New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1892-03-09
a STRUGGLES FOR LIFE.
Terrible Experience Of a Diver in
the Chicago Warer-Works Tu :

Terrible Experience Of a Diver in
the Chicago Warer-W Works Tu :
mel.
"Scully is being sucked into the tul.
ael. For God sake stop all pump
and send us help
This was the message telephoned
City Engineer Clarke from the two-mile
crib shortly after II O'Clock.
"Give him all the air you can
pump. Don't letup aminute. WillgiNe
relief instantly. Work as you never
worked before
This was the reply Mr.. Clarke hurl-
ed back over the wire.
It was a remarkable struggle that
asgoing on at the crib. Sixteen men OF
Drawn and musclewere tugging alkaline,
the other end OF which was made fast
about the waist OF John E. Scully, the
intrepid diver employed in heengineer-
ing department. Pulling with all the
the strength they could bring to their
aid the men on the platform were I'M
able to raise their comrade one inch
toward the surface. They all knew
what was the matter. Scully
had gone down to break away the
ice that blocked one Of the great port
holes. He had succeeded, and the
mighty rush OF water had carried him
along with resistless force toward tho
great tunnels through which Lake
Michigan was being sucked into the
city mains at the rate of 26O,OOO,OOO
gallons per day. The swapping OF the
signal line instantly followed by a
tremendous pull on the life line, had
given warning, and several feet OF the
line ran out before the frightened men
could make it tauc:: ~
For an hour this struggle continued,
when the power that was holding
Scully weakened and the unfortunate
diver was pulled to the surface
Willing hands soon carried him inside
the crib-house, and the headgear was
hastily removed. To the great Joy OF
the rescuers it was found that Scully
was alive.
'There are no bones broken, john"
said DR.. Montgomery, land you must
have the nerve OF the devil himself.
Your pulse is almost normal"
SculIy grinned and declared he was
all right. ''My back is a bit, lame"
he added, land no wonder. I've
been in that portfolio an hour or
more and these sixteen men have
been pulling on the line about my
waist every blessed moment. I'll be
all right in an hour or so though. 1t
takes more than a little thing like
this to knock me out;'
"Nearly all the time I was below
continued Scully, "that is after the
ice gave way, l was standing on my
head. The force eXerted by the six
teen men was exactly equal to that of
the rushing current. Talk about
''tugs. of-war.' There never was one
like this. All this time ! kept my
senses. Once Or twice / thought they
had abandoned the air pumps and
then my head seemed as though it
would burst. But soon would
come al ong the precio us
fluid and my lungs would fill and l
would say to myself. God bless
those fellows The time dragged on
and there lay, my feet toward heav-
en- and my head pointing to the bot
tom OF the lake. Istruggled with my
teet to push myself out OF that awful
current, but I couldn't. II could
only have had the use OF my hands!
"Well, after what seemed to me at
least a week, that line all the time
cutting into my waist, I felt that the
power of the current was decreasing,
and d few minutes later there was p
momentary let up on the lifeline. I
waited few minutes to gather all my
strength, and then, with one great ef-
fort l succeeded in pushing myself
clear Of the current, Then the boys
began pulling harder than ever and
pretty soon was on top again" y
Chicago Herald. .-..