o make the occasion
memorable, the contractor gave to the members of his staff and the
representatives of the press a banquet unprecedented for its
originality. The table was set eight metres below the level of the sea,
at the very bottom of the harbor, inside the "caisson" in which the
excavators had been at work, and only the narrow walls of this caisson
separated the guests from the enormous mass of water around and above
their heads. The new-fashioned banqueting-hall was splendidly decorated
and lighted, and but for a certain buzzing in the ears, caused by the
pressure of air kept up in the chamber in order to prevent the inrush of
water, nobody would have suspected that the slightest interruption in
the working of the air-pump would have sufficed to asphyxiate the whole
party. After the banquet an improvised concert prolonged the festivity
for several hours, after which the guests reascended into the open air.

A Visit to a Famous Furnace.

Some time ago when I was staying at Lebanon, Pa., I had the
pleasure of visiting the Colebrook furnace. This is what is called
a "blast furnace," because the draught for the fires is made
artificially by the forcing in of a strong current of air. Much
iron is smelted in that region, the ore coming from the famous
Cornwall ore hills near by. The Colebrook produces about 175 tons
of iron daily.

It was on a hazy June morning that our party took a new
trolley-car that had been running only a few days, and after
riding a short distance into the country, alighted quite near the
furnace, which seemed to be composed of a few gray stone
buildings, and several high red stacks. After passing over some
waste land and a little brook we came to the office, where we
inquired whether we had better have a guide to show us around, or
go by ourselves. A young gentleman who belonged to the
establishment offered to go with us. He was very kind, explaining
everything, and was never tired of answering questions.

They cast twice a day; there are two furnaces, one used for the
casting in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. We began
our tour of inspection by visiting one of the furnaces. Of course
we found it quite warm near it. When they wished to see whether
the fire was burning all right, they used to have to open large
doors, but now there are pipes with holes and