Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-01-25
A FIERY BLAST.

Not often-no oftener than necessary.
You see it has to be special affair; the
engines at the pumping stations have to be
going hard so as to lower the sewage, and
fine weather has to be chosen, for the sew
ers are risky enough without having danger
to run from floods,
They're built, you see of the finest and
best bricks to be had, and buried below
the streets, you have some of the neatest
brickwork in London. The object was to
get bricks OF the smoothest and finest, so
that when built into great tunnel or pipe,
there should be no stay to the water run
ming easily through.
My first journey through the sewers was
after this fashion: notice had come down
that about four miles were to be inspected
four miles sounds "a good deal, but there
are two thousand miles under London
and preparations were made. Five, men
were sent to open all the iron traps over
the ways down, one ofwhich there is about
every five or six hundred yards, so as to
ventiate the sewers and the pumps hav-
inc been kept well going, fifteen ofus start
ed early the next morning with shovel and
lantern, for the spot where we were to go
down.
Now full half had never been down be-
fore, and there was good deal OF laughing
going on as VIC put on the india-rubbcr
dresses fitting tight up to the wrist and
neck, and with great hood to cover over
ones head and face when danger came
about which Pm going to tell you. When
we stood there ready in our big boots,
though, | saw great, stout, siX-toot men
turn as white and queer as could be.
"Take nip of brandy each my men,
says the foreman, (" and light your pipes as
well as your lanterns. We may as well be
jolly over orr job"
There was plenty of brandy handed
round, and / saw that good drop was
ready to be taken down.
Clutch courage" says to myself, and
then too began to feel bit uncomtorta.
BILE; for the grating was raised, and was
looking down square well with foot-hold'
stuck in the wall, and on asking one of the
men how far it was down, he told me il
was sixty feet.
"Sixty feet" ! didn't say anything
but | thought. A walk of four mile.
through a great drain all that distance be-
low the surface told you | saw some
men look queer / know felt so.
"Now then, all ready 2" says the fore
man. You 90 first then, Smith," he says
speaking to an old hand, and stopping bacl
himself-not to keep from taking the lead
but as saw at once. to see that none 0
his men turned tail and shuflled off so early
in the job.
Judging from the unwilling way in which
some of the men Clept down through tina
iron trap one at time, like the demon
and imps of theatre, | don't think there
doubt about five or six of them havin
meant to slip off; but the foreman wa
right and came down last
know my first feeling, as [ stepped o.
the last iron into lot of black mud, wa
one Of wanting to 60 back, and that feelin
grew stronger as, almost pushed forwar
by the next man, moved out Of the en-
trance into the sewer, and stood with tn
water up to my middle, striking col
through my india-ruSber clothes, and pres
sing against me as if to sweepm dow
right away to the river. The place wa
for all the world like great cellar stretcl
ing out into darkness, our lanterns GIN
mering and gistening on the black watc
that seemed to go stealthily whisperir
along and the faces Of the men about n
looked yellow and CHASTITY, as they a
clustered together for safety Hkc sheep
q strange fold.
"Now, my lads" the foreman says, in
CHEEKY voice, " there's nothing to be afra
of, without, like little children, you don
like being in the dark, so on we CO."
On we did go, very slowly, with two
three of the old hands in front, and Il
foreman at the rear; the men who hi
made bit of a laugh about being in Il
dark, talking all the same in a low whisp
that sounded very hollow and queer.
don't know whether Pm weaker thi
other men, but somehow, at every step
took, with the water bearing against 4
and pressing me On, there was a cold feC
ing of scare creeping over me, and | Ike
on think, think, think, about all sorts
things that | should have felt better if
been free of. First | got thinking abo
rain; suppose it should rain and the gull
run fast, the water would rise quickly, Al
we should all be swept away.
got the better of that by remember
the side entrances, out of which we cou
easily get.
Then there was another horrible thong
came to worry me, and as if it was son
thing putting it all into my mind, so as
torture me, there came at the same til
the recollection Of my wife and little on
and I wondered what would become