64 



THE SEVERN TUNNEL. 



them tlion went to an upright ladder against the shaft wall 

 and all but one succeeded in getting up, in spite of the water 

 falling upon them : but the other fell off and was killed. 

 The rest of the men below wont back to the higher workings, 

 and climbed up on the centering. The water poured in 

 until it had risen to within three feet of the crown of the 

 arch. This occurred at eight o'clock at night. The con- 

 tractor's engineers above were trying to devise some means 

 of getting the men out, but could do nothing to rescue them, 

 until early the next morning, when they got a boat from the 

 pier. This they let down the shaft end on — for the shaft 

 was not wide enough to take it when level — and then they 

 had much trouble to float it on the water. They had to 

 make it dive first, and afterwards to biilo it out. Tlierc was 

 just room to paddle it under the crown of the arch, and in 

 this way they got to the men about noon, after they had 

 been there about sixteen hours in the dark. This was n, 

 'narrow escape, for a very little more Severn water would 

 have quite filled up the length of tunnel then completed. 



These sea-banks round the tunnel moutli cutting are 

 therefore clearly uccessaiy in ordei' to pT'event the tunnel 

 from being flooded at some futui'e day — a di'eadful cata- 

 strophe if it ever did occur; and they were provided for in 

 the original setting out of the lino upon tin; gi-oimd. 



After the soundings had been completed, and the centre 

 lino and works set out, the time had come to start upon the 

 actual work. 



The directors had wisely decided that the first work under- 

 taken should bo the heading under the Shoots. In this way 

 the natare of the ground and the full practicability of the 

 whole scheme could be actually proved before the great 

 outlay upon the remaining works was incurred. 



The intention at that time was to sink a shaft upon the 



