The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-25
BURIED, BUT ALIVE.
John Gilligan Had Thirty Tons of
Coal on Him.

NEW YoRB, Feb. 25.-John Gilligan was
imprisoned in a coal crib with 30 tons OF
coal upon him on Friday afternoon, and
only escaped death when chute was open
ed and he was shot out on the pier. lie was
buried for 40 minutes.
Gilligan. who Is 80 years old, and a
giant in strength, lives al 150 Pamrapo
street, jersey City. He is one OF the
many who were loading carts with coal
at the foot of Hudson street, Jersey City.
on Friday, under the direction OF Daniel
Kenny. Hundreds OF tons of coal of vari-
GUS sizes are stored there temporarily in
great hoppcrs, built on crib work. These
are {. lled direct from the vessels which
carry the coal 10 port.
The bottom OF the hopper Is some feet
above the isr. A chute is opened and
the coal, forced downward by its own
weight, fills cart in twinkllng.
The hopper at which Gilligan was work.
ing is about 40 feet high. The pea coal
il contained, wet by the rain and snow,
had become frozen. As it didn't run
down the chute as rapidly as was desirable
the foreman told Gilligan to go up and
loosen the mass.
Gilligan, carrying the iron rod IL feet
long, stood on the coal Immediately
above the chute and thrust the rod deep
"
had worked at the coal this winter and
he was not as cautious as he should have
been. The chute was open and the coal
rushed out below by the ton. The GEN.
ter of the heap in the hopper sank sud
denly, and with IL sank Gilligan and his
long iron rod. In his excitement he got
astride of the rod. But for that he would
The ends OF the rod caught the sloping
sioe OF the hopper and stopped the man
in his descent. BY instinct he threw his
arms over his face.
Tie coal from above buried him in an
instant. The men on pier estimated after
ward that he was beneath thirty tons of
II. He shouted once as he shot down.
ward, and the man who was working be-
low guessed what had happened. He
summoned aid, and with Others, they
tore away the bands forming the chute,
and seized one OF Gilligan's legs. They
gave a long pull and strong pull and a
pull all together but the rod was strong
er than they were, and Gilligan didn't
move.
From the inarticulate complaint which
came down through the coal they decid-
ed that Gilligan was trying to explain
something. lie was. AS well as a man
whose mouth, nose and eyes are full Of
coal, he was trying 10 tell them about the
steel rod. He could get little air where
he was, and although the pressure from
above was frightful he had no desire to
be pulled limb from limb.
The men tore away more OF the chute
and discovered the rod. Gilligan still
made himself heard at intervals, but they
thought he was dying. One Of them ran
to machine shop nearby, and returned
with saw used for cutting iron. BY
means Of this the rod, which held the
man and clogged the chute, was cut.
Gilligan went into the hoe at four
O'Clock. Ii was a quarter TO five when
the men succeeded In cutting the tar.
Then they stood clear. There was a
mighty rush OF coal. With 1t came a
beckened object, which fell into the
heap on the pier, and was buried at once,
slthough there was evidence of fierce re-
sistance. the object was 6iligan.
They fell Cpou the heap aud dug him
ont he stood up, cleared his eyes aud
his mouth OF coal, inhaled a great breath
Of fresh air and fell to examining his
limbs. They were a trihe strained, but
not broken. Ia ten minutes be was at
work With bis roscueTs, shovsling into
ca7t some tons OF coal which had follow
ed him out OF the chute.
"It's well for We that ye're young
man, Giliigan, said the foreman. 4 "If
ye'd been an ola one IL would have done
for ye."
"pm older than I were," quoth Gill
gan. "IH poke from the side next
tine, 'stid OF going into the middle
OF IL.