The first irruption of water into the Thames Tunnel occured on 18 May 1827 when the archways were 549 feet long. Although most of the men got out, Tillett, "the engine man," was seen struggling in the water at the bottom of the shaft, "like a rat ... quite spent," unable to climb out. Thereupon Isambard Brunel, who had reached safety with the others, descended again by means of a rope, and helped by his assistant, Gravatt, managed to tie a rope round the drowning man's waist, allowing him to be hauled to safety. While the fact that Brunel actually received a life-saving medal from the Royal Humane Society the following year appears to have gone unrecorded, it is hard to doubt that the award was for this well known act of bravery.