Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-09-30

| main, with IL inches clearance, but. as
| a matter Of fact, the clearance varied
from six or eight inches to from fifteen
to twenty. Right opposite where stood
there was bad wrinkle" in the piling
the worst had seen. At that point a
mans body could easily slip through
between the piles and the main. I
leaned over, intending to sight along
the tops and see if there were any
other places as bad, because if there
were should have to report it. With
out warning my foot slipped in the
greasy. rounded metal and in a mo-
ment-plump I was down in the
crevasse.
1t was nasty situation in which to
find ones self. My head reached barely
curved the round. Shiny belly of the big
main. Absolutely vertical, impossible
of scaling, the piling extended upward,
and on either hand reached away into
the shadows.
I have often been in trouble when
under water, and have learned one
thing well-never to allow myself to get
excited. When cne is under pressure
and anything goes wrong one has a
tendency to hysteria, and II you give
way to this it quickly exhausts you.
Calmly, then, I seated myself upon
the sandy bottom and considered the
situation. One thing was certain. 1
must not venture from this spot-the
aperture above might be the only one
sufficiently wide to let me out If I
attempted anywhere else I might only
become wedged in between the piling
and the main and be drowned like a
well, I'd be drowned. AS l was some
distance from where the scow was
moored, dared not signal for the boys
to hoist. No, I must get out where I
had got in, and by my own unaided ef-
forts.
Above me, where the steel plates Of
the pipe had been bolted together, was
row of rivet heads. They were
round. smooth and slippery, and SO
closely welded to the metal as to afford
practically no hold for the hands. But
they led upward, and 1 must climb. I
sprang and clawed at them with my
nails, only to fall back. Again and
again l tried it. Once my nails caught
and I held for a fraction of a second,
only to drop again. I could get no
purchase on them. I looked about me
in the gathering darkness for a piece
Of rock or a bag OF cement on which
to stand but there was nothing to be
found. My head began to buzz and
grow dizzy, but I held myself sternly
in hand. Once again l rested, then,
gathering every ounce of strength l had
in me. l sprang upward, grasping des-
perately for the rivets Again-and yet
again-and again-blindly, despairing-
ly, I tried. only to fail utterly. My
fingers were torn and ripped and my
nails broken. Good heavens. Was I
going to fail!
About this time I am afraid behaved
rather badly knew now that If I ever
got out Of there alive it would be little
less than miracle. I was clammy with
sweat and well-nigh exhausted. My
lungs were saturated with carbonic ac-
id gas. my teeth were aching and /
was light-headed. For a time-I don't
know how long it was-I lost control of
myself. 1 cursed and raved and swore
and prayed God alone knows the de-
spair of a trapped diver.
This temporary brain storm passed off
at last, however, and there came an in
terval when I seemed to myself to be
more than naturally clear-brained. 1
took myself in hand, explained to myself
that I was in mighty bad fix and that
I must not waste my energies. warned
myself not to think Of possible failure
and not to renew my efforts until had
become rested. I. therefore. remained
quietly leaning against the bench sup
port Of the pipe for what seemed q long