The Severn Tunnel/Chapter 10

by Thomas Andrew Walker

CHAPTER X.

THE MEANS TAKEN TO DEAL WITH THE GREAT SPRING.

Progress of the work—1883.It had been thought up to the time when the spring flooded the works that we had pumping-plant upon the ground more than sufficient to deal with the greatest quantity of water that could be met with.

We had first a 75-inch Cornish beam-engine, with a 35-inch bucket-pump; two 50-inch engines with a 26-inch pump each; a 70-inch engine, with a 28-inch and two 18-inch pumps; a 41-inch engine, with a 28-inch pump; a horizontal engine, with 18-inch pumps; and nine 15-inch pumps worked by horizontal engines. It was evident that we must more than double this plant before we could hope to complete the tunnel, and then the more serious question arose, ‘Where should the pumping-plant be fixed?’

It was almost universally supposed that we should have to sink another shaft in which to place this pumping-plant.

It was advisable to obtain the plant ready made if Progress of the work—1883. possible, or at any rate the engines, and inquiries were at once set on foot through the mining districts in various parts of the country to ascertain if any suitable plant could be purchased; and after many inquiries I purchased, from Messrs. Harvey and Co., of Hayle, two 70-inch beam-engines, and one 35-inch bucket-pump; two 60-inch engines, each with a 31-inch bucket-pump; and the Great-Western Railway Company ordered to be delivered at once the 37-inch plunger-pump, which had been provided under the original contract, but which had not then been received.

While these inquiries were being made, and the purchases effected, I had thought of a way in which it would be possible to fix three of these pumps in the Old Pit, by closing that pit as a winding-shaft, and winding entirely from the New Pit.

The Old Pit was only 15 feet in diameter, and therefore, though it was possible to get the pump-barrels into the pit, it was not possible so to place them in the pit as to be able to take off the valve door-pieces, to examine or repair the valves; but by filling up the bottom of the shaft to within 10 feet of the tunnel level, I arranged to bring the valve-pieces into the tunnel itself, where there was plenty of room for taking off the doors and making any examinations or repairs. The accompanying drawings will show how this was effected.

At this pit we arranged to fix two 70-inch beam-engines and one 60-inch. The one 70-inch engine Progress of the work—1883.

was to work the 37-inch plunger-pump, the second 70-inch to work the 35-inch bucket-pump, and the 60-inch engine to work a 31-inch bucket-pump. The second 60-inch beam-engine, with a 31-inch bucket-pump, was fixed at 5 miles 4 chains, where, in consequence of the pressure after the head-walls were closed at Sudbrook, a much greater quantity of water was coming into the works.

The first work commenced was the filling up of the bottom of the Old Pit. This was done with concrete, through which a 6-inch pipe was laid into the 9-ft. barrel, and the water which came into the pit was drained through it to the Iron Pit. By means of this pipe we were able to keep the shaft sufficiently dry, and to finish the concrete to within 10 feet of the top of the invert of the tunnel. A considerable piece of this invert had to be cut out on one side to receive the H-piece of the 37-inch plunger-pump.

The erection of four large engines of course necessitated the provision of additional boilers. These were also purchased. Ten Lancashire boilers, varying from 27 feet to 30 feet in length, and 7 feet in diameter, were purchased, and the seating of the boilers and the erection of the boiler-houses was commenced.

The estimated expense of providing this additional plant was more than £16,000, and at the time when this heavy additional expenditure was to be incurred I was already, from the unforeseen Progress of the work—1883 difficulties we had encountered, £100,000 out of pocket. It was, however, of no use being overcome by the difficulties, and with as cheerful a face as possible we set ourselves to overcome them instead.

The four pumps which were to be fixed, and one of the 60-inch engines, had to be made at Hayle, in Cornwall. The other three engines, which were standing in various parts of the country—one at Llanelly, and two others at Cornwall—had to be taken down and forwarded by rail as quickly as possible. A new gang under a Cornish foreman was formed for erecting these engines.

By altering the old engine-house, where the 41-inch engine had originally stood, and strengthening the ‘bob-wall,’ which carried the beam, a house was provided for one of the 70-inch engines. A house for one 60-inch engine at 5 miles 4 chains was built of brickwork, and for the other 60-inch and 70-inch engines two new houses were built of stone and brick. The accompanying drawing will show that the erection of the houses required considerable time, so that but little progress was made before the year 1883 came to a close.

In spite, however, of these difficulties the progress of the other works was continually increasing, and at the end of the year we found that, with the arrangements that we had made, we could take out more lengths of tunnel than we were able to obtain bricks to line it with.

We were at that time receiving from the Progress of the work—1883.Cattybrook Brick Company, near the Gloucestershire end of the tunnel, 100,000 bricks per month. From two makers in Staffordshire we were obtaining 500,000 bricks per month, and we were making in our own field about 600,000 per month. The total of 1,200,000 bricks was sufficient to complete 3,600 cubic yards of brickwork per month.

As I was very anxious that the work should be proceeded with, and secured as rapidly as possible, I sent an agent down to Staffordshire to secure a larger supply, and from five different makers we obtained contracts to supply a further quantity of 1,000,000 bricks per month.

The amount of the work done in the year 1883 is shown upon the accompanying section.

At the end of 1883, one mile of continuous full-sized tunnel was completed on the Gloucestershire side of the river, and the work was rapidly progressing at ten other points on the same side from ten ‘break-up’ lengths. The bottom heading had been completed throughout the whole length of the tunnel between Sudbrook and the Gloucestershire side.

The arch had been turned under the ‘Shoots’ for a length of half a mile; the full-sized tunnel had been completed, from the Sudbrook Shaft, for a length of something more than a quarter of a mile. At 5 miles 4 chains shaft a length of a quarter of a mile of tunnel and arching had been completed. At the Marsh, rather more than half a mile of full-sized tunnel, Progress of the work—1883. and at the Hill Pit, rather more than a quarter of a mile of full-sized tunnel had been completed also.

The open cuttings at each end of the tunnel were making rapid progress; four locomotives and three steam navvies being employed on the Gloucestershire side, and three locomotives with one steam navvy on the Monmouthshire side, besides large gangs of navvies filling by hand.

The 5-ft. barrel-drain, to take the water from under the ‘Shoots’ to the pumping-shaft, had been completed.

In the summer of this year, there was a very serious outbreak of small-pox at Chepstow. I had already (in 1881) had to deal with an outbreak of typhoid fever on the Gloucestershire side of the river, and had succeeded in stamping it out entirely by providing a fever hospital with a skilled nurse, to which all cases were removed, and then by making provision for a better supply of drinking water.

Fearing that the small-pox epidemic might very probably be brought to our works by the men who frequented Chepstow on Saturday evenings, I determined to lose no time in building a hospital for infectious diseases as near to the houses as was consistent with safety.

After consulting Dr. Lawrence (who was in medical attendance upon the men) and Dr. Bond, of Gloucester (the health officer of the district), I built a hospital, of which a sketch is given. There were

The Fever Hospital, Sudbrook.

Progress of the work—1883. four wards in the hospital, each large enough for six beds, with ample air space. There was also a separate ward for delirious patients, with two beds, and a dwelling-house and sleeping apartments for two nurses and servants.

The building of the hospital was commenced in July, 1883, and it was first used in the autumn of this year.