in unrav-
cling the accounts.
Honoring Their Dead.
J. al n.,I-