The Washington times., 1905-03-28
BLOWN FROM TUNNEL
THROUGH EAST RIVER
Workman Upward Through River Bed to the Sur
face-"Never Touched Him.

NEW YORK. March 2S.-Hurled
through break in one of the new East
river tunnels. driven to the surface and
flung twenty feet into the air, Richard
Creedon, a laborer was rescued only
slightly hurt His escape from death
seemed almost miraculous
Three men who were working with
f.ng in the -high-pressure compartment
Were rescued from drowning in a man
her that made their ESCAPE from death
almost as remarkable as that of Cree
don. A il We're painfully but not seriously
injured.
Working in Tunnel.
The men were at work in the forward
compartment of the railroad tunnel un-
der the East river, between Brooklyn
and the Battery, which is TO be used
eventually 10 connect the Manhattan
subway lines with Brooklyn subway
lines. Two tubes side by side are in pro-
cess of construction.
The Brooklyn end of one of the tubes
had been extended about fifteen feet be-
yond the end of the pier line at the foot
of Joralemon street Twenty-Five men
We're at work in the tunnel Creedon and
his three companions were in the for
ward compartment working under high
pressure of air. In compartment buch
OF them eighteen ether men were at
work. This second compartment was
not afff cted by, the accident, as there is
bulkhead between them.
Shore Workers Terrified.
Creedon was the first to ascertain
that the roof OF the tunnel was leaking
and tf.at the air was rushing out into
the bottom Of the East River, which
was about forty feet deep above them.
| With sandbags he attempted to plug up
The leak, but as he did SO the whole
roof was blown out and the tremendous
force Of the compressed air drove Cree
don out through the hole
! The upward rush Of air carried him
| to the surface in a twinkiing, and he
shot into the air with great force. By
ISLANDERS quickly fished him out of the
| water. He was considerably bruised
and shaken up, but was not dangerous
| ly hurt. Bystanders VINO saw the man
| shot to the surface say that he was shot
| twenty feet into the air from the level
Of the water. and that his startling ap-
! pearance so frightened several Italian
! laborerS on the nearby pier that they
! took to flight. His companions We're
| dragged back through the tunnel by
! Workmen from the next compartment. 2
Felt for His Dollar.
1T seemed to me as though 1 came
| up like a feather through a fiue. /
! doq't believe l touched the water until
l fell back into it. l started head first
and turned a somersault on the way
! up. l suffered terribly from a sudden
reduction OF the air pressure for min
ute after the outside air entered my
| lungs. l had dollar bill in my pocket
| when / left the tunnel. and the first
thing I did after being fshed out of
the river was TO feel for that bill. 1t
| was there.
{ ITO be down in the tunnel under the
bed of the river one minute and spin
ming around in the air the next knocked
Inc silly. One trip of that kind is
enough for me.
"In my inspection Of the tunnel / no.
| ticed that a sharp draft of air was
pressing upward. and later discovered
! that there was q fissure in the top OF
| the tunnel. This was but fraction
| Of an inch in width when | first saw II.
ard L noticed that some OF the earth
! or the top Of the bore was being showed
through the small aperture by the force
| of the compressed air.
Tried to Choke Leak.
Running to a pile of bags filled with
sawdust and hay which are kept handy
for just such emergencies. and at the
/ jca.T inn giving