The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1895-01-23
DIGGING TUNNELS.
THE PRESSURE MEN BEAR WHILE
WORKING UNDER WATER.
Peculiar Sensations and Sometimes Fatal
Results -TunneIing Through n Water
Hole Under the Hudson Rivcr--Intcrcst-
ing Talk with an Air Lock Worker.

Ing Talk with an Air Lock Worker.
Laboring on the firm earth, with "all
out of doors" to breathe, perspiring and
mayhap grumbling at ones hard luck,
q person seldom, if ever, stops to think
that men work day after day deep down
in the water or the mud, with none but
artificial light 60 guido their move
ments and only the air that is pumped
to breathe.
People who work in tho open air
would have only to work for n short
timo in divers suit caisson or an
air lock, getting n taste of what it is
like and how it feels, to bo cured forev-
or Of grumbling at their lot and to thank
their lucky stars that it has been or
dained that they work on top of the
earth. Tho work of diver, his sensa-
tions while under water and his expert
enccs have often been written about,
but those of the air lock and caisson
worker have not. While he docs not
face the danger Of fouling pipes and
lines, rs does the diver, he stays down
longer, gets warmer, and his great dan
ger lies in the stagnation of blood and
paralysis, resulting from tho change of
atmosphere.
Mr. r G. Rapior of East Cambridge
is an air lock worker and talks most in
terostingly. Lis work was mainly in the
air locks used in building the great Hud-
son river tunnel. To reporter no talk.
ed of somo OF the sensations, dangers and
experiences. He said that, while man
~yorking on tho surface of tho earth
bears up an atmospheric pressure OF l5
pounds TO the inch, men in the locks
bear n pressure of from - to 80 pounds
Of compressed air, according TO the
depth. The heaviest pressure ever work
cd under was borne by five divers on
tho Swedish coast--65 pounds. Four of
thoso died five minutes after coming out.
While rs general thing the diver
stands not nearly that amount Of pres
sure and seldom stays down moro than
two hours, tho men in the Hudson river
tunnel stood q pressure of from 4j to
46% pounds and worked in four hour
shifts Some men staid down 60 hours
at stretch but did not work all tho
time, and Superintendent Haskins once
staid down "a hours The sensations
experienced are peculiar When man
first steps in, there is tingling in the
ears and pain in the head, and when
he talks it is apparently through the
nose. This is caused by the pressure,
and the remedy is to hold the nose.
close the mouth and blow against the
ears This relieves the pain and stops
the sensation. When the pressure is oil
on, the worker als all right and expe-
riences no discomfort. Then there is a
more work in the lock than he could do
outside.
Another peculiar thing about the ac-
tion of the pressure is that man may
have liquor enough aboard when out.
side to Just make him feel jolly, but
when he steps into the lock he is as
drunk as q loon. The danger lies in
coming out of the pressure into the open
air. 1t is then that man is apt to suf-
fer from stagnation Of the blood and
paralysis, caused by the change of at
mosphere. Besides this a man may be
attacked in the head or stomach with
severe pains. Three out Of five cases
where the head and stomach arc attack
ed result fatally.
Another severe malady resulting from
the change is WI ! is called the bends
This is the air getting in between the
flesh and the bone. It is extremely pain
full and SO severe that quart of whisky
administered in half an hour would not
intoxiuate the patient. The stagnation
and paralysis are the worst dangers
and do the work quickly. Many men
have been keeled over by these causes,
and not few die. Old timers at the
business sometimes get caught. Mr..
Rapier himself was twice attacked
The remedy for this paralysis is quick
return to the air lock. The effect of the
pressure varies ON animals, as is shown
by the mules used in the Hudson river
tunnel. Some of these beasts are kept
at work down below for year, and ON
being brought up are worth more than
when they were taken down. Others
that had only been In the works four
months had to be killed.
The men as general thing do not
remain q great many years at the bust
ness and q man should never work ut
it after he is 40 years Of age. Cutting a
hole and building tunnel through wa
ter 10 an extremely difRcult thing and
BY many was thought to be impossible.
Still 1t was done in the case of the Hud-
son river tunnel, and the method, az
told by Mr.. Rapier, is very interesting.
The work ON the tunnel had progressed
until body of water was struck. How
to tunnel through this hole of water
was puzzling question. It was done in
this way. A SO called balloon was con-
structed by making a netting Of wire
rope and covering this netting with can
vas. The interior of the balloon was
then filed with blue clay and salt hay.
When filed, the balloon. 30 feet in
diameter, weighed l40 tons. The hole
Of water was then located, and with the
aid Of huge steam derrick the balloon
was dropped into the hole. Then several
scowloads Of dirt were dumped down
ON to the balloon, and the whole thing
xUaa loft fo eattla