The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-28
Workman Hurled From TulHal
on GayssT 80 Feet High.
BLOWN BY COMPRESSED AIR
Picked Up Almost UnhuFt, but
Bitter Cold, He Said.

Tunnel, Forced Through hua ana
water Aner Attempting to stop
Leak-HIs Body Plugged the Hole an
Instant and HC Helped Ills Upward
FiIght-Takes His strange Adventure
Calmly-Three Men With Him Rescued
in Time-The Tunnel Not Greatly
DAmGgcd-Oocurrence Unprecedented
The early morning ierryboats wers plying
yesterday past the foot Of Joralemon street
Brooklyn. with their loads Of city-faTing
clerks. The days trafio was beginning 70
lven up the river; the workmen along the
wharves we're beating the early morning
stiffness out Of their limbs. The river was ~
quiet as busy river may be.
Suddenly, some one leaning over the rail
Of ferryboat noticed boiling and bubbltnS
on the surface OF the water just on shore.
The workmen along the shore saw Il, too,
and stopped 70 watch The bubbling sub
sided, seemed about to stop altogether
Then a straight geyser Of water shot up
thirty feet high. On the crest OF the geyscr
was the whiriing body Of a man. The geyser
subsidized The man turned over In the
water and struck out feebly as boat shot
out from shore and hauled him in.
Those early morning ferry passengers
had seen the finish OF the queerest accident
that has happened since man began 70 dig In
the earth Richard Creegan, a tunnei ler, had
been blown by the force Of compressed air,
from a water tight compartment Of the new
East River tunnel, clear through the bed OF
the river through the river itself and through
thirty feet Of the upper air. And he lived
10 take a drink Of whiskey and ride home
on q trolley car.
The East River tunnel which n TO CON
meet the Brooklyn and Manhattan sub
way systems, Is being bored from both
sides Of the river. On the Brooklyn end
the men have worked to a point about
800 feet from the shaft and well under tbs
water, They are boring through the mud
with a immense tubs. koeping the mud
and -water back With pressure Of oom-
pressed air Of 10 poua Is TO the square
inch.
There are two sets OF locks. In the rear
compartment, formed by these locks, men
are shovelling back the mud and dirt. In
the forward compartment, where the pres
sure is 90 great that a green man bleeds
at the ears, eight workmen keep clear the
big blades which are biting into the river
mud. A scaifolding, or apron, divides
this compartment horizontally. -Four men
work above it and four below.
cREEoAN AT THE DANCER POINT.
II It's position Of honor, Of extra pay and
OF some danger. Only that air pressure
keeps back the mud and water. Let
there be a leak, let the retaining air
begin TO bubble out, and the river IL likely
TO come in on them-and that IL all until
the bodies are taken out. The tunnellera
keep bags Of hay and sand in the COM
partment 20 use as oorks In just such an
emergency.
In the squad above the apron yesterday
morning were Richard Creegan Of 6iS
Henderson street, Jersey City; John Egan
Of 200 Thirteenth street, Jersey City; John
Pridey Of 6s Jefferson street, Hoboken. and
John Hayes Of 6s Bond street, Manhattan.
Creegan, though only "a, is an expert tunnel
worker. He is a small pale, viry Irish
man, and he knows all the moods and
lenses Of under water machinery
The squad had just begun work when
Creegan caught an unusual sound above
the grind OF the machinery-a cracking
and orumpling, intensified by the heavy,
painful air He began TO ssaI oh tbs walls.
Above his head the ooze was seething and
shifting and water was beginning TO trickls
in big drops.
The bags, boysl' yelled Creegan. Hayes
damned bag Of hay against the weakened
spot, and held hard. CreeGan started fer
another bag-and Just then IL all happened.
-. -
plosion slung Hayes, Egan and Pridey
gainst the wall but Creegan, with his
arms above his head, shot straight up
into the air, His companions, recovering
from the shock, saw Creegan's feet and
calves kicking vehemently. hanging from
q hole in the roof.
HIS BoDN PLUGGED THE HOLE.
For perhaps a quarter OF a MINUS tbs
three workmen hesitated. Crecgan was
plugging that hole. II they drew out tho
plug in would come the river. All OF a
sudden. fate decided Il There was a rush
and roar; Cree CAMS feet went on up and
the river began 10 food the compartment.
The rush stopped as suddenly as II had
begun, and their ears Gang with the return
OF normal air pressure In the chamber.
just then their comrades rushed In through
the lock and rescued them.
This is what had happened 10 CroeGan!
The leak had burst in an unexpected spot
The compressed air had rushed up 10 ind
an outlet through the river, and carried
him with Il. But his body plugged the hole,
and there he stuck, unable 10 breathe, with
the mud and pebbles Of the river bed chok-
Jog him and the air pressing on him from
below.
HELPED TO FREE HIMsEIR.
An eternal minute he hung there, and
did some awfully quick thinking He knew
that he couldn't get back the air pressure
was too strong. His only hope was 10
butt his way through the river bed. He
had gone up with his hands above his hebd
Frantically he jabbed and swung at the
mud And just as he felt the last air In
his lungs going he got free.
With an awful rush he went up. he saw