The Meeker herald., 1916-02-12
TIE RIVER THAMES
London's Great Artery, With Its
Crimes and Mysteries.
TRAPS FOR uNwARY VICTIMS.
Watsrsids Houses With Floors Open.
ing at the Push Of q Lever to Drop
Its FIeseed Occupant Into . Watsry
Grsvs-Ghost Boats Of the River.

Its Flesced Occupant into . Wdtsfy
Grsvs-Ghost Boats Of the River.
London's greut artery. the river
Thames. hides many grim story I'M
der Its murky waters. some OF them
centuries old. some Of them merely In
sidents of yesterday. Just as no other
river has quite the same wonder az he.
longs to the Thames. 80 no other river
IL so wrapped In mystery. so surround
I'd with stories Of tragedy and crime.
Many Of the old wuterslde houses.
which rise sheer with the bank. con.
| tain rooms In which the floor liz built
directly over the water-tiOors upon
which one could stand In apparently
perfect sufety while some one In an ad-
jaccnt room worked a lever which
caused the floor to open and his vic
tim to drop into the river.
| A gambling club Is said TO have met
In such room once year to play for
tremendous stakes. The party played
on until one of their members was
ruined. Then the rest of the men went
away In silence. while the ruined man
went down into the dark waters.
One OF the old waterside houses al
Wrapping. too. is among the bits of-the
Thames with reputation for being
haunted. A flight Of steps leads from
the house to the river. but these steps
are distlsed. and the door at the top
of them is walled up. Despite this,
often people passing by on the river
at night time swear to having seen
two men come through the walled
door and down the steps. Then. after
lowering some bundle into the wa
tiers. they return to the house. The
identity OF the men and the contents
of their bundle remain among the In
soluble stories of the Thames.
The Thames police force of about
300 men Is employed to guard against
all sorts of additions TO the mysteries
OF the Thames. and their tnsk IL of far
greater magnitude than might be CASH
ally Imagined Most imperative is 1t
that each member of this force shall
be an expert swimmer and understand
the right methods for dealing with
persons rescued from the water
A very large number of persons are
saved from intentional and accidental
drowning In the river every year. an
average number somewhere between
seventy and a hundred. But the mum
Der of persons who nre found drown
ed strikes still greater nvcrage-it
IL never less and often more than 100
In a year-besidcs which 1t is we'll
| known that the waters of the river
close above mnny persons Of whom
nothing more Is ever seen or heard
But II stones could speak the bridges
across the Thames could tell many
pitiful and grim life stories. especially
Waterloo bridge. which has such sad
associations as to have gained 1t the
sobriquet OF 1.-THE Bridge of Signs"
incidentally. Waterloo bridge IL an
other part of the Thames which IL said
to be haunted. 1t is not no very long
since II more than usually clear sighted
man went to the police with the infOr-
nation that he had seen II woman jump
from the paEapct OF Waterloo bridge
He Ind been crossing the bridge late
one night. when he had noticed wO
man in black walking In front Of him
Suddenly he saw her make an appeal
ing gesture. but before he could reach
the woman she had disappeared.
That was ALL There was no splash
following her disappearance. and no re,
suit came from the search which was
made. Those who are familiar with the
history of the river said that the man
had seen the ghost of Waterloo bridge
the trngic woman in black. OF whom
nothing Is known save that she haunts
the London Bridge of Signs"
Another mysterious thing about the
Thames. which no amount of police SUI
pervision will destroy. IL the ghost"
boats which have been and are fire.
qucntly seen In various parts Of the
river. 1t is n fact that river police pm
trolls have actually given chase to such
ghost ships. to find there is nothing
substantial to be found on reaching the
place where the ships had seemed to he.
One Of the most curious stories Of
this kind II that OF the mysterious boat
which was seen making its way along
the water toward London bridge one
day. about n quarter of century ago
AS she neared the bridge there was
tremendous explosion. vivid burst Of
light. and thcn-nothing. Not so much
MS n splinter of wood remained of the
bont which had been. and the story Of
1t fingers from, that day to this as one
OF the hundreds Of tragic unknown
things which form the secrets of the
river Of MISREPRESENTATION Answers
Talent Required.