Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1904-04-16
BOONTON'S TRAGEDY.
Reservoirs, Gives Up Body Of Diver
william Hoar.

BOONTON, n. J., April 16.-Ninetyt
five hours after he descended to the
bottom of the Boonton reservoir to be
trapped and suffer lingering death
the body of William Hoar, the diver,
has been brought to the surface. John
M. Rice, the Brooklyn diver who re-
paired the valve sixty-fve feet below
the water surface so that the suction
holding Hoar's body to the bottom
was cut off, worked away at the reser-
voir's bottom and at / o'clock gave the
signal to the men on the raft to hoist
away.
It was hard pull to drag the
weighted divers armor with its mani
mate contents to the waters surface.
As soon as 1t was on level with the
raft it was made fast, and then the
helpers seized it and drew it aboard.
The glass opening in the helmet was
unlocked, but not sign Of life was
apparent.
Next Diver Rice was drawn up from
the reservoir bottom. The men on the
raft signaled the shore as soon as they
began to draw up Hoar's body, and
Coroner Collins of Morristown and
DR.. Taylor of Boonton, who had been
kept waiting nearby, at once put off in
a rowboat for the raft.
The suction OF the four foot sluice
pipe had caught the diver and held his
leg fast. Men and horses pulled in
vain attempts to draw him from his
position between the fange Of the big
pipe and the great ball designed to act
as a plug. So great was the strain
when the horses were pulling against
the power of the swift current at the
mouth of the pipe that Hoar's diving
suit gave way.
It parted at the left knee, and the
shoe, with it's eighteen pounds Of lead;
the mans trousers and his sock be-
meath the canvas leg OF his suit were
torn away with it. This admitted the
water, and as exhaustion overcame the
his head was on level with his feet,
and the water rushed through the suit
and drove the air out.
Diver Rice was at work early in the
morning, and when he went below the
surface it was thought that a half
hours work would release Hoar's
body. Conditions were so bad, how
ever, at the great depth at which the
diver worked that all the morning was
consumed before Rice could give the
signal to hoist the body. He had to
move slightly the great ball OF lead
and wood intended to stop the escape
pipe originally lowered and the weight
OF which pinioned Hoar at the reser-
vy0Svfc nj Ts AAa
To move the great ball required hours
OF prying under disadvantageous cir
cumstances. Several times Rice had to
ascend to the surface to rest and re-
cuperate
By 8 o'clock Diver Rice and his as
sistant had all repairs made, and the
water was shut off from the pipe. The
whole time occupied by Rice in stop
ping the suction was about eight hours.
1t 10 believed that if the plan finally
adopted had been followed when it
was first found that Hoar was caught
between the pipe and the ball the
mans life would have been saved.
A rope was run from the shore to
the ball. After long wait the men on
the raft signaled the men on shore.
In response the rope was manned and
ala effort made to dislodge the ball.
Notwithstanding the fact that the sue
ton had been stopped, the great weight
of the ball made it difficult matter to
bulge ii. Time and again the men
strained at the rope, but the ball did
not appear to move.
At last, after half dozen attempts
%l1o no ii wa q diSIodood a nj Y,r1lIod owov
from the end of the pipe.
Then Hoar's dead body was brought
mp.