Show DIVERS WORK UNDER WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL Operations are active actively In iii progress for Cor saving Winchester cathedral ono one of the tho most famous of ot England's ancient fanes tanes Lecturing before the tho Royal Roy so society so 50 In London tho the other da day Francis rands Fox a noted engineer described tho the work that Is being carried on It has been ascertained that almost the whole cathedral stands on a n. bed hed of or peat which Is In somo some parts eight feet thick Owing to tho the compression of ot this substance settlements of or the thc most serious character aro are taking place and If tho the venerable edifice Is s t to be bo preserved preserved pre pre- served It will be bo necess necessary t to excavate tho the peat and provide In Its place a solid foundation The south transept for tor ex example example example ex- ex ample Is more than four tour feet out of or the tho perpendicular and ominous cracks are aro apparent To quote Sir Mr Ir Fox the cathedral Is doomed unless Jt Is underpinned and that without dela delay In tho the case caso of or the presbytery ter which dates back to 1202 It had been found round that subsidence had taken place amounting to nearl nearly two feet teet six Inches A trial pit sunk In tho the vicinity revealed the existence of a a. d deep ep bed of or peat below bolow bolow bo- bo low a clay soil Mil resting upon a n stratum of ot gravel and flints overlying chalk B By means of or an excavation five feet teet In width adjacent to the s 1 s- s nth uth wall tho the bottom of ot tho masonry masonn foundation emulation was reached and It was dir dl vered that the wall had been built buill on a layer of or beechwood beechwood beechwood beech- beech wood logs whole trees having been placed aldo b by side horizontally Tho The lo love of ot the under side of ot the so Umbers timbers coincided with that of or tho water In tho the subsoil Beneath the logs a a. bed of ot chalky marl In places six feet teet In la thickness thickness thickness thick thick- ness was found to exist Carr Carrying tho the excavation further down It was proved that the bed of peat In depth live tho feet teet to eight feet six Inches was almost Impervious to water However However However How How- ever when within a a. foot toot of or tho the lowest it layer a n. great reat of ot water burst up from the gravel bed below an Influx from the adjacent river rl In the course of or a minute tho the whole pit was vas tilled with water vater up to tho original level lo The employment of or a diver er was thus necessitated Tho The divers diver's operations are peculiar and extremely arduous The pits that aro are sunk are absolutely dark owing t to tho the water being thick with peaty matter Artificial lI light ht Is not notI possible hence the work Is done b by feeling Upon the removal remo of or tho the peat peal I the bottom Is covered with bags filled with concrete carefully and tightly tamped In all aU around There Thero are four Cour layers of or the tho bags Tho crannies be between between be- be tween are filled b by hand band with cement concrete The resultant mass b becomes practical ly b a a. solid rock and seals down th the tho flood of ot water from the gravel enabling the excavation to be pumped dry Concreting ing Is 18 then continued until a considerable blo ble height Is reached and upon this blocks of ot concrete or 01 bricks In cement are carried up and tightly pinned to tho the under side of ot the tho old mason masonry constituting ing tho the original foundations of or the cathedral catho- catho dral dral Philadelphia Philadelphia Ledger |