THE SEVERN TUNNEL. 



71 



John Havvkshiiw the Engineer-in-chief, and lot tlie com- 

 pletion of the whole work to Mr. Thomas Walker, the very 

 able and energetic contractor, who has since completed the 

 undertaJsing. 



At the tirao, and in order to master the big spring, new 

 shafts were sunk on both sides of the spring — two at Sud- 

 brook, and two about half a mile further in-shore. In these 

 powei-fiil pumps wci'O fixed, and when tlicy vvoi'o got to work, 

 the head of water was gradually lowered until it was only 

 about forty foot deep at the bottom of the shaft. In addition 

 to the water from the big spring, it was known that a largo 

 quantity came from the river heading and through the flood 

 door that has been mentioned. In order to get rid of this 

 for the moment, it was of much importance to shut this 

 door, if possible. The conti'actor thcrofoi'c engaged a noted 

 diver to make the attempt. His name is Lambert, a fair- 

 hairod man of few words, but of great courage. Lambert 

 made a very plucky attempt to got to tlio door in his oi'dinary 

 diving dress : but his air pipe floated so hard against the 

 rough roof of the heading that ho could not drag it along 

 quite far enough to get to the door. He therefore was com- 

 polled to turn back when witliin. seventy yards of the door: 

 and it was in retracing his stops that he had dreadful trouble 

 to get his air pipe back again, and through the narrow, 

 close-timbered pai-t through the coal sluilo ; for it cnrle<l 

 up in kinks and coils about the beams and timbers of the 

 heading. Everything had to be done by himself in entire 

 solitude, and by groping about in perfect darkness; ho had 

 to find and gather up, and to carry forward these numerous 

 folds of his air pipe, some of which were constantly slipping 

 from his grasp ; and all the while he knew that his life de- 

 pended on his management of this pipe. It was astonishing 

 tliat his courage could have sustained him through such a 



