The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-05-05

Rope Pulled Him Out Dripping Wet
and Covered With Mud.
Beneath the sidewalk on Exchange
street on the westerly side and opposite
the fruit store, numbered "a, across from
the post office, is deep reservoir which
was formerly used by the fire department
before the city was piped with Sebago
water. This reservoir. has not been used
for years and few people knew that such
a pit existed beneath tbs sidewalk at this
point.
Yesterday afternoon Mr. Thomas King
of South Paris, who is a delegate to the
Masonic bodies. which are holding their
annual assemblage in this city, was walk
ing quietly down Exchange street, on the
westerly side. Suddenly the sidewalk
beneath his feet gave away and: Mr..
King plunged feet first down into the
reservoir, accompanied by large amount
of bricks, granite slabs and earth. The
water. was SO deep in the reservoir that
the top of Mr.. Kings head was just out OF
water and he had to scramble about pref
ty lively to prevent himself from being
drowned.
A team of the Portland Sanitary COM
stone, just opposite the part of the side
walk which gave away, and James A.
johnson, Patrick Cayanaugh and FL, G.
Stewart were engaged in taking ashes out
of the cellar OF B. J. Curran's barber
shop.
When Mr.. King disappeared from sight,
as ii the earth had opened TO swallow
him up, these three men rushed to the
spot and looking down into the deep pit,
saw Mr.. King struggling in the dirty
water tito get This head above the surface.
Patrolman Pickett was near by when the
accident occurred and hurried up in time
to keep the big crowd which collected,
away from the place. Had this not been
done the sidewalk which had been under
mined, might have fallen ON Mr.. King
and buried him under tons of stone and
earth.
The three men of the Sanitary company
got a rope out of their team, and making
loop in it, lowered it down to Mr.. King,
jured by his fall. The rope was grasped
by the man and the loop placed around
his shoulders. His hat was floating in
the dirty water near him and before he
gave the signal for.the men on the side
walk above to haul him up Mr.. King res
covered the hat, and placing the rim of it
between his teeth, grasped the rope with
both hands and shouted for those above
to haul away.
The three men on the rope pulled with
might and main and soon hauled Mr..
King safely out on to the sidewalk. His
clothes were covered with mud and he
was of course completely drenched. When
the top of his head appeared above the
sidewalk the big crowd about the spot
gave cheer of delight and rushed for
ground, and only for the exertions of
PatroIman Pickett some of these people
would have taken Mr.. Kings place in
the cold water below them.
Mr.. King seemed a little dazed at what
had befallen him. and stood for time on
the sidewalk until some of his friends
recognized him and hurried him away to
secure dry clothes. He did not appear to
be very much injured and told PRESS
reporter that he thought he would be all
right as soon as he got some dry clothes
on.
II was walking along the sidewalk
towards Middle street, said Mr.. King,
when, suddenly, the whole side walk be-
meath my feet gave away and fell into
the water. 1t frightened me considerably
of course, but I managed to get hold of
something and kept my head out of wat
er until the rope was lowered down to
me.''
About two yards square of sidewalk
had fallen into the reservoir and an ex-
animation showed that the sidewalk for
was undermined by this reservoir and
unsupported, Originally the sidewalk
had been held up by granite slabs and
timbers, but the tim bers had rotted away,
the granite slabs broken and the sidewalk
unsupported needed but slight jar to
send it down into the pit. Why Mr. King
should have fallen into this hole while
hundreds of other people are constantly
passing above the spot, it is hard to say,
but it only needed slight jar to cause
the cave in and Mr.. King was unfortu-
nate enough to step on the right spot
at just the wrong time.
Ex-Superintendent of Streets George S.
Staples, who was in the vicinity at the
time. said that the cause of the accident
was the breaking Of the granite slab be-
meath the sidewalk He said that there
were lots of these reservoirs about the
city and some of them had not been re-
paired for years. They are of no use now
and should be filed in to avoid accidents
of this kind in the future. Mr.. Staples
said that there was certainly 20 feet of
water in the reservoir into which Mr..
King had fallen, Had the accident oc.
CURED at night the victim would certain
ly have been drowned right here in the
heart Of the city, AS it was it was mar.