The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-28
FIGHTING FOR A MANS LIFE
FTREWEN TRY TO RESCUE HIM
FROM EARTH'S GRIP.
Staten Island Plumber Was working or
sewer Connection when Cayein Caught
Him Hours Of Desperate Toll BEFORE
a Physician Could Get Down 10 Him.

Him Hours Of Desperate Toll BEFORE
a Physician Could &c Down 10 Him.
Theodore Fisher Of Tompkinsville, Staten
Island. was buried to the neck yesterday
under dirt. and rocks that formed q tight
packing around his body and thus held
him prisoner In a tunnel way under the
Richmond Turnpike. Fisher Is a politician,
plumber and all round citizen OF Tompkins-
vile.
Fis her, assisted by a laborer, has been
engaged for some time in making O sewer
connection for the home Of Mrs. Welsh,
mother of the late Fire Captain John Welsh.
who wa killed at the Downing street hre
in this city several months ago. Mrs.
Welsh has a cottage on Zebra avenue
Tompkinsville, and Fisher was tying to
make the connection with the trunk eve
under the Richmond Turnpike at the juno
ton Of Zebra avenue.
The tunnel way under the turnpike had
been practically completed and Fisher and
the laborer at II :05 yesterday morning were
doing a little cleaning up preparatory to
making the connection when the walls and
part Of the roof of the tunnel collapsed.
Fisher was directly in the centre OF the
tunnel and the dirt and rocks piled up
around him. Fortunately, his head wasn't
covered and he managed to keep his arms
free. TIN c%ollapsing Of the walls OF the
well hole he had sunk in the middle OF the
Roadway caused that to fill UP with dirt
and rock, but luckily for the plumber the
most Of this was rocks that permitted OF air
getting into the hole where he was.
The laborer was up on the road when the
collapse took place. He ran some dis
lance and told What had happened to a
gang Of men working on the tracks Of the
Staten Island Electric Railway Company.
This gang, under the direction of John
Cahill, their foreman, set about to clear
out the we1lhole and thus get at Fisher.
As they did so they loosened up the rocks
and dirt. which fell in around Fisher. He
cried out to them to stop or he would be
killed.
The street railway gang were in a guam
Diary as to what to do and some one finally
sent in a call for the firemen. Engine 1903
responded with Capt. McDermott and four
teen men. Deputy Chief Guerin arrived
on the scene a short time later and took
charge of the work of rescue. A shaft
was sunk at the side of the roadway and
this was shored up on the sides with wooden
beams to prevent a collapse. The fremen
sunk this shaft 20 feet and made it o feet
square, giving them plenty of room.
When they had got down twenty feet
they began to dig out the side Of the shaft.
and soon had cleared away the dirt and
opened up a connection with the little
tunnel that Fisher had dug away from
the bottom Of the we'll hole. The rush OF
fresh air into the place. greatly revived
Fisher, who asked for a drink to brace him
up. This was given him late last evening.
An ambulance surgeon had arrived from
the Smith Inlrmary and he was lowered into
the shaft dug by the firemen and managed
to get near enough to Fisher to hand him a
glass of brandy. This seemed to do the
entombed plumber a lot Of good. He said
that one of his legs was pinned under him
like a jackknife and vas paining him con
siderably.
The iremen began clearing away the
dirt and rock that was piled around Fisher
and at midnight had him clear to the waist.
1t was necessary to take the dirt and rock
out OF the hole carefully, and the stuff was
hoisted out to the street in pals.
Fish err asked for and got a cigarette,
which he pulled while the firemen were
working to extricate him, A great crowd
had gathered about the place the news
having spread all over the north end of
Island. The reserves Of the West
New Brighton police station were unable
to handle the crowd and Roundsman Kepple
sent in a call for additional men. They
had the crowd cleared back some
distance from the spot where the rescuers
were working.
Paul Fisher; father Of the entombed man,
arrived at the scene in the afternoon and
greatly excited. He became somewhat
quiet when he heard his sons voice below
and heard him testing with the firemen.
effort was made to keep the news from
Fishers wife, but she showed up in the
with her little boy in her arms.
The woman became hysterical and was
finally taken nome by the police. She was
by Chief Guerin that her husband
would be all right soon.