The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1913-06-27
CAISS0N WORKERS |||IjI
Peri|s and Difficulties That En-.
compass Their Labors.
THE FEARFUL AIR PRESSURE.

j | uteSOOUG
u Causes ExhlIaration After the Pr.
Painful Sensations Pass Away-rh
Great Danger Lies In Coming Out .
: the Lock Into the Open Air.
Laboring on the firm earth. with AL
5 out OF doors" to breathe, perspirina
ana mayhap grumbling at ones hard
luck. person seldom IL ever stop, t.
think that men work day after day
deep down in the water or the mud
with none but artificial light to guide
their movements and only the air tina,
Is pumped to them to breathe.
feople who work in the open mir
wouid nave only to labor for q very
snort time In a divers suit, a caisson
or an air lock. getting a taste Of what
Is IKE and how 1t feels, to be cured
whatever OF grumbling at their lot and
thank their lucky stars that it has been
ordained that they work on top OF the
earth.
Inc work Of diver, his sensations
"n''e under water and his experiences
nave often been written about. bnf
those OF the air lock ard the caisson
worker have not While he does not
race the danger Of fouling pipes and
lhes' rs does the diver, he stays down
longer. gets warmer, and his great dan.
ger lies In the stagnation OF blood and
paralysis resulting from the change Of
| atmosphere.
While the man working on tho sur.
race OF the earth bears up an atmos-
pnenc pressure Of fifteen pounds to the
lncn' men In the locks bear a pressure
ol from nfteen to fifty pounds OF COM
pressed air. according to the depth.
Inc heaviest pressure ever worked un.
DER was borne by I've divers on the
swedish coast-sixty-five pounds. Form
OF these died few minutes after cono.
Ing out
WINE. rs general thing. the diver
STANDS not nearly the amount Of pres.
sure and seldom stays down m ore than
Two hours. the men in the Hudson
river tunnel stood q pressure OF forty
SIX pounds and worked in four honr
shifts. Some men stayed dow n twenty
hours at stretch. but did not work all
the time. and Superintendent Haskins
stayed down once twenty-four hours.
Inc sensations experience d are pe-
GUITAR. When a man first, steps In
there are tingllng In the ears and n
pain IN the head. and when yhe talks It
is apparently through the lao Sc. This is
caused by the pressure. ard the remedy
Is to hold the nose. close the month
ana blow against the ears This re-
ileves the pain and stops the sensa ton.
When the pressure Is all on ,nle worker
reels all right and experien, ees no dis
comfort. Then there is a port of ex-
and man does more work
In the lock than he could do outside,
The danger lies IN coming out Of the
pressure into the open air. It ia then
that man is apt to suffer ,rrom stag.
nation OF the blood and para lysis cans
ed BY the change in the al mosphere.
BESIDES this. a man May h. attacked
IN the head or stomach W Ith severe
palms. Three out of i've On SEES where
The head and stomach are al tackled re.
'ult fatally. |
another severe malady resulting
rom the change Is what is called the
bends" This Is the air getting in
between the fesh and the one Il il !
extremely painful and so sc, ,ere that a
luart Of whisky administer ed in half
IN hour would not intoxica lie the pa.
lent The stagnation and paralysis
re the worst dangers and d o tue work /
quickly. Many men have iNen keeled
yer by these causes. and mot a few
ie Old timers at the BIZ Sh less some
INES get caught The RI .medy for
his paralysis Is quick ret urn to the
ir lock.
The men as general thfi ,g do not
emaln great many years at the bust.
ess. ana man should never: work at
after be Is forty years III sa:e.
cutting hole and building a tunnel
trough water IS an extremel Y difficult
nng and by many was tho, rrht TO be
npossible. Still It was do ne In the
Use OF the Hudson river t, ,nnel. and
le method is very interestir NJ.
The work on the tunnel Ind pro.
essed until body of yater was
ruck. How to tunnel this mch this
Die Of water was puzzlinc question.
was done In this way: A SO called
llloon wAs constructed by making n
'tting Of wire rope and CON ,ring this
'.uhs Wild canvas. The 10 lterior of
9 balloon was then filled With blue
~ and salt hay. When flled the
lloon. thirty feet In diamet a.r. weigh.
40 tons. The hole Of ~ alter was
en- located. and with the mid Of a
ge steam derrick the b. tIloon was
opped into the hole. IT len several
DIV loads Of dirt were du hped down
" tue Da1loon and the Ebote thing
t to settle.
1t the end OF ten days the work Of .
ting through the bale on was be- )
IL lHis was very de-: .ult job. An "
"a OF what hard cutting 1t was may A
gained from the fact I hat It took n
o ponths to dig through the thirty :
't-St Louis Globe Deems ,crat L