Year: 1872

LEN DLASls


Nor often-no oftener than neoossarv


You see it has to be special affair the
engines at the pumping stations bavr TO


be going hard SO as to lower the sewer.


age, and fine weather has to be chosen.


for the sewers are risky enough without


having danger to run from floods.


They're built, you see, of the finest and


pest 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 smootbest
and finest so that when built into great
tunnel or pipe, there should be no stay to
tho water running easily through.


My first journey through the sewers
was after this fashion. Notice had come
down that about four miles were to be in
sspected-four miles sounds good deal,
put there are two thousand miles under
London-and preparations were made.
rive men were sent to open all the iron
traps over the ways down, one of which
there is about every five or six hundred
yards, so as To ventilate the sewers and
the pumps having been kept well going,
i1teen OF us started early the next morn
ing with shovel and lantern, for the spot
where we were to go down.


Now full half had never been down be-


N'Ni anu 'iiClC wis gOOu zeal OF laugh
ing gong on as we put on the India.rub-
Der dresses fitting tight up to the wrist
and neck, and with a great hood to cover
over ones head and face when danger
came about which Pm going to tell you.
When we stood there ready in our big
ooots, though, l saw great, stout, six.
Ioot men turn as white and queer as
could be-


"Take a nip Of brandy each, my men,"
says the foreman, land light your pipes
as well as your lanterns. We may as
well be jolly over our job"


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


Dutch courage" 1 says to myself, and
then l, too, began to feel bit uncomfort-
ablei for the grating was raised and |
was looking down a square well with
ioot'holds stuck in the wall, and on ask
ing one of the men how far it was down.
he told me it was sixty feet.


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


Now, then, all ready!" says the fore
man. You go first, then, Smith," he
SAYS SnHfakii:.y n1fa ii:-y - an Old hand, and stop
ping back himself-not to keen from tot.
,iiit none Of his n men tufShsS3p sS3pefa taitf 70 dfsia
shuffled 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 time, like
the demons and imps of theatre, 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 off
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, | 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 a great cellar,
stretching out into the darkness, our Ian |
terms glimmering and glstening on the |
black water that seemed to go steahhily |
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, in |
CHEEKY voice, there's nothing to be |
afraid of without, like little children,
you don't like being in the dark. SO on |
we 60"


On we did 90, very slowly, with two |
or three of the old hands in front, and |
the foreman at the rear; the men who |
had made a bit of laugh about bcinr in |
the dark, talking all the same in a low |
whisper that sounded very hollow and |
queer.


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


got the better of that by remembering
the side entrances, out of which we could
easily get.


Then there was another horrible thought
came to worry me, and as if it was some.
thing putting it all into my mind, so as to
torture me, there came at the same time
the recollection of my wife and little ones,
and l wondered what would become of
them if we should be all overcome and
suffocated by the bad gases that foated
about over the water


l started just then at our foreman's
voice for it was evident that some one
had not only been thinking the same,
but speaking about it, for the foreman
says;


And suppose there was gas about;
we had the doors open to ventilate the
place"


The man gave sort of grunt, and
we went slowly splashng on, our lights
flashing about in dull yellow way. Now
we are halted to use our spades, at the
mouth of some drain, where there seemed
to be little collection of SEDIMENT and
again at another place, where we could
feel that there was mud under our feet.
But 1t was soon sent sweeping down, for
the smooth, fine brick of which the
tunnels were made, kept back but little
refuse.
If we could have been kept on busily
at work, l believe that nothing would !
have happened; but as it was, wading
along through the foul water first one |
and then another man got low and nerv- {
Ous and the first notice had of il was
by seeing the man in front of me sudden.
ly go down, with q hollow, echoing
splash. {
NFIhere, quick! hold him up, two of
you!" said the foreman, and the next mo- [
ment couple of the old stagers had the :
limp, dripping form between them, and
were helping him to one of the dark en- I
frances which happened to he close by, c
and there they gave him some brandy; /
and we stopped, and all had some as well, /
while they got the man out and into a
the fresh air and light, which just came t
family cleaning down from above in a y
tiny streak
Then we set off again, one less in mum. y
Der, and for the life Of me couldn't help 9