Page:Walker (1888) The Severn Tunnel.djvu/190

Rh We had also an amusing accident on the Gloucestershire side of the river just a fortnight before, which no doubt caused the men more easily to take alarm.

In driving the bottom heading from Sea-Wall Shaft in the red marl, at a point where we had reason to believe, from the borings which had been taken, that there were still 6 or 7 feet of strong marl over the roof of the heading, on the night of the 13th November, the men being shorthanded had stopped work at the face of the heading, and had been drawn away to other parts, when (at midnight) the crust of marl at the top of the heading—which proved to be only 6 inches thick, instead of 6 feet—had suddenly given way, and the gravel, which was alive with water, had poured into the bottom heading, and the wooden houses being directly over the tunnel at this place, one large brick chimney, which was between two houses, had gone straight down, like a ramrod into the barrel of a gun, into the heading below. The houses having been built of wood, on account of this danger being foreseen, were but slightly damaged, the floors being slightly bent against the hole through which the chimney had disappeared. The men, women, and children occupying the two houses were asleep, and none of them were injured; but it certainly was ridiculous to hear of the number of trousers and waistcoats, all containing money and watches, which had been hung upon nails driven into this chimney