THE MELBOURNE TUNNEL DISASTER,

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8168, 27 April 1895, Page 4

THE MELBOURNE TUNNEL DISASTER,

From the files to band it appears that the cause of tho flooding of tho sewerage tunne' in Melbourne was the falling in of tho bed of the Yarrow, which were 12 foeb thick abovo the workings. Tho material was, howevor, vory treacherous, and had given a greab deal of trouble. Mr Buchan. an, the contractor's engineer, who was drowned, was a Glasgow boy who had attained a good position in his profession in the colonies, his salary being L2OOO a year. He came to the window in tho air-locked door as tho wator broke in and wavod his light as if in farewell. Tho influx of wator was of course instantly fatal ; the holo in the river bottom swallowing hundreds of bags of clay. The statement that one of the workmen in tho lock had closed tho door and bo saved those who were outside in the tunnel was incorrect ; ho could nob have done so, neither could it havo been opened till tho pressure of air on both sides was equal.

Tbero is ono othor thing beaideo the pen that) is mightier bban the sword, and thab. in the corkscrew. A ten-ton racing yaohb of alutni* niutn has been constructed, lb cost L 20,000, bub ib is only about half bhe weighb of a similar, steel one. There are 6,000 men employed on the Lake Miohigaa-Missisaippi River Canal, and ib will be finished in 1890. A pound of onerpjy with an ounce of talent will achieve greater raaulti than • pound of Uleqb with w ouooe o( taergy,