"Harry Harrison - A Transatlantic Tunnel Hurrah" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

timbers that had been prepared for just this sort of emergency. Lengths of
thick boards that were bolted to stout timbers to make a doorlike shield
that stood as high as a man. It looked too heavy for one person to budge
yet Washington seized the edge and with a concerted contraction of all his
muscles dragged it forward a good two feet.

His action jolted the others into motion, rallying to him to seize the
construction and lift it and push it forward. The pressure of the air tore it
from their hands and slammed it against the face of the cutting, covering
the blowout opening at last. There was still the strong hiss of air pushing
through the cracks in the boards but the rushing torrent had now abated.
Under Washington’s in-structions they hurried to contain and seal off the
disaster. While above them, through the largest opening in the tunneling
shield, a strange machine appeared, pushed forward by smoothly powerful
hydraulic cylinders. It was not unlike a battleship gun turret, only in place
of the cannon there were four long tubes that ended in cutting heads.
These were placed against the sand above the blowout and instantly
be-gan revolving under the operator’s control. Drilling swiftly they sank
into the soft sand until the turret itself was flush against the face of the
cutting. As soon as this was done the drilling stopped and valves were
opened—and an instant frosting of ice appeared upon the turret.

While this was happening a brawny navvy with an ax had chopped a
hole in the center of the wooden shield just over the opening of the
blowout. The pressure was so strong that, when he holed through, the ax
was torn from his hands and vanished. He stumbled back, laugh-ing at the
incident and holding up his hands so his buddies could see the raw stripes
on his palms where the handle of the ax had been drawn from his tight
grip. No sooner had he stepped aside than the mouth of a thick hose was
placed over this new opening and a pump started to throb.

Within seconds the high-pitched whistle of the escaping air began to
die away. Ice now coated the for-merly wet sand through which the
blowout had occurred and a chilling wave of cold air passed over them all.
When the rushing wind had van-ished completely, Washington ordered
the pumping stopped and their ears sang in the sudden silence. The sound
of a bell drew their attention as Captain Washington spun the handle on
the field telephone.

“Put me through on the radio link to the boat at once.”

They all listened with a fierce in-tentness as contact was established
and Washington snapped the single word, “Report.” He listened and
nodded then called out to his intent audience.

“He is safe. Alive and well.”

They cheered and threw their caps into the air and only desisted when
he raised his hands for silence.