The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-01-26
DANGER IN A CITY SEWER.
Thriiling Adventures of q Netera1
OmciaI of Birmingham,
England.

Birmingham is on the eve of losing
one OF the most remarkable public Off
GERS the city has ever had. His name
is Grubb, and he has spent nearly SO
years in exploring the sewers.
There is, perhaps, no other man IN
the world who could spend so long
period under circumstances so un-
healthy and say that he has never had a
days illness. He has risked his life
over and over again, faced millions OF
angry and hungry rats, and thrived on
al atmosphere which is certainly not
better than that of Omdurman.
Talking to our Birmingham CORE
spondent one day recently, the sewer
veteran explained that when he entered
upon his duties the city could boast
scarcely a well-constructed under
ground channel of even moderate di-
mansions, whereas to-day it was posi-
be TO have a subterranean stroll from
north to south and east to west, either
journey being over seven miles.
Most of the men engaged in the work
enjoyed fairly good health, but it was
a question of the survival OF the httest.
Some of the people who attempted to
follow the occupation were knocked
up in few hours, and OF few Ct them
were timid at the rats. As rule the
rats moved about in hundreds, and
when driven into a corner were not a /
all pleasant to meet.
There is only one way of dealing
with them effectively" he says. sup
posing you are brought face to face
with few hundred of them and they
cannot get away. You turn out your
lamps and plant your feet against one
side of the sewer, and support yourself
in horizontal position, with your
hands against the opposite side.
by this means you leave them a clear
passage. While you are in this position
one of the men beats the water in the
channel with the back of his spade. 1t
makes an awful! noise, and every one
does his best to swell it by shrieks and
cries.
THE rats, knowing they are at bay
and experimenting danger, make a dash
past where you are situated. Ihose
that come within reach of the shovel
finish their stampede, but the rest race
on, squealing and frightened. Some
times we get nipped, but as a rule this
plan almost frightens the life out of
them.
Zone of the great dangers we E2ve
to encounter down below is that of be-
ing overtaken by storm water, and only
the greatest care can prevent disaster.
L remember being with another work
man in the sewer running underneath
the Parade on the occasion of the
queens visit to Birmingham many
years ago.
I'VE had just got down, and as |
passed a manhole | extended my arm
and felt a few drops of rain. Unfor-
tunately, the grating above was secure,
and it became necessary to make for
the next outlet, where l knew q man
was stationed. We had scarcely begun
to move forward when we heard an aw-
full rumbling at the back which indicat-
ed that a terrific storm had broken
over the city, and that the water was
coming after us in torrents.
"We hurried along as quickly as pos
sible, but every second the water rose
higher and higher, and our task be-
came harder and harder. 1t was up to
or waists when we first caught sight
of the speck of Eight which showed US
where we had to get to in less than Il
minute if we were to save our lives.
1T was thrilling race to escape a
terrible death. We exerted every
muscle, and as the water reached our
shoulders l thought our efforts were
doomed to failure. l allowed my com
panion, younger man than l was, to
climb up the opening first. With the
aid of the men on top he was hauled out
quickly, but l had scarcely had time to
make start when the torrent came
with such force that it shot me up
wards and was rescued.
"A few seconds later l should have met
a shocking fate. There was SO much
water IN the channel that it forced its
way up through the manholes and
flooded the entire district. ''-Londou
Mail.
HARDTACK FOR FOUR.