Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-09-30
A Diver S errible Experience
Worker Escape from Death When
His Foot Slipped

It happened in the late fall OF the
| year 1911, the same season that was
! appointed superir tendent OF the marine
section of the Department OF WORKS M
the city of Toronto.
Toronto is a fiourishing city OF ABOUT
half a million inhabitants, and draws
it's water supply from Lake ontario
At that time the water furmsheo 10
CITY consumers was "raW'-that is, un-
treated and unfiltered. dependence LOT
its innocuousness being placed upon
that fact that it was drawn from
point far out in the deep water OF tne
lake. Analysis had shown that OUT
there the water was quite pure. Early
in the spring Of this particular year,
however, there had been a nasty break
in the conduit at point about half
way inshore, which had been followed
by an outbreak of typhoid fever in the
city. Needless to say, repairs to the
pipe were rushed and the engineers IN
charge tried hard to complete the job
before the winter storms set in. 1t was
part of my work to go down into the
lake at intervals in order to make IN
spections Of the work and report 10.
the head Office. 1t was while thus en-
gagged that I met with the adventure l
am about to relate.
The point at which the break had
occurred was about half a mile out IN
the lake, in water between so and 6o
feet deep. The big steel main. resting,
upon wooden benches. extended per-
haps half a mile farther out, the IN
take" being in water about 10 feet
Deep For a portion of its lenStr
sheet-steel piling, interiocking ana
perfectly smooth, paralleled the pipe
on either side, the tops cf the piles ex-
tending some u inches above the level
of the pipe-that is, about IA feet
above the lake bottom. 1t was pro-
posed to fill the space between the pill
ing and around and underneath the
pipe with cement, so as to protect the
main from the action of the currents
and waves.
About mid-afternoon of calm day
in November we anchored the inspec-
ton scow over the main, at a point
near where the break had been found,
and 1 made haste to descend. The boys
were joking as they put me in my
harness and tied on my weights, and
thew must have been little careless
in boiling the helmet to the gasket
A diver, as he goes below, always
watches to see If any air is escaping
from his suit, and as my shoulders
went under / saw there was a small
leak. However, being in a hurry,
decided not to go on board again to
have it remedied Grasping the shot
line. l stepped from the ladder, slid
easily downward and alighted upon
the big pipe.
For perhaps an hour was busy with
nv inspection. Trailing my lifeline and
hose and keeping a sharp lookout for
defective work. I travelled slowly down
the back of the snake-like pipe toward
the intake mouth, back to the place
where had begun, and then the same
distance toward shore. Walking in deep
water is like pushing against heavy
wind, and I was getting little tired;
moreover. the leak in my suit had let
in sufficient water to thoroughly soak
nv woollens. Just as soon as l got
back to where I could see the scow
above me through the transparent
water l intended to signal for them to
pull me up.
The contractors, owing partly to the
rough weather in which they were
compelled at times to work. and partly
because Of their haste to complete the
job and leave the pipe protected before
the violent winter storms came upon
them. had made a none tco successful
job Of the sheet piling. The specifica-
tions called for a row Of interlocking
sheet steel piles on either side Of the