The Washington herald., 1906-10-12
DIED TO SAVE OTHERS
Three Heroes Give Up Lives
in Burning Tunnel.
FIFTEEN FOUND UNCONSCIOUS
Men Deep in Pennsylvania Railroad
Shaft Under Long Island Discover
Bravery Are Workmen Given an
Opportunity to Escape.

New York, Oct. n.-Sacrifcing them
selves TO save twenty-three OF their com
rades, three men gave up their lives to-
day in the tunnel Of the Pennsylvania
Railroad under Long Island City.
Caught in the tunnel when a fierce fire
broke out in the lock IN which they We're
working, the three stuck to their posts,
when they might have saved themselves,
until their twenty-three fellOW-workmen
had been driven toward a point Of safety.
When they tried 10 escape themselves,
they found the door closed in their faces.
Death in its most terrible form, suffoca-
tion by foul fumes and the horrible gases
generated in the tube by the burning
timbers. was tEeir fate.
List OF Dead Heroes.
/ George Chapman, foreman; Michael
Daley, and George Pierce are the men
! who sacrificed themselves for others.
J Defective electrical wiring caused the
I fire in Lock D. The flames appeared uuex-
/ pcctedly. and soon had spread ali over the
timbers used in snoring up the tunnel
roof
(. Time and again rescue parties descended
L y
/ to rescue the three who were known 70
have been left behind. At one time If
/ teen of these brave fellows were stretched
/ out together, senseless. But never at any
| time after the first few minutes was there
any hope of saving the imprisoned trio
who had given their lives for the others.
They We're pinned up IN tightly-shut
/ lock and the air which the men on the
+ outside forced in through the valves
never reached their cOngested JhrOats and
I bursting lungs.
/ John and George Chapman. husky young
J BritisnerS. Ike most of the men who
manage the tunneI-digging JOB. were Eang
/ foremen. When they started the early
! inspection trip to-day John took Lock .
I and George took Lock D. John was half
way through HIS work when "A man came
! running 70 him. saying there was lire
I i'm Lock d. knowing that was where MS
/ brother had gone, JOHN Chapman ran al
/ top speed TO the other lock, gathering up
w6rkmen as he went. He knew the dan
, ger of smoke in the tunnel.
Meet Men Staggering by.
In the main shaft John Chapman and
his hurriodly organized party met TWEEN
/ ty-three men from Lock d, staggering
along, coughing and choking. From them
/ he learned that suddenly fire had broken
out in the wooden snoring Of the tunnel
George Chapman, their foreman, with
/ Pierce. another foreman, ard Daily, the
/ lock-teHder, had run in among the gang
1 as they groped in the smoke that sud
/ denly swept down around them, an ]
with kicks and blows and curses drove
/ them out Of the lock and headed them
upon the read to safety. The three, true
to their duty. as any captain who ever
went down with a sinking ship that
/ his crew might be saved, had fingered 10
/ be sure that all the others were out be
/ fore making a run for 1t themselves.
and then the door Of the lock closed on
! them. They could not open it from the
/ inner side. The twenty-three men whom
/ they had saved ran on, not knowing OF
The desperate plight Of their reSCueTS.
whom they had left behind.