Part 8 (1/2)
”Considering we had about sixteen rings altogether, top to bottoas, and in a strong light, because one could count the flanges pretty easily; but it is notmay be omitted
”We were soh, for the ground did not help ht above it, but they ell braced above high water and at top When I consider a thing enough, you don't catch me let them have much more if I can help it I hate waste
”The foundations were declared to be all right, and so they were, and we at once began the hearting, and sealed up the bottoood Portland cement concrete, for all the materials were supplied to us
”Of course, the Company's foreman, when he came back, could not tell, nor could anyone else, that we had been having a happy tis were in You know the ring we got rid of for 'extras' we took care should be sunk in the middle, between the two colue ide,--about four lines of rails on top--so we slung the ring out very quickly, after the one for the day, just about midway between the cylinders, and down it went pretty quickly, and it was bound to be in the , and sure to sink a bit ht it would be certain to break up where it fell We worked it so nicely, and all was as lovely and serene and ht nopurposely e had to be widened it would not be found But ere had for once, and no mistake this tiht we had been clever, for one day the engineer came down and sniffed about I wish he had stopped at ho; however, he did not, but caineer handed towith a new cylinder h the centre of the two cylinders, and just where I had sunk the 6 feet length I thought I had got a bit 'extra' out of so sweet, and I ht have just as well sunk it outside
Well, I took two pills that night to brace me up and set my machinery in perfect tri out of the fix somehow or other, but could not see my road much ahead
”You knoas certain ere bound to find that 'extra' ring If we could have broken it up, or have been sure it was broken, there ht have been no harm; but we did not know exactly where it was, and if we did we could not raise it I felt certain we should come to it, and tried the crane to see if we could fix the spot, but we had to chance it It was no use hu we knehere it hen no one could possibly know As I said before, I was positive we should round was soft for sos--and then the game I had played would be found out, for cast-iron is hardly as soft as mud
”I felt my reputation was at stake--in fact, all my noble past--and all for a 15 feet cast-iron cylinder, 6 feet in height, and 1-1/4 inch in thickness! I thought of blowing up the surface before the ; but it was too risky and desperate, so I saved myself for the final round, that is, I waited with etting clear and settling it in one round, you bet, for I considered the situation very degrading, not to say insulting
”We quickly erected the staging, and I tried all I knew to get the foreineer Still I dare not play the same tune too much, or they would suspect, but they were too 'fly' to be drawn off I arranged with ive me the office, if I was not on the spot, by sharply twice turning on the blow-off cock
”I happened to be on the top of a coluineer who had called me, and the foreman was there also, when I heard the two puffs I pretended to take no notice, nor did he or the foreovern myself and keep myself quiet, just like the old nobility do, and think a lot
”Before I left the resident engineer I found he was going at once to so, and I just wished he would take the foreive hiot to know on the quiet he had to superintend so at a wharf half a ot to the cylinder I kneas up, for it had tilted
”We could not puo down unless the bottom was sealed, because of the almost liquid mud at the depth we had reached, but in another 8 or 10 feet it could have been done I thought for an instant and then gave the word 'Weight her down, lads, get soht It's only a piece of a wreck, or a bit of tiet whether I told you that it was onlysunk, the rest of ame was to wreck the cylinder if I could, and tilt it over so that it would fall, and then fetch the foree that I felt I was right Anyhoas bound to s out the obstruction I was thankful could not be done, nor drawing it in, nor splitting it up inside the cylinder That was certain I did not s I wanted to smash them Compressed air I did not want to hear of, for that would have bowled ah the obstruction, although, of course, I was not supposed to knohat it was, as that usually fails and ends in smash more or less, and I was certain it would in this case, for it was cast-iron against cast-iron on an earth bed Atte and everything is always a dangerous operation, and one to be avoided
”Now they knew exactly how s had been delivered by the manufacturers, and if they had found the one we played 'extras'
with, they could soon see it was the same size and make, and could easily tell howpardon, I should have said, _supposed_ to have been in, and it was 1000 to 1 all would not be well
”It occurred in the surahted the side that was up and endeavoured to get it straight by hauling, but it was no good; at least I think I tried to get it vertical, but I may also have tried to smash it I expected, and was afraid, they would lift it by pontoons the next tide
”Well, the resident engineer caures over, and said to the foreht it than it will to lift the lot'
”Anyhoe got hts He had the soil loosened on the upper side of the ring; but, of course, as it was iron at the bottoood; and we tried pretty well every dodge in turn that is known, but I need hardly say with very little effect
”The resident engineer said, 'Compressed air will be too expensive for this one cylinder, but I think we can sufficiently clear the interior by a force puineer was abroad for a fortnight, so we left it alone that night; but I tried all I knew, bar has and they would not break, the soil was too soft and even I was certain I could pull theht find out the cause of the bother
”However, I let everything rest, and trusted to luck The resident engineer decided to have the cylinder raised, as we had two large pontoons handy, so the top rings were removed to as low a depth above water as possible, and chains were fixed round the rings and also to bolts in the flanges, and in two tides all the rings were pulled up”
”'So you got out of the trouble all right?”
”You wait, don't be too sure The resident engineer and the fore the cutting ring, and we did that by the crane They were at the other end of the staging though The cutting edge ithin a few inches of the water-level when I saw that a bit of the ring I had sunk for 'extras' was actually ja”
”Oh! save my nerves, that was bad”
”Well, I had the crane stopped in a second, for er had provided ourselves with a bar each, and were standing on the flanges The cutting ring was only 3 feet 6 inches in height, and after two s taps it dropped, neither the foreineer saw the fun closely; but as the resident asked us e had been barring at, I said 'A sed on, sir, and would have stuck between the pontoons, and I am very sorry we could not land it to show you”
”That's good enough old pal Pass on, please”