The Portland daily press., 1894-08-24
UNDER THE RIVER.
How They Are Laying the Great
Water Pipe at Bath.

Nat Gordon Has Charge of the Diving
the state-Mr. Gordon's Narrow Es-
cape at Rockland the Other Day.
Nat Gordon the diver goes to Bath today
where he has charge of the diving opera
tions in connection with the laying of the
water pipe across the river to Woolwich.
This is the biggest job of the kind ev er
undertaken in the state and is now well
under way. In the first place pipe was
laid from the nearest main water pipe in
the city down under the city pier. Two
lighters, one operated by steam, are now
employed in laying the pipe under water.
1t is l6-inch pipe in lengths of IL feet.
Between the lighters are launching ways
81 feet long. The lengths of pipe are
fastened together with socket ball joints;
that is movable joints that admit OF bend
ing the last length upward IS degrees Each
section is jointed securely and Lormetically
to the others on the lighters and then
lowered. overheard. 1t will be seen that
these pipes thus jointed together are SO
movable that they constitute almost huge
chain that is being constantly heightened
and lowered overheard 1t is slow work and
requires the greatest care. When the tide
is going out the current is SO strong that
very little work can be done.
The divers duty is to go down to the
bottom whenever occasion seems to demand
it and see that the pipe is laid securely
there. The average depth of the river is
fifty feet The distance across is 5000 feet
and at least month will be required TO lay
the pipe. Several similar pipes have been
laid across the Kennebec but they are all
smaller and muC h shorter. There is one at
Gardiner twelve nche 5 in diameter and there
two at Wateryille and one at Fairfield.
Mr.. Gordon did the diving for all of these.
Mr.. Gowan of the firm of Morse 6 Co. of
Boston is the civil engineer in charge of the
work at Bath. The pipe is all laid from the
lake to Woolwich shore and when the pipe
under the river is laid the plant will he
complete and Bath and Brunswick will
have an adequate supply of pure water. On
both the Bath and Woolwich shores Eat the
ends of the pipe huge placards have been
erected warning vessels not to anchor over
the pipe and that they will be legally liable
for any damage done to the pipe by their
anchors.
While at Rockland few days ago Mr.
Gordon had a narrow escape. He was on
the bottom at work in about ten feet of
water whel. a thunder storm came UP. The
lightning increased and Mr.. Gordon could
see the bottom lit up brightly at every FASH
He concluded that it was about time for
him to come UP as he feels very uneasy I'M
der water in a thunder storm knowing that
water and his copper helmet ale excellent
conductors of electricity.
He came up and his assistant had just re-
moved the helmet and placed it on the
further side of the raft when there came
flash of lightning and simultaneously
tremendous roar. The lightning struck that
helmet and blazed up with the vividness of
a great emigration and the thunder was
almost defeaning.
The captain of the sloop Ajax who was
present was thrown to his knees and par
TALLY stunned. Mr.. Gordon who still had
ON his copper collar felt a peculiar sensa-
ton about his shoulders and has been lame
there everssince. Had the helmet not been
removed just as 1t was land luckily placed
on the further side of the rafD the
lightning would have struck it on MI. or
don's head ard the result car be imagined.
1t was certainly a very narrow escape.