The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-04-16
RESERVOIR
TRAGEDY
Body of Diver William Hoar Re-
covered Through Efforts of
a Brooklyn Expert.

BOONTON, y. j., April 16,--Ninety-
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
NJ, Rice the Brooklyn diver who re-
paired the valve siXty-hye feet below
the water surface so that the suction
holding Hoar's body to the bottom
was cut off, worked away at the reser-
yoir's bottom ana at ! o'clock gave the
signal 10 the men on the raft to hoist
away.
1t was a hard pull to drag the
weighted divers armor with its mani
mate contents to the waters surface.
AS soon as it was on level with the
raft 1t Was made fast, and then the
helpers seized It and drew il aboard
The glass opening in the helmet was
unlocked, but not a 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
Or. Taylor of Boonton, who had been
kept waiting nearby, ut once put of 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 fnnge of the big
pipe and the great ball designed to act
ms 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.
1t parted at the left knee, and the
shoe, with its 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
struggling man he finally sank so that
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 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-
voir's bottom and caused his death
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 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 I'm stop
ping the suction WIS about eight hours.
1t is believed that If the plan finally
adopted had been followed when il
was first found that Hoar was caught
between the pipe and the ball the
mans life would have been saved
4 rope was run from the shore to
the ball. After a long wait the men on
the raft signaled the men on shore.
In response the rope was manned and
an effort made to disodge the ball.
Notwithstanding the fact that the sue
ton had been stopped, the great weight
Of the ball made it a difficult matter to
bulge it, Time and again the men
strained at the rope, but the bah did
not appear to move.
At last, after half dozen attempts,
the ball was dislodged and pulled away
from the end of the pipe
Then Hoar's dead body was brought
up.