DIVER’S LUCKY ESCAPE

Grey River Argus, 6 September 1930, Page 9

DIVER’S LUCKY ESCAPE

-JAMMED IN AIR PIPE. — RELEASED AFTER. SIX HOURS. Ha.rry Rodgers, aged 44, a naval vcr-hiter, had a remarkable escape from, deolh when ho was caught and jammed in an air) suction pipe in I'orlsmouth Dockyard recently. He wa < imprisoned i n the pipe., which wrsj 2l>ia in diameter ami about 20ft. long,| lor some s-x hour-i. His air pipe an-'j ■his life line remained intact so it was possible to continue to supply him j with oxygon, otherwi e h.» would have lost hi< life. | Welders, after strenuously working . ’ foil, six hours., succeeded in cutting the pipe and bringing that section contaiii-

j nig .Mr. Rodgers to the ground, wherei I 1 hey eventually had the ;ati faction’ lof siiduig ,ii.m eiii of ii.n pipe. He j . olopLunc.l .’llAily Ol Irs ll.nos l.i-ing; ' i'l’.nmpc'il, but otherwise he appearc.l little the worse for li>s im pi > sonment. j Air. Rodgers ha'. 1 been .“ent w’th i unotl.ei( <Liver into a culvert undc-r--neaiii the generating tati.m in the, dockyard to clear :-cme obstruction. 'He was walking along Hie culvert I when .he approached the air pipe. i The suction was so gr -at that he was | drawn into the. pipe and enrr ed halfi wa v ahjiHi- it. 3 ' U T’l'u diver’s headpiece fitted light,, ami Mr. Ib>.lgc:ts’ coul ' neither move nor be moved. The top of his helm'd., n:i - slightly above the waler, but t'.i ‘ reim.iml'.r of hi.- body was m the, watt r. Thro’igm ut the six hours the rescuers kept up con versa! ion with the imprisoned man, who was quite chcer- ! ful am! iievi-tf lost coiicioii -ties■•. j To release the man from the pip'-j after lifting it to the gyouml floor it 1 was necessary to cut away a part of I his diving outfit and to clean and thoroughly grease the p ; p<‘ 1" make; it slippery. Re--tornfives had previous- 1

ly been supplied to the man. hut h*M was little- the worse' when liberated). | j It w-as discovered after liberation! that iiad the man’s head gone a little further it would have struck a valve,] and in all probability he would havel j, been killed.

I - | i and universities. But more horrible , t still has been the realisation that when | ! one commits oneself to a declaration on I ; the spur of the moment it becomes i i necessary to back up one’s opinion.! ( This is frequently difficult when the actual facts al Ipoint the other way. i I “By the adoption of whiskers, how-1 I over, these impediments to youth— it j is hoped by the twenty-to-thirties —' ' will disappear. ’ ’ i