New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-22
FOUR MEN BURIED ALIVE.
CAvEIN OF A BIG WATER CONDUIT.
BROOKLYN NOW HAS HER WATER SCARE ALSO
THREATENED WITH FAMINE
THROUGH AN ACCIDENT.
THROUGH AN ACCIDEN

cent and Liberty In the Tweny-sXth "aru'
about 900 feet east OF the Rdgewood pumping station
which supplies the RidgewOod Reservoir Inc hour
was 80 p. About 135 men were Mt work under
Crawford Valentine. contractors. putting down the
new conduit parallel to the old one extending into
Queens County trench had been dug twelve feet
wide on the south side Ct the old conduit and about
thirty five feet deep. In 1t 4sinch cast iron pipe
being laid. suddenly the bank OF
newly thrown up earth gave way over
the old conduit and caved into the trench, buryins
seven workman. About two hours after, workman
while aiding in digging out the trench was buried by
the earth giving way beneath him. -Four OF the men
rescued The killed
HUGH MURPHY, twenty.six years old. unmarried Ia
berer. home unknown.
JosEY CosINE. Italian. twenty years old, shoveiler
An Italian workman whose identity IS unknown.
The injured men were
M sn s sa aSa
ave. foreman. poisoned by escaping gas.
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vENES svE swsnsynvs ysarso GS SS cas ana
At the time OF the accident the only man at the
bottom Of the trench John Bauer The Others
were at work about eight feet from the surface OF the
ground fixing the plank sheafhlng which keeps the
sides Of the trepch from cavlng In The new pipes
being laid close to the old conduit and all the
earth from the trench thrown to the north on top
of the old conduit Just back of the place where the
brak occurred the ppeaying machine and derrick
The men we're about to lay a section OF the great
iron pipe. Each section Of this pipe weighs rom
5000 to 10000 pounds and is lowered into the trench
by the derrick on the machine which rests on the
edges OF the trench.
The earth at the sides of the trench was held back
by wiz. Of 2inch plank, 13 feet long, bnccd WIN
rangers 4x12 inches and % feet long, and crospcces
seven feet apart The trench was about twelve feet
wide. On large section Of pipe was on the machine
and several men on the platform. Across the trench
where the work was going on, WIS 1oinch supply
ppe Of the Long Island Water Supply Company. IL
had from forty to fifty pounds pressure 10 the square
inch. 1t was exposed for about fifteen feet, and
baced up by two pieces Of timber. 1t WAS only
about five feet below the surface OF the ground
small gas-pipc from Ashford-s and Atlantic ave-, was
near it also Both broken at the time OF the
giving way of the bank The escaping gas nearly
caused the death OF two Of the men who were not
buried deeply.
Just what caused the accident is matter Of dis
pute Some say that the Long Island Water supply
pipe broke and washed the earh away from the brick
conduit causing il to give way. The view OF others
is that the old conduit weak and the arch caved
in under the men. while still another exp!ana ION Is
that tho excavation for the new pipe took away
the support OF the brick arch, and that the wooden
bulkhead not properly put up The latter
explanation seems TO be the probable in view OF
stories tod by some Of the workmen
John Bauer says the break was sudden and without
warning. lie was at the bottom of the shaft, The
water from the broken conduit and its load Of sand
coming around him. acted buoy and Afted him out
of tho ditch so TINT he reached by rcsccrs
Two days ago the pavement in ubertyave above the
conduit was seen TO be cracked, and the bulhead was
| seen TO be bulging. g.. ..
When the break occurred the water stopped running
from the conduit the wells at the Rdgewood pump
ing station, from which 1t Is pumped 10 the reservoir
Robert Faron the engineer Of the pumping station saw
the water falling In the wells and stopped the pumps
Word was Immediately sent out over the line to open
the waste wires, which placed every two miles along
the line so that water could flow into the caved III
cut The Long Island water supply pipe was also at
once cut Off from Its reservoir
Word was at once sent TO the Seventeenth Precinct
Police Station Captain French and number Of his
men were attending the funeral Of Detective Sergeant
McNeany but the sergeant I'm charge sent all his avail
able force to the Thirty men were sent from
that station and the Fourteenth, Ninth and Twelfth
precincts sent and patrol wagons to assist and Fire
Truck No. also went to the scene. Ambulance Sur
geon !. n. Downey, OF St Mary's Hospital attended
tie men wlio taken out.
The lives OF two Of them were miracuiously
saved JOHN Bauer as has been sad, lifted from
the depth by the sand flowing in about him. Michael
smith had hori OF rope attacked to the derrick lie
clung TO it as the bank caved and the ppe-aying
machine went down. and by its aid he succeeded In
keeping himself from being deeply buried Fellow
workmen him and with the aid oil soveiS ana pun
ing on the rope, got him out.
After the workmen had been digging about two
hours TO get the bodies Of those buried an unknown
Italian suddenly dropped from sight lie was above
the conduit when the earth sank beneath MN ana he
was seen no more. The sand closed over him as IL
had been before.
Contractors Crawford g. Valentine Immediately
after set 200 men to work. Progress was SLOW 1t
was not safe to 90 into the trench to dig out the
hurled men, but the great pile Of earth above the
conduit had to be shoveled away and wide cut
made Late last evening 1t seemed as thousn
little or 10 earth had been moved something hau
been done, however. The four men who were near '
surface had taken out carried to house near oy'
treated and taken home. They will all recover. Ihe
first man was rescued within five minutes Last even
ing they could give no Intelligent account OF the acct
dent II was 50 sudden that all they knew was that
they were buried. The other four were buried slVe'
and their bodies will he dug out today.
Tho old conduit which has broken, on which Brook
lyn depended for supply to the reservoirs was
built about 1855. 1t is ten feet wide and elght ect
high The bottom is concave, with sides rising nealy
perpendIcuIar and an arched roof The roof Is sM
teen inches thick and Of brick The side walls are
three feet thick and the bottom Is OF planhihg' COLI
crete and asphalt 1t is about seventeen miles long
and connects the storage reservoir at Rockville ,ehtro
and the other Of supply oil Long Island WIN
the Ridgewood pumping station.
Now that 1t Is broken, Brooklyn IS lei. VII"
thrty-sI hours supply Of water on hand IN 'he
reservoir besides what is In the pipes. Van Bruht
Bergen tie assistant engineer OF the Department oi
City Works, last evening said that the accident nap
pencd at particularly unfortunate time. There are
three reservoirs at Ridgewood. Only the centre one
was filed One Of the Others Is new and mas no' peeh
filed The other has just been cleaned Tor the hrSe
time I'm thirty years. The centre reservoir contains
about $1,000. COO gallons OF water The averss daiy
consumption in BROOKLYN is 55OOo,CO0. That will
have 20 supply the city until the conduit Is repaired
to some extent, at least. There Is one driven wen
at the Rdgewood pumping station, which supplies
100000 ~ 1900, 900 gallons daily.