Larry nerved himself for the coming effort. There seemed to be a sort of uneasiness in the crowd, for some of them did not know what was to come. They were tired of being kept in the dark.
“We are now going to start the hydraulic ram,” said the voice of the president. “It will cut through the brick wall and then we will step through the hole into the other part of the tunnel, thus completing the trip from New Jersey to New York. Let me call your attention to the fact that this trip is made, not like the partial one of a year ago, through the northern tube under compressed air. We have so far advanced that we do not need to maintain an air pressure any longer for safety.”
“All ready,” called one of the engineers.
There was a little shifting in the crowd. Men in red shirts and big rubber boots began fumbling at some pipes and machinery.
“Here she goes!” cried someone, and Larry prepared himself to start on the back trip at a signal from Mr. Newton.
There was a rending, crashing, tearing sound. The brick wall began to crumble under the powerful force of the plunger worked by water power. Then came a dull thud, and silence.
“What’s the matter?” cried the president.
“I’m sorry to say the ram’s broken,” replied the engineer.
“Cut the wall down with crowbars and pickaxes then,” cried the president.
“I regret, gentlemen,” he went on, “that we will have a little delay. The wall was thicker than we thought. We cut away as much as we dared and we depended on the ram to do the rest. It has failed us. But we will soon have a passageway through, and you will have been the first party to walk under the river without the use of compressed air, which is something of an achievement.”