Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-11-11
Unique Glass Of Toilers Finish
Up Bridge Work at
Clinton.
SINK THE cAIssoN PIERS
Work Of "sand Hosser," as He is
Known, Seems to Cause His Mature
to Undergo Peculiar Transformation
Owing Probably to Terrible Air
Pressure Under Which He Works.
Special to Times-Republicasn.

SpeclaI TO IImeS-RepuDl1Can.
Clinton, Nov, 11.-Clinton has been
the headquarters of an unique class of
manual toilers during the past year,
scores Of pressure men" having been
engaged in pneumatic work on the new
bridge, which the Chicago & North
western Railroad company is con-
structing across the Mississippi. The
substructure of the bridge is now COM
pleted and the pressure men" have
all left the city, to the no great sorrow
Of its residents.
The men are called, in the parlance
of the streets, sand hoggers." They
probably derive the name from their
regular avocation Of burrowing and
roofing deeply into the sand and sedt-
ment in river beds, sinking caisson
piers to bed rock. So by the inele-
giant name Of sand hoggers" or sand
hogs" they are known thruout the
land.
The sand hogger' lives an itinerant
life, and is usually violent tempered,
boisterous individual who rejoices in
the flowing cup, spending his money
almost as fast as he makes it, and
living life Of conviviality which often
carries him step past that point and
lands him in the city Jail, as a glance
over Clinton's police records Of the
past few months readily proves
The Sang hog" working in a blind
ing flood of electric light. under the
terrific pressure Of air maintained in
a sinking caisson, seems to undergo
peculiar transformations. He fire.
quently becomes morose, passionate
and violent; he learns to avoid the
companionship Of men in other walks
Of life and becomes a sort OF social
outlaw; and, worse Of ally he acquires
a taste for strong drink in his many
leisure hours, for he works but a few
hours day, drawing a full days pay
therefor, and has idle time on his hands
as a result. This frequently gets him
into trouble, for he participates in
street brawls with his fellows, and
finds himself in the city bastile next
morning with all his money gone
His work takes him thru the length
and breadth of the land. He learns
where a big bridge is being built, and
thither he goes, to remain until the
caisson piers are completed, working
far down below the beds of rivers.
Tremendous pressure from huge pneu-
matte plants keeps the water from
entering the caisson frame, while at
the same time 1t forces the earth he
loosens, out from under the bottom of
the caisson. In this pressure the
sand hoggers" work in three or four
shifts. constantly relieving one an
other; drinking copious draughts Of
scalding coffee, sent down thru a
Waived shaft from above; and keeping
at his work day after
day. relieving the monotony only by
the frequent orgies Of his leisure hours.
He must be man Of strong nerve and
vigorous heart action to stand the life;
a novice penetrating into the realm Of
his daily labor, experiences an apo,
plectic rush of blood to the head, diff
f1culty in breathing, and often hem
orrhage Of mouth, nose or ears, but
he grows accustomed to the rigors Of
the caisson, and sometimes suffers no
for weeks.