46 
Portsmouth. (The Secretary is indebted to Mr. Scarth for the 
above notes). 
COMPTON MARTIN AND CHEDDAR PASS, SEPTEMBER 13th. 
By some misunderstanding as to the day originally fixed, this 
excursion did not take place, and was postponed to a future time- 
BYE EXCURSION TO PORTSKEWET AND THE SEVERN TUNNEL. 
As several members of the Club were desirous of seeing the 
works at the Severn Tunnel a bye excursion was arranged for 
Tuesday, October 11th. The wet and unpromising looking 
morning, or it may be certain tender appeals to the husband 
touching the hidden dangers lurking beneath the waters of the 
Severn, probably accounted for the small muster at the G.W.R. 
for the midday train to Portskewet. As events however proved 
this small number was quite sufficient for convenient guiding 
below ground. A short walk of about a quarter of a mile past 
the Black Rock Hotel after landing on the Welsh side brought 
the party to the small settlemeut which Mr. Walker, the 
contractor of the works, has founded for his colony of workmen. 
Owing to the civility of this gentleman every necessary preparation 
was made for the visit, and after certain indispensable changes or 
additions to the outward apparel six members were standing, 
candle in hand, ready at the shaft’s mouth to descend below, 
under charge of a foreman, by name Talbot, every inch of him a 
man of the right sort. It happened to be the after-dinner shift, 
so that a little time was spent in allowing the workmen first to 
go down to their work in cagefulls of six at a time. At last the 
cage was ready for the visitors, and beings duly loaded that 
curious internal sensation on suddenly quitting terra firma and 
dropping through the darkness was a new experience to those 
who now made their first descent. Landed some 200 feet below 
the surface, candles were lighted, and the members found them- 
selves in a brick tunnel called the “ drainage heading,” which 
now is driven right under the Severn, and made with the object 
