CYLINDER BRIDGE PIERS.
"Deep river bridge foundations are not to be easily worked for 'extra'
profit as they are generally too carefully looked after; still, even
there, you get a chance occasionally, if you know how to work things. I
was always on the scent for 'extras,' and once got a bit out of a
cylinder bridge, more by luck than anything else."
"How did you do it?"
"Listen, and then you'll know."
"The bed of the river was soft for a depth of nearly 50 feet, then firm
watertight ground, and into that we had to go about 15 feet. Our
cylinders were 15 feet in diameter, of cast-iron, and in one piece 6
feet in height I will just name that there is more chance of a bit
'extra' profit when the rings are little in height than if they are in
pieces and have vertical joints and are about 9 feet long as usual. A
15 feet ring, 6 feet in length in one piece was not often seen then,
but they are now cast much heavier; still, they may be made too large
to handle nicely without special tackle, and foundry cleverness should
be considered less than ease in fixing on the site."
"Why are short lengths best for 'extra' profit?"
"Because you may have a chance of leaving out a ring if the coast is
clear, and nice people around you."
"I see."
"Well, the Company's foreman had to lay up for three days, for he had
ricked himself, and I had an old pal with me, and two of my nephews
working the crane, and other relations about. All had been properly
schooled, and knew crumbs of comfort were to be got out of a bit
'extra,' so I embraced the opportunity as we were such a charming
family party, quite a happy farmyard.
"The rings went down rather easily as the bed of the river was soft; in
fact, they sunk into the mud for the first 6 to 10 feet by their own
weight. So I gave the office, and we just dropped a 6 feet ring over
the side into the mud, for I knew it would sink all right, and that by
the time the Company's foreman returned to work we should have pumped
out the water from the cylinder and got enough concrete in to seal the
bottom; of course, after the resident engineer had gone down to see the
foundation was right, and I felt sure it would be, and that he would
only look at the foundation, and not bother about the height of the
cylinder or the number of rings; and if he did, we could dodge him a
bit, as there would be four or five of us, and stages were fixed on the
horizontal ring-flanges, and no numbers were cast on the rings, as they
all were made to fit together. He went down, just as I thought, to see
the foundation only, although he measured about a bit, and enjoyed
himself. We worked the tape right--it takes two with a tape.
By-the-bye, I hate measuring-rods, they are not good business for
'extras.' They are so unobliging. A tape you can pull a bit, and tuck
under, according as you want a thing to appear to be of a different
length to what it is. One of my gangers made a false end for a tape. He
used to turn the end of the true tape under for a few inches and slip
on his false end, or he added a false length if he wanted. He took good
care to hold the end, and he could slip it on and off like a flash of
lightning, and good enough for a conjurer. He could lengthen or shorten
a tape a few inches at will; all he wanted was to hold the ring at the
end. His false end was a bit of a real tape with his attachment, and I
have seen him trick them really pretty.
"Considering we had about sixteen rings altogether, top to bottom;
there was a good length on which to dodge, but our game would have been
too risky I fancy with eight or ten rings, and in a strong light,
because one could count the flanges pretty easily; but it is not many
that suspect a ring may be omitted.
"We were some 8 feet in the hard soil, and I considered that enough,
for the ground did not help much to keep the cylinders in place for 50
feet of the height above it, but they were well 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 bottom after cleaning
up, and we put in good 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 time; but give
him his due, he did all he knew to find the rings were in. You know the
ring we got rid of for 'extras' we took care should be sunk in the
middle, between the two columns, and well away from each one. The
bridge was wide,--about four lines of rails on top--so we slung the
ring out very quickly, after the men had gone for the day, just about
midway between the cylinders, and down it went pretty quickly, and it
was bound to be in the mud fully 8 feet by the morning, and sure to
sink a bit more, for I had it dropped sharp, and I thought it would be
certain to break up where it fell. We worked it so nicely, and all was
as lovely and serene and merry as a marriage, and real crumbs of
comfort, and I thought no more about it.
"We sank the ring purposely midway between the other two cylinders, so
that if the bridge had to be widened it would not be found. But we were
had for once, and no mistake this time, and all our own fault, and just
where we thought we had been clever, for one day the engineer came down
and sniffed about. I wish he had stopped at home instead of coming
bothering; however, he did not, but came. The result was the resident
engineer handed to me a tracing with a new cylinder marked on in the
middle of a line drawn through 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 might have just as well sunk it outside.
