A THRILLING TALE OF HEROISM.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2766, 5 April 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

A THRILLING TALE OF HEROISM.

A HAND TO HAND Fit* FIT WITH DEATH IN A GASOMETER. For some time past a gang of men have been attempting, under conditions of much peril, to repair one of the big Birmingham Corporation gasholders. The work (it appears from an admirable account in the Birmingham Post) had-to be attacked from within the holder, and in order.to make it possible for. the men to descend the gas was exhausted aud the holder filled with air. But the water which the tank contained proved to be in a very foul condition, and seems, ill spite of repeated renewals of fresh air, to have given off sufficient gas to make the work dangerous. Operations were conducted on a large raft, which floated upou 40 feet of water, and were lighted by a faintglimmer from i small windpws and a manhole above—so faint that a piece of bright tin was used to catch and direct the scattered rays. When a man found himself getting weak lie had to pull the raft to the centre of the tank by means of a rope which connected it with the manhole ; and as the , pull must have been vertical for the purpose of producing a horizontal motion of the raft, that was plainly a slow and " fatiguing task at such a time. In the centre of the tank there hung a ropei ladder, weighted to keep it steady. It was about 60ft high. When the half exhausted worker had climbed to the top lie was safe. It will not seem extraordinary that, after ascending, men sometimes fell, helpless and almost pulseless, as they took the first breath of pure air. The foreman, Joseph Beswick, ah old employee of the contractors, seems to have done the best he could under the conditions. He caused two free ropes to be suspended beside the ladder, so that any man who should be overcome with the gas might be hauled out; he saw to the pumping-in of fresh air aud he daily went down first on to the raft, to make sure all was right and to prepare the tools. He also—as he stated to tiie writer—suggested that the water should be pumped out of the tank, and clean water substituted ; anrl he caused a diver's suit to be forwarded to Birmingham by the contractors, so that one man at least might remain at work for a longer period. TIIE PERIL. Beswick descended soon after dinner, taking with him a labourer named Thomas Casey, of Adam-street, Birmingham. Casey wore the diver's suit for the first time; the foreman was unprotected. When they had been at work about five minutes Beswick was seized with dizziness and began to vomifc. He said to Casey " I'm nearly done ; we'd best get back," and Cissy pulled the raft to the hanging ladder. The foreman laid his hand on one of the rungs, but had no strength to grasp it, aud fell backward on tha raft, with one of his legs in the water. Casey then realised that bin foreman's life was in his hands. His code of signals did not comprise any which meant " Help !" and he must either ascond and fetch help or save his companion single-handed. He chose the second alternative, fearing l , doubtless, that assistance by the other means would come too late. But he was encumbercd with a heavy diving suit, and mistrusted his strength, so at any risk he took off the ponderous helmet, and with it freed himself of the air-tubes. Beswick, though he lay powerless, remained conscious, and, while time after time trying to regain his hold of the ladder, cried out to Casey not to imperil himself. Just as the brave young fellow threw off his helmet the foreman became insensible. It would seem that Casey lifted him on his shoulders, and was then himself overcome before he had mounted a single step of the ladder, for wheu the pair were found by the rescuers they lay iu a heap, Casey underneath. We are left to picture what were Casey's thoughts when he found his strength unequal to the stupendous task he had set himself, for he was dead. The rescuers hauled up first the man who lay nearest to hand. When they got Casey out he had ceased to breathe. ■ THE RESCUE. Some time elapsed before those on the top of the holder divined that anything below was amiss. It was only by the unusual lapse of time—2o minute3—that they were led to suspect that in spite of the use of a diver's suit by one of the workers they m-cded help. Then the man who was in charge of the air-pipe signalled to Casey and got no reply ; and the real state of the case bccame then almost apparent. Two other workers, named Richard Smith and John Chew—the former a black countryman lodging iu Saltley, and the latter a resident of Spring Hill—made instant preparations to go down. Could thoy have done so without delay, Casey's life might even then have been saved. But a difficulty presented itself which seemed insur-

mountable without a serious loss of very precious time. So that it might be understood, we must explain that the dcscent is made through what the men call an air-box, and what is in effect a double valve. The top valve must be passed through while the bottom valve is opened. But when the rescuers came to open the top valve they discovered that the workers had left the bottom open, to facilitate their ascent; and the effect was that a stream of gas burst out upon the holder, of such force that it was hardly possible to thrust oneself down through it. Smith, about to descend first, was thrown backward with some violence. A happy thought came into his mind, however. He got his companions to push him down feet foremost, and managed with their aid to shut the bottom valve by standing on it. Then Chew and he got into the box, the other valve was closed upon them, and they began the willing labour of rescue. Some other men entered the box when they had left it and prepared to work the ropes. The scene which followed was full of horror. Those above peering down into the black, pestilential depths of the holder, could vaguely discern the rescuers

fastening a rope about the body of one of the men, whom, on drawing up, they found to be Beswick, the foreman. But something was clearly wrong, for, instead of attaching the rope to Casey, they began after a pause to ascend again. Smith, as he reached the top, pale and wild-eyed, was seized by ready hands and laid in the air-box, exhausted. Then came Chew's turn, but when he was within five or six ruugs of the top his hold slackened, and without a cry he fell back on to the edge of the raft nearly fifty feet below, and, rolling off as it swayed, disappeared silently id the noisome water. The gazers recognised, with a consternation which cannot well be realised, that no rescue would save hid life. But there was still Casey. Smith gasped out that they had not been able to send him up because, by the sinking of the gasholder, which took place when the manhole was first opened, his legs had been pinned between the raft and one of the internal stays of the holder. Some other efforts to free the poor fellow wore made, and among those who went down for the purpose of making them was Mr Morrison, foreman of the works. When at last the body wag brought to the surface, that of Chew had to be left in the water. To-day a diver will be sent down to recover it. Beawick and Smith, after receiving treatment at the hands of Dr. Cresswell, were taken in a cab to the Geneial Hospital, but did not need to be detnined. Beswiek's restoration to consciousness appears to be nothing less than marvellous. He was breathing the poisonous gas for fully twenty minutes and yet, after bein# insensible while Casey took him on his shoulders, he recovered sufficiently to know that a rope was being tied about him by the rescuers,