Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1868-07-24
SeIeftea selisrflIaay.
A TUNNEL ADVENTURE.

perintendent' in the Office of certain |
telegraph company. This Office contained
the smallest amount of space in which 1t |
was possible to carry on the work. The |
greater portion of it was dedicated to the |
public and all that remained for an in |
strument-room was little slice cut off |
from the main Office by a wooden parti- |
ton. In this den, about dozen of us |
were doomed to spend the best part of
every day in an atmosphere vitiated by
the gas which was kept continually burn
ing Underneath this Office was sort of
internal region into which our messengers
descended. These batteries were under
the charge of our linesman-a man who
deserves special word of description.
Jacob Voosh was his name, and he was
tall, broad-shouldered fellow, with a
shock head of red hair, and closely. cut
and fiery beard. Judging from long in
tercourse with him, should say that his
chief characteristics were love of his
trade, q detestation of telegraph clerks in
general, and an inordinate fondness for
bitter ale. OF these peculiarities, the last
was decidedly the most prominent, and
sometimes influenced the other two.
When, after long sitting-and it took
great deal to affect him-his favorite
liquor reached his head, it eflcctually
banished all considerations of work until
sober moments should arrive, and reused
his rancour against the Office clerks until
it found vent in the most tuncomplimentary
terms. He had originally been carpen-
ter, but had by some means picked up
store of information about telegraph in
strumcnts, and had drifted into the post of
linesman in our company. His duties
were multifarious, for he was considered
responsible for the efficient working of all
the apparatus. But upon the whole, the
job was an easy one, and frequently
slight inspection in the morning, and an
evening call to see that all was right, con-
stituted his entire days work. The
.engthy interval between morning and
evening Jacob religiously spent in dingy
little public house. near the office, where
he was within reach in case of an emer-
gcncy, and where the tap was exceptional
ly good. Occasional emergencies did oc-
cur. Lightning magnetised all the instru-
ments and made them for the time useless,
or u storm blew down a score of posts,
and broke the wires. Then Jacob Voosh
showed himself equal to the catastrophe.
lie hired subordinates, he slaved day and
night, he toiled like q Hercules, and then,
when he had set everything fight, he re-
turned to his corner in the public hodse
to compensate his cXertions by increased
draughts of foaming ale. / have said that
he was fond of his work; but there was
one part of it he did not like. One OF the
northern railway companies allowed us to
carry our wires certain distance along
their posts, and we, in return, agreed to
keep their telegraphic communications
perfect. This duty, of course, fell to the
lot of Jacob; but his experience of rail
way officials was such that he would
rather do anything than encounter them
and invariably returned with brighter
face than he had worn when he started OF
some of his expeditions along the line
Railway men, from porters to managers
shared his vocabulary of vituperatior
with telegraph clerks; and silVer-lace(
uniforms Of the Northshire Railway Com
pany reused him as red rag does a mat
bull. can hLconditioned, drunken fel
low" you say. Exactly so but goo'
workman, and that suited us. rf.,sr.,f
One August evening, this worthy pre-
sented himself before me in q state o
beery excitement and having been in
formed that there was no need for hi
services, departed evidently bent on de
bauch. He had scarcely gone when on
of our wires ceased working; but es tn
days business was done, and we had al
other wire communicating with the sam
station, l did not think it worth Will
sending after him, but left him to find OF
the fault in the morning. One by one, th
clerks took down their hats and departe'
and the men on night duty having come,
locked my desk, and was preparing to {
home, when one of the counter clerks il
formed me that a gentleman wanted m
T4lis gentleman was clerk from the otfit
of the railway company, to inform me tn
their tunnel wire had ceased working tn
the traffic was in consequence stopped, al
the matter must be seen to at once.
promised to attend to il Immediately, al
he went away, saying as he left the oftlc
Don't lose minute, for the six o'cloC
south mail is waiting in the station, al
cannot get away" -....5
Snatching up my hat, l ran with {
speed to tie dingy public-house whi
Jacob Voosh made his headquarters; a.
there sure enough / found him in I
middle of group of his cronies, bawlil
forth drinking song, and waving PHI
potabove his head, in tipsy illustration
his lay.
"Come, come" said, "this won't
Jacob. The railway tunnel wire /
broken, and you must go at once a
mend it,"
Jacob Voosh put down his pewt
stretched out his legs, thrust his han
deep into his pockets, and with great
liberation answered: Z" Blest II l
Shan't stir this night e
Nonsense" replied crustily and
thoritatively. "It must be done, and
must do it. So come along.p
81 tell YOU" retorted Jacob with grea
4 gravity and emphasis than before, II sh
go. It's after working-hours. If it
- been any OF our wires, I'd have gone /
that internal railway company Is alw
breaking soIncthin; and up their dil
dangerous tunnel don't 90 tonight J
can tell them that from me, IL YOU like.
did not insist further, for saw that
man was more than half drunk, and I
fectly incapable of doing the work
ouired. SO instead of. sending the rally
company his message, l prepared to
myself. Having donned an o.d eoat
seized the few tools thought necessar
set out for the station.
/ was in no very good humeEa as ]
versed the few streets which separated
from the terminus. l had been look
forward TO quiet walk in the even
and was annoyed at losing 1t (; was
gusted at Jacob Voosh for getting drr
and / was provoked at having TO do
agreeable work. The tunnel was
Jacob had said, both dirty and danger
and was as nasty piece of excavation
ever had been planned and completed
human ingenuity. twas situated clos
the station, and my acquaintance WI
had hitherto been confined TO conteml
ing II from the platforms, or pas
through it In the trains, and was no
allgratihed by the prospect of penetra
il ON foot Had il been an ordinary, L
respectable tunnel, such as we are az
toned 10 nOwa-days, / should not
cared but Il was an antique affair of G
nous length, and was constructed upC
steep incline; so that it was necessar
raise and lower trains through II by m
ofendless wire ropes worked by sta
ary engine at the other end. Hence