Year: 1871




Buried In Sewer.


INDIANAPOLIS, September 20.-About
half past eight o'clock this morning the
city was startled by the report that ten
men had oeen killed by the caving in
of the bank OF the Kentucky avenue
sewer On reaching the locality of the
excavation, between Georgia street and
the Louisville railroad, we found that
portion of the south side of the bank
had given way under the weight OF the
sand and gravel put upon it and that
fthere were six or seven men buried IN
the dirt At first a number of men
vent to work removing the dirt and
soon uncovered the head and shoulders
Of man named Jesse Barnes. He
was dead and it being evident that he
was wedged in the timbers no further
efforts were made to relieve the body,
but an attempt was made TO get in
below the timbers to relieve the
other men; some of them were
alive. Tim Lines was soon reached
and relieved. He was unhurt and
states that other men with MIN
were alive and had plenty of air, but
was caught under the timbers and it
was impossible to release them until
the dirt from the top was removed, as
the loose sand re-settled against these
proportions and had to be removed from
the top first to prevent their sliding
The loose dirt was removed. In the
meantime la rye number of men were
put to work removing the dirt across the
street from the bank. 1t took an hour
or more to get the banks braced with
plank before the work OF shoveling
from the bottom was resumed. The
men under the wreck were encouraged
to hold out until the work could be
completed, but further Investigations
showed that only one was alive; he
was furnished with water and stlm-
uIant. The crowd, which was very
large, was kept back with diff.
Guilty by the police, although
all had plans for doing the work
in five minute, and were disposed to
criticise the contractor and workmen.
We are sure, however that the most
effective means were taken to get the
men out within the least time possible.
ANY other course would have resulted
in further accidents and deaths. A
man named John Gibson, whose leg
was caught in the timbers, said that
he did not know he was much hurt,
and could not believe that there were
two dead men lying near him. he
could get no word from the men beyond
the slide, caused by the bank slipping
under the end of the siding, as the men
were rounding the bottom Of the exca'
vation. There were three men at work
in the bottom OF the ditch, which was
81 feet deep and liz feet wide at the
Murray, O'Donnell, and Tim Lines.
Tom O'Donnell ran from beneath the
lower timbers, which were settling, and
thereby made his escape; but OCon-
nell aud Lines were caught as above.
Others were caught in the tmbers and
dirt. At III o'clock Dan GIasson was
uncovered but was held fast between
the timbers. He was told he would
soon be released. Upon his release it
was discovered that his arm was
broken. lie said lie had room enough
under the archway Of the umbers to
move his body around. The next set
OF hands, the brickiayers, sprung from
their work a. the slide occurred, and
were Just in time to escape the fall OF
the scailold. None Of them were hurt
except X. NJ Renner, who seal ped his
head in getting out The man Barnes,
whose body so excited the crowd, was
not instantly killed, but WAS caught
in dirt up to his waist on the first slide.
lie called Tor help and a man from the
other gang started to hel p him up, when
a second slide occurred, which pros
trated him to the ground, and covered
him entirely. He was .mothered to
death almost instantly. He was
uncovered, as stated above, but when it
was found that he was dead he was
left, for resumlng the work, and the
men worked most assiduously in exca-
waiting, but the amount Of dirt to be
removed, and the difficulty OF getting
through the timber+, without endanger-
ng the life of Gibson was quite task,
vet he was released at twenty minutes
past - o'clock, with scarcely a scratch.
His shirt was almost torn off his back.
He had little to say, as might have
been expected He was at work on the
top Of the scaffold at time OF the acct
dent, and slipped down on the inside OF
the shceting and lodged on space just
enough to hold his body, his preserva-
ton being somewhat due to body OF
one OF the dead, which braCed up the
timbers and also checked the flow OF
gravel. Two other bodies were got out
abou. two o'clock, Mike CRAZY, 2+5
Merida an street, and John Carr, ! Will
lard street. Barnes body was got out
about halfpast two. John Haley and
Tom Kennedy are still missing aud
may not br reached until night. SullI.
van and Haley were married men and
had large families Barnes was caught
in the slide and the body was smother
ed in the dirt, and held fast by tlmbers.
He was a young Englishman and had
but lately arrived in this city. John
Carr was a young Irishman and had
only been in the country but few weeks.


Up TO this hour, 10 P NJ, four dead
bodies vet remain buried under the
embaukment, which will not probably
he taken ont before morning.