The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-29
CAUGHT BY FALLING EARTH
MATT ANDERSON NEARLY BURIED
ALIVE BY cAvE-IN IN A SEWER.
He Was NJ work In . nsg Hole o.
washinGten street When The Acct.
dent fsappenea-Rcscuea ~ Con.

panions-Had q Narrow Escape.
For tHfse-auartsrs OF an hour yesterday
Matt Anderson a Iabcrsr employed in dig
ging a sewer on WASHINGTON street and
Second avenue south was pinned between
walls OF hardpan. IN . hoe fifteen feet
deep below the surface of the street. An
derson VAS laying sewer pipe In the bot
tom 1t the ditch when the earth caved ia
around him, buryins him up to his hrsa$-
the extreme. He was alone when the ac-
cident happened. Yet he made no out
cry. waiting patiently while the wet gravel
and sticky clay settled around his body.
making any movement whatever impossi-
Bile.
After nearly an hours work Anderson
was extricated from his perilous position
by two men. Fear of living tomb did
not seem TO affect the man. Not once.
even N the face or possible suffocation
from another cavern which Threatened
the workers, did he lose his nerve. The
imprisoned man worked like a beaver to
extricate himself, offering suggestions TO
those who assisted him down In the dark.
narrow little hole at the bottom of the
trench. When finally he was assisted out
Of the ditch he emptied the sand and
gravel from the pockets of his coat and
accepted the invitation OF some friends
to take a little spiritual encouragement
in a neighboring saloon.
Anderson Is employed by .. {. McGray,
who received contract for connecting the
los on the southwest corner OF Washington
street and Second avenue south with the
main sewer on Washington street. 1t was
necessary to dig through the hardpan and
gravel 10 the man pipe, which was tapped
at distance OF abou. fifteen feet. The
walls OF the ditch were cribbed with 2xl2
inch FIR lumber. This was sufficient to pre-
vent any earth from breaking into the
ditch, except at one vital point, which
seemed to have been overlooked. This was
at the end of the ditch, or where II tapped
the main sewer.
Apparently, the contractor had not fig
ured on finding that the earth n the Old
ditch was soft and easily loosened. At
the intersection of the new ditch with the
old the sand and gravel was found 10 be
loose and soft and the passing OF car
or heavily loaded truck was all thai was
necessary to shake the earth into the pit
where the man was working.
At about l0.i5 yesterday morning Con-
tractor McGray left Anderson al the bot
tom of the ditch while he went after
length Of sewer pipe required TO make the
connection TO the man sewer. Anderson
was opening place for the new pipe
when, without an ilstant's warning,
great mass of earth broke through the
cribbing at the end OF the ditch near the
middle OF the street, covering him up
to HE shoulders and breast.
Anderson. who Is a hardy, even-tempsred
xatSfh 81.
plenty Of grit, saw that If he struggled TO
free himself he would only make matters
worse. He cooily made a survey OF his
surroundings. and then called for help.
1t was about this time, and before An
derson had made any move 10 extricate
himself. that Contractor McGray returned
A crowd had gathered about the ditch In
the meanwhile. and quickly grew In size
McGray called for assistance. G. W.
Dahlgrtn volunteered. There was room
but for two men In the ditch. and so Nc
Gray and Dahlgren went down 10 help the
imprisoned man out.
Officer Robert Holtzclaw appeared on the
scene just as .he work OF rescue was be-
gun by Dahigren ard McGray. He saw
that the passing Of a street car along
Washington street would loosen more earth
and .n1peril the lives of the three men at
the bottom OF the ditch. He Immediately
stopped all heavy traffic along the street.
The crowd increased 10 nearly 300 people.
who watched the work Of rescue from
points Of vantage around the ditch. being
restrained with difficulty from causing an
Down in the ditch Dahlgren and Mc;vay
Down In the Hitch DaHigrsn and McGray
worked with might and main to loosen
the earth around Anderson's waist and
hips. The sand and gravel had settled
around the man In a marve.ousiy short
time. but after fifteen minutes work the
upper part of Anderson's body WAS clear
and then he was In position 10 help his
reseuers.
How do you feel Mattr" cheerily callsd
an Acquaintance from the street
ooh, I'm ali right" was the response.
The workers dug faster and faster, fearing
another cave-in.
Don't you want drink. Matte" yelled
another friend CT the imprisoned man, but
Anderson declined even this tempting offer.
and. asking for a shovel, began 10 dig the
earth frcm around him and shovel il TO
those above him.
L. seemed an intermnabl@ time before
enough earth was removed 10 allow An
derson the use of his lower limbs. For
half an hour after this. Anderson and the
other tive workers shovelsd sand and grav-
., from around his feet without releasing
him. The space between the walls Of
haripan wa. very narrow and Anderson ;
lower FxfrFFnit-sr were ihEEoDeu as IL held
in a wise 81 iron. Finally. a trowel was
handed him and little by little he loosened
the grave until one foot vas extrica;ed
Seeing this. sons one In the crowd
yelled. When you get both your Trilbys
out, Matt. come over 20 Billy McArdie's
ard have 'em shi3ed.
A dozen willing hands were reached out
4, Anderson when he was finally released
from what ID gbt easily have been HE
living fos1b He was quickly surrounded
bv friends and taken into a nelghbo-ing
house. where he was provided with A
change Of clothing.
The los - owned by Edward Van der
Ven. A brick building is 10 be trected
upon L.
Nt.rs~.~