The retelling of a Hoosac Tunnel ghost story: A tale of murder and hauntings in 1866
After years of being envisioned, work on the Hoosac Tunnel finally began
in 1852. By 1873 with 193 deaths tallied,
the tunnel was realized. This was a
major accomplishment of the times and was the longest tunnel of the day at 4 ¾ miles
long. Many attribute the success of this
great engineering venture to three factors:
the diligent work of the W & F Shanly & Company contractors who
revived the project in 1868, the use of pneumatic drills (Burleigh Drill), and a
safer nitroglycerin along with electric blasting caps (new explosive Tri-Nitro-Glycerin
invented by George M. Mowbray). The project
was sought after by Industrialists of the day, Alvah Crocker a paper
manufacturer in Fitchburg, being the most ardent proponent. There was a long list of Engineers tasked
with the design, many experiencing failure before the final success was
achieved.
Many of the deaths were the
result of cave-ins experienced, air shafts accidents, explosions and more. The most devastating was the collapse after
an explosion in the center shaft on October 17, 1867. The frame work above the center air shaft caught fire
and collapsed into the shaft, causing an explosion from the built up fumes, and
filling the shaft with water. Thirteen workers were trapped and drowned, if not already
killed from the fire. Their bodies were not fully
recovered until a year later. This
brought much speculation about the ‘Bloody Pit’ and slowed the progress of the project.
Among the long list of victims claimed by the ‘Bloody Pit’
were three men who worked together as a team using nitro to blast the monstrous black
rock. The name Ringo Kelly was never mentioned in the official recorded history
of the Hoosac Tunnel. But in 1865 a blast happened and two of the team
ended up buried in rock.
The local gossip claimed Ringo Kelly ignited the blast early, before
the others could reach the safety barrier. Ringo Kelly went missing for a year and a half. Then he was found murdered in the tunnel. Now he is mentioned in bizarre folklore surrounding his murder. Riddled by rumors only, he supposedly
was haunted in 1866 by his two friends, his victims, and killed in vengeance…
The official cause of death for Ringo was strangulation. Still rumors claimed he was chased down by the vengeful
ghosts. He was found dead
in almost the same spot his two coworkers were killed.
What really happened to Ringo Kelly?
Now 146 years later no one knows the real story. Did he 'accidentally on purpose'
kill his friends Ned Brinkman and Billy Nash? The rumors claim he
intentionally set the charge early. What
was the motivation for Ringo to end his friend’s lives? There is no explanation
offered. We do know that it was the
first time nitro was being used on a major project of this scope. Nitro is very
unstable, and most likely the entire episode was a mere accident.
Unfortunately for Ringo Kelly, the ghosts of Ned
and Billy didn't understand. A year later they found poor Ringo Kelly dead. What is the real story? Does anyone really know what happened?
Here is one theory about this unfortunate
happening. Could this be the real story and reason behind it all….
Now available at Amazon store -
If you are interested in more information about the Hoosac Tunnel, its history and folklore of hauntings, please go to these sites attached to this post, and/or watch the film documentaries on the Hoosac Tunnel.
Have a ghostly good time.
LINKS to more information:
Hoosac Tunnel - Engineering Program Audio This is a great audio