Well, I took two pills that night to brace me up and set my machinery
in perfect trim; and no one can know what I suffered, for I meant
getting out of the fix somehow or other, but could not see my road much
ahead.
"You know I was certain we were bound to find that 'extra' ring. If we
could have broken it up, or have been sure it was broken, there might
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 humbugging ourselves into thinking we knew where it
was, when no one could possibly know. As I said before, I was positive
we should meet it in sinking the cylinder, and as the ground was soft
for some distance that it would tilt the centre rings--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 men were at
work, and doing a bit of subaqueous mining; but it was too risky and
desperate, so I saved myself for the final round, that is, I waited
with my teeth set till I met that sunken 'extra' ring, and meant
getting 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
foreman away and the resident engineer. 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 my nephews at the crane to give 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 column on the next land-pier with the
resident engineer 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 foreman, and I managed to govern 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
some meeting, and I just wished he would take the foreman with him, if
only out of the love I had for him and give him a holiday; however, I
got to know on the quiet he had to superintend some unloading at a
wharf half a mile or more away, so the road was pretty clear. Directly
I got to the cylinder I knew what was up, for it had tilted.
"We could not pump out the water, and divers could not go 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 some more kentledge and then we will pull her straight. It's only a
piece of a wreck, or a bit of timber or stone.'
"I forget whether I told you that it was only my family party that knew
of the 'extra' ring being sunk, the rest of my men did not. My game was
to wreck the cylinder if I could, and tilt it over so that it would
fall, and then fetch the foreman when I knew it would go. If I could
manage that I felt I was right. Anyhow I was bound to smash up the
bottom ring, at least, I thought so then. Cutting 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 much care to tackle
lifting the rings. I wanted to smash them. Compressed air I did not
want to hear of, for that would have bowled me clean out, and shown the
whole game. I wanted to try to thrust the cylinder through the
obstruction, although, of course, I was not supposed to know what 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. Attempting to thrust a cylinder ring through anything
and everything is always a dangerous operation, and one to be avoided.
"Now they knew exactly how many cylinder rings 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 how many were on the work and in the piers. I beg pardon, I
should have said, _supposed_ to have been in, and it was 1000 to 1 all
would not be well.
"It occurred in the summer, and the foreman came and sent a telegram to
the resident engineer, and before he arrived we had weighted 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 came. He tried a few figures over, and
said to the foreman, 'If we do not mind, it will cost more trying to
right it than it will to lift the lot.'
"Anyhow we got more power and more weights. He had the soil loosened on
the upper side of the ring; but, of course, as it was iron at the
bottom, it did not do much good; 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 pump and dredger for a diver to go down.' Now the chief
engineer was abroad for a fortnight, so we left it alone that night;
but I tried all I knew, bar hammering, for that I dare not do, to smash
the rings and they would not break, the soil was too soft and even. I
was certain I could pull them over, but then they would most likely
lift the rings and might 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 foreman
were pacing up and down just as we were lifting the cutting ring, and
we did that by the crane. They were at the other end of the staging
though. The cutting edge was within a few inches of the water-level
when I saw that a bit of the ring I had sunk for 'extras' was actually
jammed into and hanging to the cutting ring."
"Oh! save my nerves, that was bad."
"Well, I had the crane stopped in a second, for my nephew was watching
like a vulture, and I and my ganger 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 smashing taps it dropped,
neither the foreman nor the resident engineer saw the fun closely; but
as the resident asked us what we had been barring at, I said 'A small
bit of a wreck got wedged 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."
"I thought you would laugh. Well, the pontoon had been brought to the
side of the staging as a precaution in case the chains might break or
an accident occur, so as to be away from the line of the bridge, and so
it did not matter where we dropped the cylinder ring I had 'extra' out
of, but it was an ugly fish to hook I can tell you, and is about the
only one I ever wished to get away, or did not want to see.
"Of course the cylinder went down all right afterwards, and the cause
of the tilting was considered to be the remains of a wreck; but it
strikes me, should they have to drive piles or sink cylinders anywhere
near that pier, they may meet with some obstruction, and perhaps think
they have struck rock; anyhow they will find out they have not 'struck
oil,' and may send forth the news that a recent discovery has shown the
early Britons built ironclads, and it was certain they sank, but there
was not sufficient evidence to show whether the warships floated for
many days."