The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-10-02

ing had passed inside through the air
lock and the others had quit their posts
preparatory to leaving. 1t is probable
that if they had delayed this for even a
minute, the accident would not have
happened, for the fatal leak, which was
discovered just too late, might easily
have been stopped if discovered in time.
As the two squads met just at the mo-
ment of shifting, a peculiar kissing
sound was heard, with which all were
familiar. 1t meant leak, and leak
meant death!
"Back and stop the leak!" shouted
the Superintendent, and the order was
obeyed almost before it was given.
AS many as could get there jumped
for the place, where all knew the dan
ger was greatest. The brothers worked
side by side. ,l.
"It's the maneing of the quare feelin'
Teddy" cried Patsy, as they both piled
pick and shovel. "May the Vorgin
save us!n IL
The joining of the temporary roof OF
the tunnel with the wall of the shaft was
necessarily imperfect. 1t was intended
to make all secure with q three-foot wall
of brick and cement, but it was impossi-
BILE to set the foundation of the brick
work until after the circle of the tunnel
should be completed, so that this imper-
feet jointure was continually watched.
With reasonable diligence it was easy to
keep it closed, and the material to close
it was plenty and at hand. The chinks
were stopped with the silt, of which the
river bottom is largely composed-a
clayey mud, of the consistency of putty
and man should have been at this
part watching the chink.
No pen can describe the terrible strug-
gle which followed. 1t lasted scarcely
two minutes. The men were nerved by
a full knowledge of the great danger of
their position. Not a man but knew
that he carried his life in his hands
whenever he went to work, and not q
man failed to know that the supreme
moment had come. All worked well.
The brothers did the work of ten men.
1t was too late!
The leak that one man could have
stopped if he had been there at the right
moment was now wide enough for the
foul current of corruption and death to
flow in from the river bottom, and the
only safety lay in flight. Between the
spot where they were and the open air
there were two locked doors, only one
of which could be opened at once. The
little rift above their heads became a
chasm. The compressed air escaped
until there was no longer pressure
enough from within to maintain the por-
ton of unfinished work. The electric
light by which they worked was extin-
guished, and darkness added its terrors
to their great misery.
In the confusion the brothers, who had
instinctively clasped hands when the
water and mud poured in upon them,
were separated. Patsy reached out his
hand and it was clutched by some one
in the darkness.
"To the caison!" shouted the Super
intendent, and the men rushed pell nell
toward this only avenue of escape. He
was standing by the inner door of the
air-lock, and threw it open for the men
to pass through.
"Quick, boys:" he cried. sect into
the lock!" And instead of passing in
among the first he stood by the door
helping one after another in.
Six men passed, among them Patsy
Horley. He looked around and called
loudly for Teddy. There was no re-
spouse. The seventh man was passing
through. He pushed by him into the
tunnel.
"Teddy bye!" he cried.
"Here!" shouted voice at his side.
"Get through quick!" he said, and
pushed his brother through.
He would have followed him but an
other of the men stepped in front of
him, and he helped him into the lock.
This man was almost through when the
awful weight of the mud and water fell
against the door, pinning him so fast
that nothing could have freed him in
time.
The door was fast. One man was
fastened in the doorway between the
other nineteen and their last chance of
life. The eight in the lock were thus
almost lost, for there was no longer q
chance to close the inner door, and the
flood was closing on them. Swiftly the
water rushed into the lock; it rose knee
deep where they stood, and the air was
compressed by all the pressure of the
rise above them in the little chamber,
the door of which was securely fastened
against them. They could not open this
door, nor could they break it from the
inside. But in the lock were two dead
lights of massive glass, eight inches in
diameter, and these the men knew were
to be broken as last resort.
"My God! the water is gaining on
u.s." said one; what shall we doP"
"Kape cool, men, kape cool!" an
swered voice from the river side of the
tunnel. Teddy rushed to the bulls eye
and looked through. There stood Pat
sy and the Superintendent side by side,
their faces white as death.
"Keep COOL" cried the Superintend-
ent through the crack of the door;
"nothing can be gained by excitement. g"
But shure, sor, the wather is gainin'
on us, and we can't open the door into
the shaft"
"The water is covering me up"
moaned the poor fellow who was crush
ed by the door. "Can'ty you get me out
of this?"
Teddy caught him by the neck, and
several others sprang to his assistance.
They pulled and tugged, but it was no