Sam IN THE ABYSS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 515, 19 November 1928, Page 8

Sam IN THE ABYSS

by rpHE screams of the woumh* Reformites and the savage guffaws of the Uniteds having fij C( j away Sam indiscreetly wandered down to the Parnell Baths the other morning. There are 1.643,721 steps down to the baths, and Sam said that when he got to the lowest or bottom gallerr of the mine, the air pressure was terrible.

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(Being srep Brothers, AU-TlaE Rest are simiLar)

Sam says that in the bad old days the men who had to clean the baths were political offenders who had been banished and were condemned to work in the awful depths, far from the light of day, until their strength failed and they were callously shot down the water chute to a ghastly death.

Sam says that this chute is still standing, a grim reminder of the past. Sam imparted the information that there is a large pool of water in this sinister place, and from the temperature he judges that the South Pole is just about under the middle of iL In fact, he intends calling Commander Byrd’s attention to it. Sam says .that the Custodian of the Abyss has been down there for 15 years, and that he often wonders how things are faring in the upper world of men. Though there are 1,643,721 steps down to these depths, Sam says that, oddly enough, there are something like three time 3 this number going up, w-hich when computed comes to an awful lot. Sam says that he can’t explain this —it’s just a curious fact, like professional humorists and mayors with beautiful faces.

On completion of the ascent Sam said that he wanted to go down to Mount Cook and just stand and sneer at it.

He understands, however, ihat people making the Parnell Baths traverse in future will be roped together under the leadership of an Alpine guide with a carefully picked party of Swiss yodellers standing at the top to encourage them.

Sam says he distinctly likes the thought of seeing a roped party making the descent with the intention o going for a swim. He says it would look like a chain gang going to its doom.