Year: 1872

y 4eaf.sa -


NOT often-no oftener than necessary.
You see it has to be special affair; the
engines at the pumping stations have 70
be going hard SO as to lower the sewer
age, and fine weather has to be chosen,
forthe sewers are risky enough without
having danger to run from floods.


They're built, you see, of the finest and
best bricks to be had, and, buried be-
low the streets, you have some of the
neatest brickwork in London. The OBJ
ject was to get, bricks of the smoothest
ana fnest, SO that when built into great
tunnel or pipe, there should be no stay to
the. water running easily through.


My -nrst. Journey through the sewers
was after this fashion. Notice had come
down that about tour miles were TO De IN
spected-four miles sounds good deal,
London-and preparations were made.
Five men were sent to open all the iron
traps over the ways down, one OF which
there is about every i've or SIX hundred
yards, so as to ventilate the sewers; and
the pumps having been kept well going,
fifteen OF US started early the next morn
ing with shovel and lantern, for the spot
where we We're to go down.


NOW lull nall had never oeen down pc
lore, and there was good deal OF laugh
ing gong on as we put on the lndla-rub-
ber dresses lifting tight up to the wrist
and neck, and with great hood to cover
over ones head and face when danger
came about which I'm going to tell you.
when we stood there ready IN our 6lg
ooots, tnougn, L saw great, STOUT, SIX
foot men turn as white and queer as
could be.


Take nip OF brandy each, my men, T"
says the foreman, and light your pipes
as well as your lanterns. we may as
well pc Jolly over our job.


There was plenty OF brandy handed
round, and saw that good drop was
ready to be taken down.


"Dutch courage" | says to myself, and
then L, too, began to feel bit uncomfort.
able; Tor the grating was raised. and l
was looking down square Wen Win
ioot-holds stuck IN the wall, and on ask
1ng.ene OF the men how far 1t was down,
he told me 1t was sixty feet.


Sixty feet' l didn't say anything,
but thought. A walk OF four miles
through great drain all that distance
below the surface! told you saw some
men look queer. know felt so.


NOW, then, all ready!' says the tore
man. You go first, then, Smith, he
says, speaking to an old hand, and stop
ping back himself-not to keep from tax
ing the lead, but, as l saw at once, to see
that none OF his men turned tail and
shuffied off so early in the job.


Judging from the unwilling way in
which some of the men crept down
through that iron trap, one at a time, like
the demons and imps of theatre, I don't
think there's doubt about five or six OF
them having meant to slip off but the
foreman was right and came down last


l know my first feeling, as l stepped oil
the last iron into lot of black mud, was
one OF wanting to go back, and that feel
ing grew stronger as, almost pushed for
ward by the next man, l moved out OF
the entrance into the sewer. and stood
with the water up to my middle, striking
cold through my India-rubber clothes
and pressing against me as if to sweep me
down right away to the river, The place
was for all the world like great cellar
stretching out into the darkness, our Ian
terms glimmering and glistening on the
black water that seemed to go stealthily
whispering along; and the faces Of the
men about me looked yellow and ghastly
as they all clustered together for safety
like sheep in a strange fold.


Now, my lads" the foreman says, il
CHEEKY voice, " there's nothing to bt
afraid of, without, like little children
you don't like being in the dark. So OF
we CO."


On we did go, very slowly, with tW,
or three of the old hands in front, ant
the foreman at the rear; the men VIII,
had made bit of laugh about being il
the dark, talking all the same in low
whisper that sounded very hollow ant
queer.


l don't know whether am weaker thai
other men, but somehow, at every step
took, with the water bearing against M
and pressing me on, there was col,
feeling of scare creeping over me, and
kept on think, think, think, about al
sorts of things that should have felt bet
ter if I'd been free of. First, got think
ing about rain; suppose it should raj
and the gullies run fast, the water woul
rise quickly, and we should all be sWep
away.


got the better of that by rememberin
the side entrances, out of which we coul
easily get.


Then there was another horrible though
came to worry me, and as if it was some
thing putting it all into my mind, so as t
torture me, there came at the same tim
the recollection of my wife and little one'
andil wondered what would become c
them if we should be all overcome an
suftocated by the bad gases that foate
about over the water.


!started just then at our foreman
voice, for it was evident that some on
had not only been thinking the SAM
but speaking about it, for the forema
says:


And suppose there was gas abou
we had the doors open to ventilate tt
place.


The man gave sort of grunt, ar
we went slowly splashing on, our ligh
flashing about in dull yellow way. No
we are halted to use our spades, at Il