Tunnel Workers Who Gave Their Lives in Service Remembered at Mass

By JULIANN DosSANTOS

Deep beneath the streets, from the suburbs to the city, tunnel workers labor in order to bring fresh water to those above.

The workers, commonly known as "sandhogs," are busy working hundreds of feet underground-sometimes up to 800 feet below-building a new tunnel that stretches 60 miles from the Croton, Catskill and Delaware water systems into the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. The work is dangerous, and some workers have died while doing it. An annual Mass, celebrated May 1 at St. Barnabas Church in the Bronx, helps memorialize the lives of those who gave the "ultimate sacrifice," said Msgr. Edward Barry, the pastor.

During his homily at the Mass, celebrated on the feast of the Ascension, he told the sandhogs present that "God has a plan for us." He said having the Mass on that particular feast day is a good way to honor those who have died, as it reminds people that there is life after death.

"It's nice to know we are rewarded for our efforts," he said.

In the "brotherhood of sandhogs," he said, sandhogs put themselves at the service of others, which is what Jesus calls everyone to do. On the job, he said, sandhogs teach each other, watch out for each other, and provide support for each other, to give service to the larger community.

Msgr. Barry told those gathered that Jesus' message was to love God and love one another.

"That's what the brotherhood of sandhogs is all about," he said. He further explained that Jesus commissioned his Church to spread his message with more than just a surface approach. "He wanted his message to reach into the depths of people's hearts," he said.

"It's easy for you to understand what it means to go to the depths, how important it is for our survival."

During the Mass, the names of 24 sandhogs who died on the construction of Water Tunnel No. 3-which was begun in 1970 and is expected to be finished in 2020-were read aloud. After each name was read, the church sounded a bell in the man's honor.

The Mass started 38 years ago, explained Msgr. Barry, when sandhogs approached Msgr. John Considine, then pastor, so they could remember fallen brothers. He said he hopes that sandhogs today realize that there is "an appreciation for the work that they do, and that they can rely on their faith, even in experiencing death."

"The Lord will reward them for their service to the larger community. The work they do is like the eighth wonder of the world and New York doesn't know that much about it," he said. "They need to know they are appreciated by the city."

The Mass was organized with the help of Local Union 147, L.I.U.N.A. Richard Fitzsimmons, business manager and union leader for the sandhogs, told CNY that the Mass is important. "A lot of time we're not really seen. This really gives us acknowledgment," he said.

"We have a sense of service to the community," he said, but added, "There's a good chance there will be loss of limb or life. We want to do all we can to get the blessings of the Church to get us through the realities of life."

Retired sandhog Michael Smith Sr. told CNY, "I knew some of the fellows the Mass is for. I thought I'd pay my respects and say something to God."

Smith, who was on the job for 35 years, explained that his father, and his grandfather before him, were coal miners. "I ended up in sandhogging. It goes back a long way," he said.

He said it was a good feeling to "finish the job and get to the other end of it."

"The guys we're here for didn't make it," he said.

Sandhog Jim Hodak, a tunnel worker for seven years, told CNY that he attended the Mass because, "I wanted to show respect and brotherhood to the men who died."

Even though the work is hard, Hodak said he enjoys the job. "If you're scared, you're in the wrong place," he said.

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