Democratic messenger., 1906-01-13
BENEATH NIAGARA.
Two Thrilling Feats That Were Per.
formed by Morkmcn.

fOrmeh ny NDrhhhen.
Under the cataract Of Niagara. from
an opening beneath TIE Horseshoe falls
| to a pit sunk behind concrdam In
the bed of the river 1000 feet up
stream, a tunnel his been bored as an
outlet for one of the new electrical de-
velopment companies. Its construction
was made possible. says The World 10
day. by two OF the most thrilling jour
ncys ever undertaken by workmcn.
When the big tunncl-it is twenty six
feet high aud twenty-threc feet wide
was to be- begun neither end of II was
within the reach of the engineers. for
one was 700 feet out from shore be-
hind the veil of the falls. where no man
had ever been. and the other was 100
feet beneath the cascades. An ap-
proach tunnel was therefore drifted
out from shore. los feet below ground
under the brink of the falls toward the
site selected for the portal.
TO avoid bringing all material 10 the
surface for dumping the engineers had
side tunnel bored to empty beneath
the falls. Where II opened lay huge
pile of debris. and as soon as the open
ing was made spray from this pile be
gan 10 I'LL the tunnel. Ii came In so
fast that work was abandoned. Pumps
were started. but still the water rose
till IL was sixteen feet deep In the shaft
on shore. II looked then as If the whole
enterprise. on which Il fortune had been
spent. would be Il failure
Then three forcmen employed on the
work volunteered 10 go through the
tunnel in skin and blow away the
debris. They secured punt from the
Maid of the Mist and lowered il down
the shaft. The water was within two
feet OF the roof of the tunnel but they
determined To make the journey. They
loaded their boat with dynamite and
electric wire and enough iron TO sink
II till II would allow them To move
along the tunnel Then. lying on their
backs. they pushed the boat along the
waterway by pressing against the roof
with hands and feet Their progress
was slow and their situation. directly
below the mighty Niagara. was as ap-
pulling as IL was unique. But they per
severed and at ast reached the portal
through which the water was entering.
only II tiny opening was left there.
but one 10y one they left the skin and
crawlcd through 10 stand. the first of
all men. behind the water Of the
Horseshoe IN the middle OF the river.
There they fixed the dynamite In
place.
Returning with the wires which were
TO fire the charge. they upset their
skin and had to swim much OF the
way but they arrived in safety only
10 find upon touching the button that
they had not taken enough dynamite
To finish the work.
Then Il new trick was tried A line
Of volunteers. roped together like Al
pine tourists. went out along the heap
of debris behind the fall AT tue foot of
the Horseshoe. carrying dynamite In
large quantity. These men, too, We're
travelling in Il place where no men had
ever before been. On the way one Of
the boxes of dynamite was dropped
and burst open on the rocks. but fortu-
nately did not explode. The rest was
buried NJ the entrance to the tunnel.
At midnight that night there was an
explosion which shook the American
side Of the river like an earthquake.
and this time the effort was crowned
with success. The water flowed out
quickly. and thenceforth work in the
tunnel was prosecuted with ease.