Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-10
SQUEEZED AIR.
Goisagr Down stairs Under the Ezissis-
sipPi River Strange Atmospheric
Seusations. f-.l4 Il .s,.-v4

Going Down stairs Under the EzSssis
sipPi River Strange .Atpospheri
Sensations. fros3 - Is ~
From the st. Louis Republican, Feb. 26
Nearly everyday there are quite anum
Der of visitors TO the piers, and genera
curiosity seems to be felt to visit the al
chambers In the east pier the depth i
now so great that not few gentlemen
change their minds about going down
when they reach the top of the winding
stairs that leads TO what seem the infeFna
regions below. The descent however, il
very easily accomplished piece of busi
ness, and very rarely accompanied will
any unpleasant sensations or deleteri0ui
effect There is something in it, hOwey
er, calculated to somewhat disturb a ner.
vously constituted person. First, dc
scent of nearly ninety feet by winding
wooden stairway, the gloom increasing a:
| you CO. Then the bottom is reached, OF
rather the end of a ladder, where there is
a damp glOominess, and you see, by dim
candle-light, water Just below the strip
you stand on. 1t is, however, trifing
pool, but magnifed by the Pickering can
delight. Then comes the air-lock. You
step off the end of the ladder and Chamber
through what seems an immense stove
door; and now the trial begins. The
apartment entered is circular, about eight
feet high, with walls and ceilings of iron.
The iron door is closed, but there is no
fastening, it is just swung to, for it, too,
is of massive iron.
The attendant turns little valve, and
the air begins to rush in with sound like
steam. In few moments the pressure
has increased so that the door has
closed firmly. In few more it would
take many horsepower to open it, and
the atmospheric pressure begins to make
itself felt, by feeling of fullness in the
ears; but this is quickly relieved by the
act of swallowing saliva, apple juice or
anything of the sort, or by stopping the
nostrils and initiating the cheeks. In some
instances sharp pain is felt, but this is
very rare, and never, we believe, where
there is considerable hand at the valve to
turn off the air the moment any pain is
felt. In any case the pressure can be re-
leved in a moment by turning another
valve which lets the air off, when the
pressure in the lock is equal to that in the
chamber under the pier. Another iron
door similar to that through which the
lock is entered, opens of itself, and STEP
ping through it we enter the famous air
chamber. This has been already fully
described, and so we will not go over de-
tails. 1t is indeed most curious and in
teresting place TO visit. On every side so
far as one can see is something novel,
unique-whether it is the soft yielding
sand under foot, or the mouth Of the sand
pump, like an immense serpent gorging
itself with sand and water. The first
thing perhaps which attracts the visitors
attention is the alteration in the sound of
his voice. He seems in a moment to have
acquired unusual gift as a ventriIoquist
His voice, to himself only, seems away
from his body, and with decidedly nasal
twaDg. -r
1t is also suppressed in tone, sounds
like what we might suppose are the ac-
cents of the ghost of a deceased Yankee.
To whistle is vain, and almost equally so
is an attempt to blow out candle. With
a strong swift blow the flame disappears,
but only in second to spring again into
life. The density of the air can be real
lied by moving the hand, when sensa-
ton, of wind is felt, even by compare
lively slow movement. In fact, it would
seem almost as if one were walking
through and breathing thih, invisible
water. Over head, resting on the iron
roof, is more than twenty thousand tons
of masonry, and this air, in which the
men I'm tho cisauaIer walk ABOUT and
breathe, supports itself something over
half of the enormous weight. The cham
Der is divided into three compartments,
the divisions being mainly formed of the
massive iron supports to the pier. Not
withstanding the depth of the caisson, the
air is constantly escaping, and its loss is
equalized by the action of the air pumps.
MIR. Thompson has charge of the works
in the air chamber, and reports that no
obstruction of any unusual kind has been
encountered in the sinking of the caisson,
which in few days now, will have
reached the limestone rock on which the
masonry of the great pier is destined TO
rest