The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-06-28
A Narrow Escape in the CrOton Aque-
duct.

| "A NdIIOW ESCdpc III OiiC OIOUOu Aquc
duct.
Once year, or Oftener, usually in No
vember, an exploration is made of the
interior of the aqueduct from end to end
by Mr.. Benjamin s. Church, the resident
engineer, who for over twenty years has
been in charge of this part Of the work,
The water is shut off at the CrOtOn dam,
and the aqueduct is emptied by the
waste-wiers which have described. Many
strange and exciting adventures befall the
men detailed for the service; and though
but one life has ever been lost, large par
ties have sometimes been in imminent
danger. The man-holes having been
opened previously, the laborers, under
charge of Mr.. Church, dressed in rough
suits, enter the aqueduct at the dam,
and travel downward either afoot or in
an ingenious car propelled by crank
like the hand-cars used on railway. The
effect is weird and awe-inspiring. Some
of the men carry torches, whose smoke
and wavering blaze curl and flash in the
darkness and throw fantastic shadows and
reflections on the moist walls. The voices
reverberate like peals of thunder, and
seem to awake responsive vibrations in
the massive stone and brick work itself.
In some conditions of the atmosphere,
laborers repairing the masonry five miles
below can be distinctly heard by those at
the entrance, and at all times the human
voice pitched in an ordinary key can be
heard at distance of two or three miles
in long, low rumbles. A broad halo of
light frames the men in, and behind
this there is an impenetrable black
ness, so dense that an inexperienced
person takes every step with extreme
caution. There are few greater promot-
ers of terror than the power of darkness,
and the simple, superstitious Irishmen
descending the ladder at the entrance
leave sunshine, sky and fields above in
no cheerful mood. The short clay pipes
are allowed to go out and few words are
spoken. 1t is business to be done with
as soon as possible. Thousands of tons
of water are pressing against the gates at
the entrance, and should bar give way
or an order be misunderstood, the flood
would rush down upon the unfortunates
and engulf them with irresistible force.
Once, in fact, an order was misunderstood,
and twenty men narrowly escaped with
their lives. Mr.. Church, with this number
of laborers, entered the aqueduct to make
some repairs, and instructed the keeper
at the dam to let the water flow in again
at II p. NJ. The party were making some
repairs at point some distance below
the entrance at II A. NJ. when Mr.. Church
noticed a gradual rise in the water. Afraid
of causing panic, he did not say anything
to his men, but urged them on in the hope
that the work might be completed that
morning. The water continued to rise,
however, first submerging their feet
and then creeping up toward their
knees with terrible stealth and GER
tainty. The situation was that of
shipwrecked crew cast upon q rock
which is being slowly covered by an in
coming tide. The engineer now realized
the fact that his order had been misun-
derstood, and that the water had been
turned on at the wrong time, and would
soon be within few inches of the roof
were in highly nervous condition, and
Mr.. Church had to use his authority in
preventing them from making a confused
retreat for the nearest exit, which was
some distance away. Meanwhile the wa
ter had made its way above their knees
and was rushing through the aqueduct
with a velocity of two miles and quar-
ter per hour. 1t was no easy work walk
ing against such current as this, and
the progress made toward the man-hole
was unavoidably slow. The torches were
successfully put out by the splash until
only one remained, and threw dim, yell
low, uncertain flicker on the dark sur
roundings. There was one danger which
Mr.. Church foresaw aud was particularly
anxious to avert. If the men were not
kept under control, each would make a
disorderly struggle to reach the ladder
at the man-hole, and a delay would result
that might prove fatal AS the water in
creased in depth the greater, of course,
became their terror. and when the gray
light of the opening came into view their
bodies were submerged to their waists,
while the current almost lifted them of
their feet. BY reasoning with them and
encouraging them, however, Mr.. Church
allayed their fears and they gained the
ladder, and assembled it, one by one, in
safety.-Wm. II. Rideing, in Scribner.
THE SEWING MACHINE TUMBLE.-Sev-
eral important patents have failed of re-