New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-10-23
CAISS0N WORKERS TERROR ABATING.
METHODS DLSCOVERED TO PREVENT THE BENDS
WHICH HAZE KILLED so MANY MEN

tunnel The fnrlshing water drowned twenty OF
the workmen.
The most strIkngly peculiar thing about The
bends" is that the sickness never attacks the
men while under pressure but only after cecom-
preston. When at work in the chamber the men
notice chiefly a feeling ~ resistance TO movement
owing to the density OF the atmosphere an In
ability TO whisper. while they able to SPEAK
loudly or shout without much difficulty condition
attributed 10 The resistance of compressed air
70 the finer movements OF the tongue muscles and
slowing Of the pulse. On deoompression the
workmen frequently complain OF intense feeling
OF cold. due TO the expansion Of the afr and q de-
gree Of breathlesSness.
II would be difficult TO hear a more vivid aO-
count OF the sensations OF caisson worker than
that OF Scotchman who was sent to the hospital
suffering from a mild form Of bends"
How did it feel like to so I'M" no began ''oh,
just the same as anywhere else You felt
bit giddy when you went in, that was all
We stayed in for eight hours at shift We
had half an hour for dinner but some OF the men
would not come out for IL They took It in with
them.
Coming out again was not bad. but Just
chilly; bitter chilly. cold charity. The pains
would come on afterward. in hour or So or
when you got in bed. Bends in the back and the
wrists and legs. just awful Men would turn out
in the middle Of the night and come back to the
works and get into the compressed air again They'd
take fun dose OF It the start and then let tho
home 10 bed Do them any good? En- mon It's
no for me 10 say. They said 80. but thought Il
was only a humbug. faith dodge When had
bends'I just jumped about and took a draD OF g1Id
whuskey.
I never felt happier than when was in the
compressed air. Always happy and on the CHEEKY
side. Why. lady. 1 would get up IN the morning
feeling very dour and queer, and just go into the
workings and then whistle and sing all day long
Not that you could hear the whstling at least a
witt NV
twenty-five.
When they gave Thirty-seven "a pressure Of
thrty-seven pounds TO the square inch) you nodded
and didn't care If you went TO sleep forever though
Il was all very nice and dreamy. When was
alone in that caisson had TO rope myself up lest
/ should fan asleep and tumble TO the bottom.
Tobacco had no sting. and the only stuff that had
any flavor was four-ale You weren't allowed to
take that IN. but you did You had to take the
cork out first. II you didn't the bottle would
burst The finest men IN the tunnel were the first
to be knocked out The men Of delicate appear
ance stood the pressure best"
The symptoms OF the disease and its effects cover
a wide range. According TO one New-York au-
thortty who has treated many Of the recent cases,
the Joint pain is the most constant Of all synp-
toms, and the knee joint the one most frequently
attacked. Some OF the shortly after decou-
preston fall into comatose condition, Ike TO
drunkenness. with deafness and vertigo persistent
man who complained Of severe pains in the limbs
ly discharged from work on bridge caisson in this
city. He returned 10 work without permission and
decomposition became unconscious and died In
fifteen minutes. Another workman was taken sew
eral hours after leaving the while sitting IN
front Of open fireplace. He lost all feeling IN
his limbs and falling from his chair badly burned
his feet He finally recovered Cases OF the fatal
and disabling instances Of rapid decomposition
could be multiplied almost without end
The experiments which the recent investigators
carried out cost the lives OF large numbers Of
cats. dogs. rabbits, mice and rats They were put
in chambers Of varying degrees Of compression ana
brought back to normal pressure at different rates
OF decomposition Instantaneous dscom preston
observed through the bursting OF the apparatus at
one stage OF the investigation. brought instant
death TO the dog which was In the chamber All
~ the shorter periods OF decomposition brought
more OF less painful death to all animal subjects
but mice It was not necessary to experiment on
rlonged exposure to compressed cir. II was
BhOWn 70 be harmless when q number Of muIes