British Pathe

Full title reads: "Essex & Kent - Tunnelling Under The Thames".

Building of the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel.

GV Panning shot looking across from the working site at Dartford to the River Thames in the background. GV Looking down the inside of the tunnel with shaker conveyors working in...

Full title reads: "Essex & Kent - Tunnelling Under The Thames".

Building of the Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel.

GV Panning shot looking across from the working site at Dartford to the River Thames in the background. GV Looking down the inside of the tunnel with shaker conveyors working in the foreground. CU Two men drilling. LV Men operating the shaker conveyors which dispose of the excavated material. CU Chalk being shaken down on one of the conveyors. CU Another man with drill, drilling chalk face. CU Diagram showing cross section of the tunnel. AV Man watching pressure gauges outside the decompression chamber. LV First shift seated in the chamber having finished work and awaiting the drop in pressure. CU Pressure gauge as needle drops towards zero. SV Men in chamber. CU Clock which times the men while they are in the chamber showing time-up (few minutes in, up to 1 1/4 hours out). SV Door of the chamber opening and the men coming out. GV Men walking from the pressure chamber. SV Group of men from the first shift waiting for the lift to take them to the surface. SV Outside the second shift coming on and entering lift. CU Men stepping into lift, one of them closes the lift gates. CU Shot from the lift as it descends, the gates at the bottom of the shaft appear and a man on the outside opens them. SV Second shift entering the compression chamber. CU Pressure gauge showing pressure at 24 pounds per square inch which is what the men have to work under in the tunnel. LV Inside the tunnel looking towards working face and shield. SV Men operating the shaker conveyors. SV Lining segment being raised into position on mechanical arm. SV Workmen looking on as the segment comes up into position. SV Man controlling mechanical arm which lifts the lining segments. SV Segment being lowered down. CU Man tightening the two lining segment sections together. SV Two more workmen doing likewise. LV Another man breaking up large lumps of chalk at the end of the shaker conveyor before it is pumped from the tunnel to the outside. CU Excavating material being shaken from the conveyors through gratings for pumping to the outside. GV Outside, looking across to the Thames from the working site at Dartford. (Neg.)