The Sun.
London, England, 1838-03-22 00:00:00

TILE THAMES TUNNEL.

When the last irruption took place, on Tuesday morning,
the men in the Tunnel had been just changed. One gang of
labourers had been just relieved by another when the Mater
began rushing in with a loud noise. Those at. the end of the
Tunnel next the shaft, suspected something wrong, and made
their escape up the staircase without much difficulty. The
men who were about to enter the shield and commence work,
hastened along the platforms raised above the floor of the arch-
way to facilitate the egress of the workmen in the event of an
eruption, and all escaped without any injury. In a few minutes:
the tunnel was filled. The water burst through in an horizon-
tal direction, in No. 12 box of the shield, in the western arch.
It appears that since the last irruption in October last, the ex-
cavations had proceeded with more than usual rapidity, owing
in a great measure to the enormous quantity of clay thrown down
over the Tunnel, which formed an artificial bed of great consist-
ency. Last week the works were advance three feet—making
in all 20 feet added to the Tunnel since the break-in six months
ago. At the beginning of the week the soil became very
loose, a vein of sand was encountered, and it was found ne-
cessary to proceed with more than ordinary caution. On
Monday night the ground presented some indication of giving
way, and much difficulty was experienced in going on with the
excavation, and the entrance of the sand and water was only
prevented by the intrepidity of some of the old miners. Every
precaution was consequently taken to prevent loss of life,
which has sometimes attended the breaking in of the river,
and the previous indication of danger and the formation of
the double gangways enabled the workmen to get away with-
out losing one of their number. Immediate measures were
taken to stop up the aperture, the extent of which was soon
ascertained to be of no very great dimensions, and on Tues-
day and yesterday several barge loads of clay were thrown
down over the place where the water broke in. The bags of
clay, amounting already to not less than 200 tons, have al-
ready stopped up the hole, and the steam-engine, it is ex-
pected, will be set to work this day in pumping the water out
of the Tunnel. The directors, engineers, and miners are as
sanguine as ever of completing the Tunnel ; and it is said
that the last irruption will rather expedite than delay the ex-
cavations, the soil above having become more condensed by
the settlement. The passage of the large steamers over the
Tunnel, and the action of their paddle-wheels has consider-
ably disturbed and loosened the bed of the river, and more
than one steamer has grounded within the last few days right
over the place where the water rushed in. Au old sloop of
war, lined all round with strong wooden fenders, has been
prepared, and is to be moored over the end of the Tunnel
next to the Middlesex shore, and moved as the excavation
proceeds, to prevent the steamers and shipping "swelling
the ground" over the Tunnel where the miners are at work.
This, it is believed, will render the operations below more
secure ; but it cannot be denied that the mooring of a large
vessel nearly in the middle of the river, and the throwing
down of such large quantities of clay to form an artificial
bed, is a most serious obstruction to the navigation.