Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-01-16
DEATH IN A CAISS0N.
SIXTEEN MEN BELIEVED TO HAVE
BEEN DROWNED IN LOUISVILLE.

while Excavating for Foundation fer q
Pier the Men Are Caught by a Sudden
Burst of water-Es1t Four Men Escape
LOUISVILLE, KY, Jan. 10.-Sixteen
men working in caisson used in the eX-
cavation of a foundation for pier of the
new bridge across the Ohio river. be
tween this city and Jeffersonville, were
caught by a sudden burst of water,
caused, il is thought. by too rapid ex-
cavation, and are believed to have been
drowned Engines and workmen have
been at work all night to pump out the
water, repair the break and extrlcate the
men, but thus far without success. The
caisson is located 200 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 a
man-hole shaft, which projects above
the water This shaft is reached by four
trap doors from the interior of the cais-
son. Shortly before O'Clock last even
ing, while the men were excavatng the
bottom of the caisson, the water from
the river burst under the edge of the
huge machine and the unfortunate
workmen were caught ike rats IN a
trap. OF the twenty men in the caisSon
when the flooding was first noticed. Abe
Taylor, Frank Haddox, Louis Couch and
James Morrill, succeeded in reaching the
traps to the man-hole shaft and escaped.
The fate of the others is vet unknown.
but there is hardly possibility that any
are alive. Those still in the caisson are:
Thomas johnson, Monroe Boiling, John
Knox, foreman; Frank Mayer. Fred
Soaper, Joseph McAdams, Tom Ash,
Hamilton Morris. W. E. Haynes, Reu-
ben Tyler, Chris Childs. Thomas Smith,
John Gordon, Louis Cox, Peter Nailor.
A Survivors, Story.
Abe TAYLOR, one of the survivors, tells
the following story of the accident, and
the horrible fight for life of the panic
stricken men imprisoned in the air cham
ber beneath the bed of the river: THE
men were at work in the soft bottom of
the river They made such rapid pro-
gress in the muddy surface that the ex-
cayation 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 foundation. 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 apprehension
was felt. Gradually the incoming tide
increased until suddenly from under the
edge of the caisson, on every side, a flood
gushed in. The men, too late. realized
the deadly peril, and all rushed for the
exit into the escape pipe. Immediately
around the little trap door which admit
ted to liberty and life the frantic unfor-
tunates fought like demons, all knowing
that but a 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 a 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 ReIentIessly.
The caisson roof was scarcely higher
than the mems heads, and to be left be-
hind was thought to be certain death.
Taylor says he was the last of the sur
vivors to escape into the outer lock. As
he escaped from the clutches of d dozen
hands and leaped through the trap into
the outer lock, he heard Knox, the fore
man. shout: For Gods sake hurry
boys, its getting over my head. Let the
shortest men go first The trap fell
back behind Taylor and I, 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, however. think there is chance
that some of the imprisoned workmen
are still alive. The air guage on the
engine which pumps air into the caisson
shows strong and steady pressure of
air in the air shaft and caisson, and it is
possible that the compressed air in the
caisson will be sufficient to keep the
water from rising to the top, and that
some of the men may be able to keep
their heads above the water until re-
lieved.