Part 2, Chapter 14 Summary and Analysis

"The Heroic Mode" refers to the best method for alleviating the pain of bends, only rarely carried out. Chapter 14 examines further how the malady affects the Great Bridge, including striking down the Chief Engineer. No longer a demigod, Roebling remains unchallenged as project head, but his sickness tempts politicians to sweep him aside, as we will see throughout Part 3. Part 2 here ends with towers rising in Brooklyn and New York, showing clearly the Great Bridge is coming.

Smith perceives high pressure affects the circulatory system, which returns to normal gradually as pressure declines. Slower decompression minimizes suffering. It will later be shown nitrogen absorbed in the bloodstream under pressure form bubbles that keep oxygen from reaching tissues resulting in agonizing ischemia, usually limited to heart attacks, in the limbs and joints. Smith's locking-out policies, even if obeyed, fall short...