Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-05-22
NO. 121..
Mistella
A NARROW ESCAPE IN TIE CROrON 40.
UEDuCf.

Once year, or oftener, usually Ia Mo-
vember, an exploration is made of the in
terror Of the aqueducl from end to end, by
Benjamin s. Church, the resident epgi-
neer, who Tor over twenty years has been
in charge of this part of the work. The
water is shut of at the Croton dam, and
the aqueduct is emptied by the waste
wiers which l have described. Many
strange and exciting adventures befail
the men detailed for this service; and
though but one life has ever been lost,
large parties have sometimes been in i'm
minent danger. The man-holes having
been opened previously. the laborers un-
der 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 ef-
feet 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. labor
ers repairing the masonry five miles be-
low can be distinctly heard BY those at
all times the human voice pitched in an
ordinary key can be heard at distance
| of two or three miles, in long low rum
| bles. A broad halo Of light frames the
men in, and behind this there is an i'm
penetrable blackness, so dense that an in-
| experienced person takes every step with
extreme caution. There are few greater
sLns. -. -
darkness, and the simple, superstitious
lrishmen descending the ladder at the en-
trance 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 u 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 food would rush down upon the un-
iortunates and engulf them with irresist-
| ible force. Once, in fact, an order was
misunderstood. and twenty men narrowly
| escaped with their lives.
MIR. Church. with this number Of labor
| ers, entered the aqueduct to make some
repairs, and instructed the. keeper at the
dam to let the water flow in again ut l
Z. NJ. The party were making some re-
pairs al q point some distance below the
entrance at IL A. NJ, when Mr.. Church
noticed gradual rise in the water. Afraid
of causing a panic, he did not say any
thing 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 certainty. The
situation was that of ship-wrecked crew
cast upon rock which is being slowly
covered by an incoming tide. The engi-
| neer now realized the tact that his order
had been misunderstood, and that the
water had been turned on at the wrong
| time, and would soon be within few
inches of the roof of the aqueduct. BY
| this time the men were in highly ner-
vous 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 water had made its way
above their knees and was rushing through
the aqueduct with velocity of two miles
and quarter per hour. 1t was no easy
work walking 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 that
threw dim, yellow. uncertain flicker on
tee dark surroundings. There was one
danger which Mr.. Church foresaw and
was particularly anxious to avert. II the
men were not kept under control, each
would make disorderly struggle to reach
the ladder at the man-hole, and delay
would result that might prove fatal As
the water increased 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 off their feet. BY reasoning with
them and encouraging them, however.
Mr.. Church allayed their fears and they
gained the ladder, and ascended it, one
by one, in safety Scri6ner.