The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-25
ANoTHEK RuNAwAY MARRIAGE.
Working Under Wafer.

Laboring on the firm earth. with al
out OF doors 10 breathe, perspiring and
mayhap. grumbling at one 5 hard luck a
| person seldom, II ever, stops TO think that
men work day after day deep down IN
the water, or the mlti, with none but
artificial night TO guide their movements.
and only the air that Is pumped 10 them
| 10 breathe.
People Who work In the open air would
have only 10 work fOr a short time In u
divers suit, caisson, or an airiock. get
ting taste OF what It IS Ike ana how II
! feels, 10 be- cured forever OF grumDlin5 at
| their lot and 10 thank their lucky stars
| thdt II has been ordained that they work
On top OF the earth.
The work OF a diver, his sensations
| while under the water and his expert
| eHces have often been written about but
| those OF the airlOck and caissOn worker
| have not. While he does not face the
| danger OF fouling pipes and lines, as does
! the diver, he stays down longer, gets
| warmer, and his great danger les In the
! stagndtiOn Of blood and paralysis, result
| ING from the change OF atmosphere.
Alf. X. {. Rapier, OF No. ~ cambridge
| street, East Cambridge, Is an airlOck
| worker. and talks most interestingly his
! work was mainly IN the airlOcks used in
Dulldlng the great Hudson river tunnel
To IL Herald reporter he talked OF some OF
the sensations, dangers and experiences.
lie said that, while a man working on
the surface OF the earth bears up an at
InOspneric pressure OF fifteen pounds 10
the inch, men IN the locks bear a pres
sure OF from fifteen 70 nifty pounds of
compressor air, according 10 the depth.
Inc heaviest pressure ever worked under
was borne by five divers on the Swedish
coast siXty-nye pounds. Four Of these
Gird I'VE minutes after coming out
nile, az Il general thing, the diver
stands not nearly that amount of pres
sure, and seldom stays down more than
two hours, the men IN the Hudson river
tunnel stood a pressure Of from forty-fve
10 forty and One-half pounds and
worked I'm fOur-hOur shifts Some men
stayed down twenty hours at a stretch.
but did not work all the time. and super
intendent Haskins stayed down once
tWenty-tOur hours.
The sensations experienced are peculiar.
When man first steps in there is ting
ling IN the ears and pain in the head. |
ana when he talks il IS apparently |
through the nose. This Is caused by the |
pressure. and the remedy IS 10 hold the |
nose, close the mouth, and blow against |
the ears. This relieves the pain and stops |
the sensation. When the pressure is all |
on the worker feels all right and eXper- |
fences no discomfort. Then there Is a sort |
OF eAhlarauOn. and man does more |
work IN The lock than he could do outside. |
Another peculiar thing about the action
or the pressure IS that a man may have
liquor enough aboard when outside 70
just mike him feel jolly but when he
steps into the lock he is as drunk as a
loon.
The danger lies in coming out of the
pressure into the open air. 10 Is then that
y the blood and paralysis caused by the
change OF atmosphere Besides this a
nan may be attacked In the head or stom-
Jch with severe pains Three out OF five
asses where the head and stomach are
attacked result fatally.
Another severe malady resulting from |
ne change IS what Is called the bends"
This is the air getting in between the |
iesh and the bone Il Is extremely pain
ifl,and go severe that q quart Of whisky |
administered in half an hour would not
nt9Nicate the patient The staSnation
ma paralysis are the worst danger. and |
10 the work quickly. Many men have
'een keeled over by these causes, and not
Few die. old timers at the business
ometimes get caught. Mr.. Rapier him
elf was twice attacked. The remedy for
ms paralysis IS quick return 10 the air
)ck.
The effect OF the pressure varies on ami
lals. as Is shown by the mules used in
be Hudson river tunnel Some OF these
casts are Kept at work down below for
year, and on being brought up are worth
lore than when they were taken down
'thers that had only been I'm the works
our months had 10 be killed =
ne men, as a general thing do not re-
lam a great many years at the business,
nj "A man should never work at IL after
@ Is forty-yedrs OF age.
cutting hole and building a tunnel :
trough water is an extremely difficult \
ing. ana bly many was thought 10 be -
lpossible. Still it was done I'm the case
the Hudson river tunnel, and the
ethod. as told by Mr.. Rapier is very in
resting.
The work on the tunnel had progressed
MI body OF water was struck How
tunnel through this hole OF water was o.
puzzling question. 1t was done this -
iy. \ sO-called balloon was constructed
making a netting Of wire rope and ,
vering this netting with canvas. The .
terror Of the balloon was then filed
tn blue clay and salt hay. When filed, ~
. balloon thirty feet I'm diameter weigh i
40 tons The hole of water was then
'atcd. and with the aid OF a huge steam :
rrick the balloon was dropped into the
le. Then several scOw loads OF dirt IT.
re dumped down onto the be loon, and II
= whOle' thing was left to settle p,
u the end OF ten DAYS The work Of ~
ting through the balloon was begun. X
Is was very difficult job An III "A OF
at hard cutting 1t was may be gained o.
m the fact that IL took two months "
dig through the thirty feet: the plates o.
4 brick were going I'm as the work pro- -
ssed.-From the Boston Herald