The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-04-15
PINNED DOWN BY LEAD
Deafh Ends Hours Of Terrible Suffer-
ing Of Diver.
ERoIsM OF Two OTHER DIVERS.
They Risk Their Own Lives In Trying to save
Theis Brother From His Prison. unoer I"
Feet Of Water, at the Bottom Of the Jersey
City Reservoir Signals From Doomed
Man Grow Fainter rs His Strength Fails.

Boonton. N. j., Especially PINNED
down by his foot by two tons OF iead
IN the darkness and silence OF u feet
of water at the bottom of the big
zeservoir of the Jersey City Water
Supply Company. at this place, DIVER
has lain since O'Clock Monday after
noon. At intervals during the "a
hours of his Imprisonment he signaleo
10 the men at the air pumps on the
shore of the reservoir, letting them
know that he was still alive. The
est signal was received at 100 O'CLOCK
p M. The movements of the signal
line grew fainter and fainter, and
analiy ceased.
While it seems certain the man
8 dead, after suffering terrible agony
Tor hours, the men at the air pump on
The raft still pumped away, with the
sorlorn hope that they were still CIV
ing him the breath of life while he
was unconscious.
The efforts of skilled rescurers in
Guiding four divers and other experts,
aided by scores of Iandsmen, to save
&his one mans life have been cease
less for about IS hours, and are al
most unparalleled in the history OF
marine dangers.
Every wrecker device known to
the most experienced diver, II 1t could
be brought into use in this emergency,
has been tried, without avail And
If it were possible to tear away the
very walls of the1reservoir without the
loss of other lives in the flood the
wreckers would not have stopped at
1he loss of property.
Thousands of spectators watched
Tor the end of this strange tragedy
under water, a terrific pressure OF two
atmospheres which brought blood to
the eyes and finger nails of the heroic
yescuers who dropped overheard from
the raft to try to save their bother
diver:
A special train was secured at the
yards of the Luckawanna Railroad at
Hoboken. Two expert divers were
procured and brought to the reservoir
IN all speed.
With an electric lighting apparatus
one of these divers descended and
found that the great ball of lead had
slipped into place suddenly and that
the divers foot had been caught be-
tween the ball and the edge of the
aperture leading into the pipe. The
second diver went down at once and
an effort was made by the two to dis
lodge the ball. Their puny strength
was as nothing, and after hours OF
work, at short intervals, with rests be-
tween, they conveyed the knowledge
to the imprisoned man of the hope
9essness Of his condition and went to
the surface.
At intervals the two divers descend
ed and tried to help the poor fellow.
Finally they became exhausted and
two other divers volunteered to en-
gage in the hopeless and perilous task
They reported it was impossible to
resist the suction of the water within
IS feet of the mouth of the pipe, en-
numbered as they were by their armor
and tools.
They described the doomed diver
as lying on his back on the bottom
with his left foot securely pinned be-
ncath the ball of lead. whose whole
weight rests upon it. They said that
the man must have dislodged the ball
by his first efforts and been drawn I'M
derneath it by the suction at the same
time. They reported that they thought
that the doomed mans leg might have
been broken and that his suffering wa;
probably greater than can be ina
pined.