The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-07-08

| IN myEpocket-
l didn't go home to dinner, for j
was too far off; SO l lad my snack
and then went to it again directly
along with two more, for we was or
the piece We had some beer sem
down to us, and at it we went until il
was time TO leave off; and | must say
as | was glad of it, and didn't envy
the fresh gang coming on to work al
night though it might just as vel
have been night with us. l WIS last
down, and had inst put my foot or
the first round of the ladder, when
heard something falling as it hit and
Jared the boards up'ards; and then
directly after what seemed to be g
rick caught me on the head, and
before | knew where [ was, | was of
the little platform splash down in the
cold rushing water that took me off
and away yards upon yards before
got my head above it: and then / wa
so confused and half stunned that ]
let it go under again, and had been
carried ever so far before half drown.
ed. | gained my legs and leaned, pant
ing and blinded. up against the Shiny
wall.
There | stood for at least ten min
utes, | should suppose, shuddering
and Mortified. with the thick darkness
all around, the Shiny, muddy bricks
against my hands, the cold, rushing
water beneath me. and my mind
in that confused state that for A few
minutes longer | didn't know what /
was going to do next, and wanted to
persuade myself that it was all q
dream, and | should wake up directly.
All at once though, l gave jump,
and, instead o being cold with the
water dripping from me, turned all
hot and burning, and then again cold
and shuddery; for l had felt some
thing crawling on my bare neck, when
l gave the jump, and heard close by
me a light splash which echoed
through the hollow place, while, half
to frighten the beasts that | fancied
must be in swarms around me, half
wrung from me a cry of fear and
agony, | yelled out
'Ratsr'
Rats they We're, for above the hol
low wash wash, hurry hurry, wash
wash, hurry hurry of the water, ]
conld hear little splashes and a scuff
ling. by me along the sides O the brick
work
You may laugh at peoples hair
standing on end but I know then that
there was creeping tingling sensa-
ton in the roots o mine, as though
sand was trickling amongst It: a cloud
seemed to come over my mind, and
for few moments [ believe l was
mad-mad with fear: and it was only
by setting my teeth hard and clench
my fists that | kept from shrieking
However, l was soon better, and ready
to laugh at myself as / recolIected
that | could only be p little way from
the spot where the men worked; so /
began to wade along with the water
here about up to my middle All at
once l stopped, and thought where l
was at work
"Wh ich way did the water rum"
My head turned hot and my temples
throbbed with thought If l went the
wrong way | should be lcst-lost in
this horrible darkness-to sink at last
into the fonl, black stream, to be
drowned and devoured by the rats, or
else to be choked by the foul gases
that must be lurking down here in
these dark recesses.
Again the horror of thick darkness
came upon me; shrieked ont wildly,
and the crv went echoing through the
sewer, sounding hollow and wild till
it faded away. But once more l got
the better of it, and persuaded myself
that l had only cried aloud to scare
the rats. What would / not have
given for stout stick AS defence
against attack as l CROPPED my way on,
feeling convinced that | should be
right if crawled down stream, when
q little reflection would have told me
that up stream must be the right way,
for l must have been borne down by
the water, But | could not reflect.
for my brain seemed in state of few
er, and now and then my teeth chat
tered as though / had the ague.
lgroped Oh for quite a quarter OF
an hour, when the horrid thought
came 7npon me that ] was going
wrong, and again l tried to lean ur
against the wall, which seemed tc
cause my feet to slip from under me
| felt no cold, for the perspiration
dropped from me. as l frantically
turned back and tried TO retrace my
steps, guiding myself by running a
hand against the wall where every
now and then it entered the mouth ot
a small drain, when, so sure as it did
there was a scuffle and a rush, anG
more than once it touched the colo
slippery body of a rat touch thai
made me start back as though shot
On went, and on, and still no scat
fold and no CLEAN of gaslight
Thought after thought gave fresl
horror to my situation. as now / fell
certain that in my frantic haste I hac
taken some wrong turn, or entered /;
branch of the main place; and at last
completely bewildered, rushed head
long on, stumbling and falling twic,
over, so that | was half choked in th.
| black water But it had its good eff
feet; for it put a stop to my wile
| struggles. which must soon have end
ed in my falling insensible into wha
was certain death The water cooled
my head, and now, feeling completed,
lost, knowing that 1 must have beer
nearly two hours in the sewer, mad,
up nv mind to follow the stream t,
its mouth in the Thames. where, i
the tide was down, could get from
the mud on to Che wharf or band.
SO once more l struggled on. fol
lowing this stream slowly for wha
seemed to be hours. till at last, raisln:
my hand, | found ] could not toucl
the roof; and by that knew that l wa
in larger sewer, and therefore no
very far from the mouth. But her
there was new terror creeping III
me, so to speak, for from my wais
the water now touchad my chest, an