The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-09-25

fluid silt. So much water came in thatit
ran in a stream under the plank road
way, and the great pumps at the shaft
head worked to full capacity. Once
they thought the whole tunnel end was
coming in; the water gushed inward.
rose rapidly above the roadway and
swirled cold about their feet. Two
Italians bolted suddenly from the earth
working to escape; even Paddock
dropped his shovel. Jernigan stood like
a post.
"Get back there!" he roared.
He caught one Italian with a blow
on the chin that sent him sprawling
into the water; the second paused, and
Jernigan leaped at him and drove him
headlong against the earth at the tun-
nel's end.
Meantime Swanson, in his slow way,
was coolly pitching clay balls. Two
other men, with Jernigan, joined rim.
and at last, with the water cold about
their ankles, they succeeded in stop
ping the flow. 1t was after this incident
that the Committee of Five came to
look at the tunnel, for such things as
these leak curiously out to the public,
and the committee, as l have said,
found it a good and perfect tunnel,
and Mr.. Barclay an amiable man. Bar
clay was no longer congratulating linn
self. In two weeks the tunnel had not
advanced three feet, and it was cost
ing him a small fortune to keep the
water down.
And then came the blue Monday. It
was at the afternoon shift The tun-
mel had been behaving itself with adj
mirable decorum for a day or two,
the earth had seemed much harder.
and though there was frequent rat
thing of escaping air-the sound OF
which had grown so familiar that It
brought not a tremor to the men
the gaps were more easily closed.
Swanson had accumulated q large
stock of clay balls.
"Ye're getting fat and lazy, Swan
son." Jernigan said; "the old lady amt
playin' her chunes any more"
But Jernigan spoke too soon. Not
ten minutes later one of the Italians
sprang back with a shout: he had
opened little pocket Of silt near the
top and at one side of the tunnels
end. For a moment the soft earth
gushed out, then there was the wailing
sound Of escaping air. Instantly Swan
son drove a clay ball into the hole. but
instead Of remaining there 1t dis
appeared at once, being driven upward
by the escaping air. Other balls fol-
lowed in like manner; the air was going
fast Half the crew were throwing the
clay, but IL either went out Of sight
or sloughed down with the incoming
mud Then of a sudden in gushed a
torrent of water as big as a mans
leg. Jernigan rang for more air pres
sure and the men redoubled their
efforts, but all to no avail. Suddenly,
while Jernigan himself was working
at the breach. the Italians bolted. Jer-
nigan yelled at them, but they were
too desperately frightened and ran at
the top of their speed for the air-lock.
The other men paused undecided for an
instant, and then they, too, followed.
II seemed certain death to remain with
that stream of water pouring into the
tunnel 1t would require only mo-
ment to wear larger hole, and then
the whole river would be In on them
and there was nearly 600 feet of iun-
ming water to the air-lock and safety.
Jernigan looked around. Only Swan
son was left, calmly yet swiftly gather
ing up more clay balls.
For an instant the two men looked
at each other. Jernigan had promised
to see the work through, and see 1t
through he would, water or no water.
Swanson saw him spring suddenly upon
the low earth bank which the men
used when working around the upper
rim of the tunnel. He turned swiftly
and braced himself into the mud of the
tunnels end, driving his body into the
pocket of quicksand.
Here, Swanson. plug me In" he or
dered.
Swanson brought clay balls and drove
them into the mud around Jernigan's
body. She's comm fast, Meester YER
nigan," he observed. The water poured
out everywhere around him, and when
the clay began to stop its course the