Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-05-25
oro1on Anneancl-A Narro,g Eseape.


Once year. or oftener, usually in No
vember, an exploration is made Of the in
terror of the aqueduet from end TO end, by
Mr.. Benjamin S. Church, the resident en-
gineer, who for over twenty years has
been in charge Of the work. The water is
shut of at the CrOton dam, and the aque
duet is emptied by the waste-weirs. Many
strange and exciting adventures befau the
men detailed for this service; and though
but one life has ever been lost, large par
ties have sometimes been in imminent
danger. The man-holes having been open
ed previously, the laborers under charge
of Mr.. Church, dressed in rough suits, en-
ter the aueduct at the dam, and travel
downward either afoot or in an ingenious
car propelled by crank like the hand
cars used on a railway. The effect is
weird and awe-inspiring. Some OF the men
carry torches, whose smoke and waverlng
blaze curl and flash in the darkness ana
throw fantastic shadows and reflections on
the moist walls. The voices Eeverberate
like peals of thunder, and seem to awake
responsive vibrations in the MASSIVE stone
and brick work itself. In some condlIlons
of the atmosphere, labOrers repairing the
masonry five miles below can be distlhctlH
heard by those at the entrance, ana aI al
times the human voice pitched IN an orul-
narv Lev can be heard at a distance OF Two
-. Il 20 niles in long low rumbles. A
broad halo of light frames the men IN, ana
behind this there is an impenetrable black
ness so dense that an inexperienced person
taxes every step with extreme caution.
There are few greater promoters OF terror
than the power of darkness, and the SIM
ME. superstitious lrishmen descending the
ladder at the entrance leave sunshine, sky
and fields above in no cheerful mode. The
short clay pipes are allowed to go out and
few words are spoken. 1t is a business to
be done with as soon as possible. Thou
sands of tons of water are pressing against
the gates at the entrance, and should a bar
give way, or an order be misunderstood, the
flood would rush down upon the unfortu-
mates and engulf them with irresistible
force Once, in fact, an order was mlsun
derstood, and twenty men narrowly eseap-
ed 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 o. m. The party were making
some repairs at a point some distance be-
low the entrance at II a. m when Mr..
Church noticed 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 complet-
ed 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 a shipwrecked crew
cast upon rock which is being slowly
covered by an incoming tide. The engi-
neer now realized the fact that his order
had been misunderstood, and that the wa
ter 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 nervous condition,
and Mr.. Church had to use his authority in
preventing them from making 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 veloc- |
itv of two miles and a quarter per hour. |
1t was no easy work walking against such |
g current as this, and the progress made |
toward the man-hole was unavoidably |
slow. The torches we're successfully put |
out by the splash until only one remained, |
and that threw a dim, yellow, uncertain |
flicker on the 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 a 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 assembled it, one by one, in
safety. SerS6Ber for June.