Wichita eagle., 1889-01-22
THE CAISSON CURE.
A Remarkable Story Told to Veracious
Quaker City Reporter.
PHILADELPHIA Tmes.l

Remarkable Story Told to . VeYacious
Quaker City Reporter.
philadelphia Times.l
"Were you ever troubled with asthma 7"
gasped a benevolent-iooking old gentle
man, as he took a seat beside reporter
and mopped the perspiration from his
brow in Paramount Park yesterday. "Noe
Well, you're fortunate l might have cured
myself several years ago, but had not
the grit to take the caisson cure" What
is thats" was asked ''Well, Pill relate
little incident which came under my per-
sonal observation, said he (which will
explain what l mean. When the big rail
road bridge of the Hannibal & st. Joe rail-
road was constructed over the Missouri
river, owing to the muddy bottom, the
caissons used in the construction Of the
piers had to be sunk from seventy to one
hundred and twenty-five feet below the bed
of the river to reach rock bottom. The gas
which accumulated in tie caissons was
of the foulest character and it was almost
impossible to get men to go down in them.
-Four dollars an hour was offered for the
work, with few takers. 1t was almost inn
possible to live in one of them longer than
an hour, and dead man was brought up
nearly every day. Well one day, as the
chief engineer was sadly contemplating
the slowness of the work and wondering if
it would ever be completed, miserable,
haggard being, more lad than alive, ap-
preached him and asked for a job. See
here, my man, said the engineer, this
isn't a morgue. You've struck the wrong
funeral Amt you offering four dollars
an hour here for caisson menr said the
shadow. Yes, I'm offering four dollars
an hour for men, but not for walking
stiffs,' said the engineer. We'll, Pm starv-
ing, and Pm booked for the other world,
anyhow, and / might just as we'll die try
ing to live as to starve to death. Give me
job and I'll take r.y chances on it.
''Well, the engineer gave him job,
babe him goodbye aud expected to see
him brought up a 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 hours and said he felt
bully; the next day eight hours, and kicked
like a steer because the boss wanted TO
chase him up a quarter of an hour before
his time was up
"Well, he worked in the cassons eight
hours a day until the bridge was finished.
When he went down in thescaissons the
first day he weighed eighty pounds and
hadn't cent. When he got through with
the job he weighed one hundred and sew
enty pounds, had full beard, was the
strongest man in the gang and had saved
up over one thousand dollars. You see,
he had the asthma. The bracing atmos-
phere Of Missouri was too much for him.
The combining atmosphere of the caissons
was just what he needed, and really saved
his life. He invested his savings in a farm
near Kansas City, speculated successfully
and is now the owner of one Of the largest
cattle ranches in Texas.
at was certainly a remarkable cure, but
l have always regretted that did not pos
sess sufficient courage to take it myself, as
In my capacity of lecturer and local
preacher / am often seriously inconveni-
enced by my lack of breath"
Then the old gentleman slowly gathered
himself together borrowed chew of to-
bacco and mournfully made a Decline for
the pump.