The harrowing story of five men who were sent into a dark, airless tunnel hundreds of feet under Massachusetts Bay to do a nearly impossible job-with deadly results
In the 1990s, Boston built a sophisticated waste treatment plant on Deer Island that was poised to show the country how to deal with environmental catastrophe. The city had been dumping barely treated sewage into its harbor, coating the seafloor with a layer of "black mayonnaise." Fisheries collapsed, wildlife fled, and locals referred to floating tampon applicators as "beach whistles." But before the plant could start operating, a team of divers had to make a perilous journey to the end of a 10-mile tunnel-devoid of light and air-to complete the construction. Five went in; two never came out. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and thousands of documents, award-winning reporter Neil Swidey re-creates the tragedy and its aftermath in an action-packed narrative. The climax comes when the hard-partying DJ Gillis and his friend Billy Juse trade jobs at a pivotal moment in the mission, sentencing one diver to death and the other to a trauma-induced heroin addiction that eventually lands him in prison. Trapped Under the Sea reminds us that behind every bridge, highway, dam, and tunnel-behind the infrastructure that makes modern life possible-lies unsung bravery and extraordinary sacrifice.

Neil Swidey

Golden Books Publishing Company, Incorporated

New York: Crown Publishers

Random House, Incorporated

Brand: Crown; Crown

Broadway Books

Vintage Books

United States, United States of America

First edition, New York, 2014

First Edition, 2014-02-18

First Edition, PS, 2014

New York, USA, 2014

Reprint, 2015

Feb 18, 2014

Obscured text on back cover due to sticker.

Source title: Trapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles Into the Darkness

The harrowing story of five men who were sent into a dark, airless, miles-long tunnel, hundreds of feet below the ocean, to do a nearly impossible job'with deadly results A quarter-century ago, Boston had the dirtiest harbor in America. The city had been dumping sewage into it for generations, coating the seafloor with a layer of "black mayonnaise." Fisheries collapsed, wildlife fled, and locals referred to floating tampon applicators as "beach whistles." In the 1990s, work began on a state-of-the-art treatment plant and a 10-mile-long tunnel'its endpoint stretching farther from civilization than the earth's deepest ocean trench'to carry waste out of the harbor. With this impressive feat of engineering, Boston was poised to show the country how to rebound from environmental ruin. But when bad decisions and clashing corporations endangered the project, a team of commercial divers was sent on a perilous mission to rescue the stymied cleanup effort. Five divers went in; not all of them came out alive. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and thousands of documents collected over five years of reporting, award-winning writer Neil Swidey takes us deep into the lives of the divers, engineers, politicians, lawyers, and investigators involved in the tragedy and its aftermath, creating a taut, action-packed narrative. The climax comes just after the hard-partying DJ Gillis and his friend Billy Juse trade assignments as they head into the tunnel, sentencing one of them to death. An intimate portrait of the wreckage left in the wake of lives lost, the book is also a morality tale. What is the true cost of these large-scale construction projects, as designers and builders, emboldened by new technology and pressured to address a growing population's rapacious needs, push the limits of the possible' This is a story about human risk'how it is calculated, discounted, and transferred'and the institutional failures that can lead to catastrophe. Suspenseful yet humane, Trapped Under the Sea reminds us that behind every bridge, tower, and tunnel'behind the infrastructure that makes modern life possible'lies unsung bravery and extraordinary sacrifice

x, 418 pages ; 25 cm
Documents the disastrous 1990s mission during which two members of a five-man diving team were killed while completing construction on a ten-mile tunnel at the end of Boston's Deer Island waste treatment plant
Includes bibliographical references and index
DJ -- Island secrets, 1675-1996 -- Memo wars -- Arranged marriage -- Mine rescue -- Mobilization -- The cavalry -- Monday -- Tuesday -- Wednesday -- Trapped in black -- "Why, God?" -- This crazy idea -- Justice -- The long tail of trauma

Documents The Disastrous 1990s Mission During Which Two Members Of A Five-man Diving Team Were Killed While Completing Construction On A Ten-mile Tunnel At The End Of Boston's Deer Island Waste Treatment Plant. Dj -- Island Secrets, 1675-1996 -- Memo Wars -- Arranged Marriage -- Mine Rescue -- Mobilization -- The Cavalry -- Monday -- Tuesday -- Wednesday -- Trapped In Black -- Why, God? -- This Crazy Idea -- Justice -- The Long Tail Of Trauma. Neil Swidey. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

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DJ
Island Secrets, 1675--1995
Memo Wars
Arranged Marriage
Mine Rescue
Mobilization
The Cavalry
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Trapped in Black
"Why, God?"
This Crazy Idea
Justice
The Long Tail Of Trauma
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None
None
None
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This book documents the disastrous 1990s mission during which two members of a five-man diving team were killed while completing construction on a ten-mile tunnel at the end of Boston's Deer Island waste treatment plant

2023-06-28