Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-15
TIE CAISsON CURE.
A Remedy for Asthma, Positive but
Somewhat announcement.
From tic Philade'pAig Times.

From tho PhNddelphj7 Times.
"Were you ever troubled with asth-
mar" gasped a benevolent looking old
gentleman, as he took seat beside re-
porter and mopped the perspiration from
his brow in Paramount Park yesterday.
"NoY Well, you're fortunate. Pve had
it for thirty years. l might have cured
myself several years ago, but had not
the grit to take the calsson cure" what
is thatF" was asked. "Well, Pll relate
little incident which came to my personal
observation" said he, which VIII eX-
plain what mean. When the big rail-
road bridge OF the Hannibal and st. Joe
railroad " as being constructed over the
Missouri river, owing to the muddy bot
tom the caissOn used in the construction
OF the piers had to be sunk from 10 to 10
feet below the bed OF the river 10 reach
rock bottom. The gas which accumu-
lated in the caissOns was of the fou(est
character, and it was almost impossible
TO get men TO 20 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. Wen, one
day. as the chief engineer was cOntem-
plating the slowness of the work and
wondering if 1t would ever be completed,
a miserable. haggard being, more dead
than alive, approached him and asked TOR
I lob. See here, my man. said the engi-
neer, this isn't morgue. You've struck
the wrong iuneral.' 'Ain't you Offering
81 an hour here for caisson
menT said the shadow. Yes;
Pm Offering 81 an hour for men, but not
for walking stitfs,' said the engineer.
well, Pm starving, and Pm booked tor
the other world, anyhow, and l mightjust
as well die trying to live as to starve to
death Give me job and I'll take my
chances on it,
"Well, the engineer gave him a job,
bade him goodbye and expected to see
him brought up a corpse. The skeleton
stayed down that caissOn three straight
hours, and when he came up he Walbed
up 10 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 hours and said he
felt bully: the next day eight hours and
kicked like a steer because the boss
wanted to chase him up quarter OF an
hour before his time was up. Well, be
worked IN the caissOns eight hours day
until the bridge was finished. When ne
went down the caisson the first day he
weighed eighty pounds and hadn't a cent.
When he got through with the JOB he
weighed 175 pounds, had afull beard, was
the strongest man IN the gang, and had
saved up over $1,000. You see. ne had
the asthma. The bracing atmosphere OF
Missouri was too much for him. The con.
fning atmosphere of the caissons was
Just what he Needed and really saved his
life. He invested his savings in farm
near Kansas City, speculated success
fully, and is now the owner OF one OF the
largest cattle ranches in Texas.
sit was certainly remarkable cure
but have always regretted that | did
not possess sufficient courage to take ii
myself as in my capacity of temperance
lecturer and local preacher L am often
seriously Inconvenience by my lack OF
breath"
Then the old gentleman slowly gath
cred himself together, borrowed chew OF
tobacco and mournfully made bee line
for the pump.