Page:Walker (1888) The Severn Tunnel.djvu/105

50 On the 4th he arrived, full of confidence in the success of his attempt.

All the instructions which could be given to him were given, and on the 5th Lambert and he descended into the heading, Lambert with the ordinary dress and the air-hose to start Fleuss fairly up the heading, and to encourage him. After three attempts on the 5th November, it became evident that Fleuss had not sufficient practice as a diver, or confidence in himself, to go so far up the heading; with some difficulty I persuaded Lambert to put on Fleuss’s dress and try how he could work in it. After spending half an hour under water in this dress, Lambert returned fully satisfied, and undertook, with a little more practice, to make another attempt to get to the door, and he started to do so on the 8th.

Knowing the obstacles he would have to meet on his way, it was not without considerable anxiety that I saw Lambert start, for he would have to climb over the skips and other things before mentioned in total darkness, and I had to give him many cautions to be careful that the knapsack, on which he depended for air, should not strike the roof of the heading or any of the timbers and fracture the small copper pipe which led air from his knapsack to his helmet.

On the afternoon of the 8th, Lambert succeeded in reaching the door. He pulled up one of the rails and removed it, but having then been absent some