The Jersey City news., 1906-05-02
FIFTEEN TUNNEL
MEN OVERCOME
Escape of Gas In the Hudson
River Bore AT Fifteenth
Street Causes a Collapse
ef Workmen
aMBuLANcEs KEPT BUSY
PHYSICIANS PUZZLED BY THE
SYMPTOMS OF THE VICTIMS
LIST OF THE INJURED.

Fifteen men were overcome by some
sort of gas that escaped from the shaft
house of the Hudson River tunnel at the
foot of Fifteenth street at eight o'clock
this morning Some were down m the
shaft, but the majority of those affected
were above ground-some in the shaft
house and even some who were fifty to
one hundred feet away were rendered un-
conscious. The officials of the company
aud the physicians in charge of the health
of the men at work i'll the tunnel are
at a loss to account for the accident.
DIR. Loomis is in charge as physician,
and he is assisted by L. NJ. Ryan. Both
were fortunately on the spot at the time,
and ascertaining that the men affected
lad inhaled gas of some sort administered
oxygen. The scene was one that beg
CARS description. Old time policemen.
WIG were the first to respond to call
for assistance, say the scene was sicken-
ng.
Some of the unfortunates lay around
Is though dead, and men were seen top
bling over one another as they fell in
vide and outside of the shaft house.
Some of these were men who had at
tempted to resuce comrades. Any man
who attempted 20 reach the scene of the
catastrophe was warned by the sights
! he witnessed not to go too near the shaft
louse for fear of being also overcome
Nearly all the men overcome Yomited
reen matter. This puzzled the physi--
ians. They had handled hundreds of
nses of the ''bendss--an ailnent that
fleets many tunnel workrs.
City Physician Hoffman soon Joined
he physicians in charge So far as the
hysieians could judge hastily the af-
licted men had inhaled carbon oxide
Vhether from Illuminating or sewer gas
hey were unable to determine, but We're
nclined to think that it was a combina-
ion of sewer and coal gas. Some main
ain that an old trunk sewer used to run
D the foot of Fifteenth street Other
ld-timers of the district say this is not
o. The grounds which have been filed
n with coal cinders. ETC., lead some to
hink the coal gas had much to do with
he unusual occurrence. The shaft to
he tunnel is at present almost inacces-
ible on account of the myriads of rail-
Dad tracks that curve through it to the
D., L. & W. yards. The seven patrol
wagons and ambulances that reached the
Dcene made several trips through tortu-
JUS and circuitous routes, each wagon
searing one or more unconscious man.
The list ie as follows
John Hubert, No. 121 McDonough
Itreet. Brooklyn-St. Francis.
James Carbone. No. GA Henderson
street-st. Francis.
John Maioney, No. $50 Henderson
treet-st. Francis.
James McCabe, Provost and Four
ieenth streets.
Daniel Holmes. No. 2so Fifteenth
street.
James Martin. No. 7s Willow avenue,
Hoboken.
John Smith, Brooklyn, gang foreman;
went home.
John Davis. address unknown.
John ]. Fiannlgan, master mechanic.
Magnolia avenue; slightly overcome.
Gus. Coleman. No. 232 Adams street,
Hoboken-St. Francis Hospital.
Joseph Heelin, No. 579 Grove street
st Francis Hospital
There were several hundred men en-
ployed at the work, although both bores
AdN6 'Ueell cou1pIcteu. L ne IHSh eulpio5cu
IN this side are engaged principally in
The task Of finishing up the work of COM
pleting the interior Of the tunnel. The
principal electrician was the first to be
overcome.
John T. Flanagan, superintendent Of
Me works, was also overcome. The
o'clock shift was just about to go on.
AS soon as the Second Precinct police
were notified of the catastrophe the fol-
pwing reserves responded: Patsolman
Boyle, P. Keliv NJ Kelly, Begins, ]. II.
Reddy and Corbett. They telephoned for
more aid. The reserves of the First and
Third Precincts responded with patrol
wagons. Altogether there We're twenty
Eve policemen on the scene and seven
patrol wagons and ambulances, includ
ing the ambulances from the City Hos
fitai and ST. Francis Hospital
~sAa as Father John ]. Boylan