Omaha daily bee., 1886-07-29
THE CAISSON CURE.
A Remarkable Story Told Times"
Rennrter in Enirmnnnt Park

Were you ever troubled with asthma?"
gasped benevolent looking old gentle
man, as he took seat beside a Times
reporter and mopped the perspiration
from his brow in Fairmount Park on
Sunday. mo? Well, you're fortunate.
I've had it for thirty years. | might have
cured myself several years ago, but | had
not the grit to take the caissSion cure '
What is that?h we asked. well, I'll
relate little incident that once came
under my personal observation, "said he,
which will explain what | mean. When
the big railroad bridge of the Hannibal
& st. Joseph railroad was being con-
structed over the Missouri river owing
o the muddy bottom the caissionS used
in the construction of the piers had to be
sunk from seveyty-iivc to one hundred
and twenty-five feet below the bed of the
river to rcace rock bottom. The gas
WEIGH accumulated in the caiSsions was
of the coolest character and 1t was al
most impossible to get men to go down
in them.
-Four dollars an hour was offered for
the work with few takers. 1t was almost
impossible to live in one of them longer
than an hour and a dead man was brought
up nearly every day. Well, one day, as
the chief engineer was sadly contemplat-
md the SlowneSs of the work and wonder
ing if it would ever be completed, n
miserable, haggard being, more dead
than alive, approached HIM and asked
for a job, See here, my man, said the
engineer, this isn't Il morgue. You've
struck the wrong funeral Amt you
offering four dollars an hour here for
caisson men, SAID the shadow. Yes I'm
Offering tour dollars an hour, but not for
walking stiffs, said the engineer. Well,
I'm starving, and I'm booked for the
other world anyhow, and might just as
well die trying to live as to starve to
death. Give me job and III take my
chanes on it.
well, the engineer gave him job.
bade him good goodbye, and expected
to see him brought up corpse. The
skeleton stayed down that caisson three
straight hours, and when he came up he
walked up to the engineer, asked for
some money to buy something to drink,
and said he hadn't felt so good for three
months. The next day he worked SIX
eight hours, and kicked liked steer be-
cause the boss wanted to chase him up Il
quarter of an hour before his time
was up.
"Well, he worked in the caissons eight
hours day until the bridge was finished.
When he went down in the caisson the
first day he weighed eighty pounds and
HUH Ctnl. w ucu Hc SOI IulOUSl
with the job he weighed 40 pounds, had
full beard, was the strongest man in the
gang and had saved up over a thousand
dollars. You see, he had the asthma.
The bracing atmosphere of Missouri was
| too much for him. The continIng at.
| moSphere of the calsSons was just what
| he needed and really saved his life. He
invested his savings in Il farm near Kan
sas City, speculated successfully, and is
now the owner of one of the largest cat
| tie ranches in Texas.
1T was certainly remarkable cure,
| but have always regretted that l did not
| possess sufficient courage to take it my
self, as in my capacity of temperance lee
| turer and local preacher am often seri.
| ously inconyenienced by my lack OF
| breath"
Then the old gentleman slowly gath
cred himself together, borrowed a chew
of tobacco and mournfully made bee
| hne for the pump.