St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-02-04
IN THE AIR CHAMBER,
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
# BY STEPHEN HALLETT.
BY STEPHEN HALLETT.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
John BLATCHFORD, civil engineer
u sat out in the open, with his eye
resting refiectively on round instru-
ment, with figures encircling it, and
a needle. 1t resembled an aneroid ba-
rometer, but it was not. 1t was Pc
culiar air gauge, a Scottish invention,
and Blatchford had not seen one OF
the kind since he had helped build
the great bridge at Chepultepec, in
Mexico Then he was a subordinate
assistant; now, at eight-and-twenty
he was engineer of the Marbury tun-
mel, under the river of that name, just
outside the important manufacturing
town of Belchester
Blatchford's recollections of tropical
Chepultepec, although doubtless ex-
citing, were, however, suddenly inter-
rupted by the advent of young girl,
whose footsteps he had not heard, and
who now stood timidly before him.
The young engineer was on his feet
In an instant. He had a very gallant
bearing with women-irrespective Of
class-but he was particularly atten-
tive if they happened to be pretty
women.
did you wish to see me?' he asked,
smiling.
"Oh, no, sir!" faltered the girl; 81
thought-that isl came with mes
sage to"
''One of the men, perhaps?"
Eyes"
"You have a brother working down
in the air chamber"
The girl blushed. "Not brother
& friend
"Ah! Well, the men will be up
shortly for dinner. You had better
wait. You see, we are rather short
handed at present, and l am obliged
to tend the gauge myself. Sit here
and watt
She seated herself, looking very pref
ty, Blatchford thought, with her neat,
simple attire and thick auburn tress-
es; and the very first thing that caught
her eye was the clock-faced object
which Blatchford had called the
gauge" He saw her glance rivited
upon it, and good-naturedly undertook
to explain that it registered the amount
and pressure Of air in the working
chamber far below the river, where,
at that moment, seven stalwart men
tpiled at the tunnel.
els it very dangerous?" she asked.
''What--the work? Well, that de-
ponds. You see, air seems inaocent
enough, but it is power not to be
trif1ed with. Every man down at the
bottom#of this shaft is working at
pressure of IS pounds to every square
inch of him. It is almost like being
lever-this way-more air is forced
down. - He touched one of the lev
ers Just below the gauge and pointed
to the needle. There, you see, it is
now SO, 81, So, 80 pounds to the square
inch; and by a mere touch Of my fin
ger it could be forced higher-even up
to 65. That is almost strong enough |
to crush IA man"
How wonderful that mere air should |
be SO strong" exclaimed the girl. But |
what is the use of it-this air?"
Use? Why we harness it and make
It work. 1t helps us dig our tunnel |
under the river, by forcing out the
water and mud. Then, besides, it is
for the workmen to breathe. But,
hello! why are you SO pale?"
Kate Maxwell smiled nervously,
twin rows of perfect teeth.
''Oh, nothing Only l was thinking
1t must be very terrible to work down
there. Suppose something were to go
wrong with the air-pipes, and they
were to get too much or too little ARP"
Blatchford, who, young as he was,
was familiar with death and danger,
shrugged his shonMers
I'VE must take risks in every trade.
If the men got too little air, the river
or part of it-would pour in and
drown them; if they got too much and
there was no way for it to escape, it
would crush them. But, after all, it
IS little likely that either of these ter
rible things could happen, because, YOU,
see, it is so carefully regulated and
The gauge is SO accurate and reliable.
Anyone of intelligence could keep the
supply at IS pounds, which is as much
as man ought to stand"
He pulled out his watch and looked
1t the time.
"Hello!" he calculated, in surprise,
the men are late in coming up to-
lay"
The girl shuddered at his words and
asst an ominous glance at the great
ron door which barred the entrance !
o the air lock and led to the working
hamber, as it was called, under the
liver.
Robert" formed itself voluntarily
n her lipA