| Notes |
- BIOGRAPHY:
Rochester, Monroe, NY
Union & Advertiser
Mon Oct 1, 1894
TWO KILLED
FATAL CAVE-IN AT PINNACLE HILL THIS MORNING
Tons of Earth Suddenly Fall on Laborers Who Were Working in a Tunnel
Three Were Buried and One Rescued -
The Men Were Employed on the State Hospital Outlet Sewer.
At 8:20 o'clock this morning fifty feet of the tunnel in process of construction for the new State Hospital outlet sewer back of Mt. Hope reservoir, caved in and buried three laborers, who were working therein.
The names of the unfortunate men are: Ferdinand REETZ of 22 Wilkins street, Charles HOWALD of Clifford street, and John GLICK. REETZ and HOWALD are dead. GLICK was taken out in an unconscious condition, but will probably live. He was buried for over two hours but was saved by timbers used in the construction of the tunnel, which fell so as to form an arch above him.
The cave-in is the worst that has occurred in this vicinity in years, over fifty feet of the bank falling without an instant's warning. Tons of sand and gravel were precipitated into the tunnel, and it is only due to the fact that most of the laborers were working outside that the loss of life was not greater.
The ambulance was called as soon as the accident happened, but no physician arrived until 11 o'clock.
More of the bank has caved in since, and nobody is allowed to go near the spot. A large crowd has assembled near the scene of the accident.
The work of getting the remaining two men out was very difficult, as there was at least fifteen feet of loose sand and gravel above them in addition to the timbers which supported the bank.
The supposition is that the men who were buried caused the bank to fall by removing timbers placed against the sides of the tunnel for purposes of support. The 10-year-old son of Ferdinand REETZ, one of the dead men, witnessed the accident. He cried bitterly while telling his story, every few moments entreating the rescuers to hurry and extricate his father. REETZ was employed by Contractor MAUDER to carry water to the men. At the time of the cave-in he and a man named Albert WUNT, were standing on a temporary bridge over the tunnel and assisting the men below to remove the boards which support the banks at the sides. They had only succeeded in pulling out a few, young REETZ says, when the whole bank caved without an instant's warning. He saw his father and the other laborers knocked down and buried from sight instantaneously. REETZ and WUNT were saved from a like fate by the bridge which extended some distance from the bank on either side.
REETZ says he shouted to the men when the bank began to slide but, that the sand fell so quickly that no opportunity of escape was offered. He then yelled to the men who were working a short distance away, on another part of the conduit and everybody present began to shovel away the earth as fast as possible. With the last cave-in about five feet of earth was added to the pile. The trench is ten feet wide and 100 feet long.
Charles STOTT, the foreman of the gang in which the three men worked was buried in sand up to his neck. STOTT was sitting about five feet from the edge of the bank when the cave-in occurred, and was carried along with the sliding sand. He was quickly rescued by the other laborers.
GLICK, the laborer who was rescued, first, was taken to the Hahnemann Hospital, where he soon recovered from the effects of the accident.
The 10-year-old son of HOWALD was also present when the bank caved. Word was sent to the wives of the buried men, and they went to the scene of the accident immediately.
Contractor MAUDER was questioned concerning the cause of the cave-in. He said the bank was very weak and that the men had found it necessary to adjust timbers to support it. He thinks the removal of these timbers caused the accident. It is difficult to get any information from the men regarding the cause of the slide, many of them absolutely refusing to speak on the subject.
Officer CARROLL was the first policeman to reach the scene of the accident. He at once telephoned for the city ambulance and notified Coroner KLEINDIENST. Several policemen were sent to the tunnel to assist in keeping the crowd from approaching the bank. Coroner KLEINDIENST and the ambulance arrived very quickly and the coroner directed the work of rescuing the entombed men. He is making an investigation of the cause of the fatality.
The bodies of the two buried men were found at 1:15 o'clock.
Paul LEVERENDE and William TICKNOR played an important part in the rescue of the imprisoned men and the recovery of the bodies. At the risk of their own lives they went down into the sewer and cut away the timbers, thus making the rescue possible.
The body of REETZ was taken from the trench at 1:55. It was badly mutilated.
John GLICK, the man who was rescued alive, was interviewed by a reporter of The Union and of his remarkable experience he said:
"All the time I was lying at the bottom of the trench I could hear the sound of shouts above me and could hear the people above saying 'the men are dead.' As the bank caved in REETZ shouted to me 'Jump, John!' I went down, my legs were fastened by a heavy plank; also my right arm and my left arm in such a way that I could just move it up and down about three inches, and in this way kept brushing away the sand from my face to prevent me from suffocating."
REETZ leaves a wife and five children and HOWALD leaves a wife and four children.
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1847 - 1927 (~ 79 years)
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