Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-09-09


his time making small wheels and shafts
and putting together odd contrivances,
which he would exhibit with immense
pride.
| This peculiar trait in the young fellow
gained for him the humorous title of the
"Inventor All the men felt great
kindness for him. even though their
manner toward him was occasionally
harsh and impatient.
Such was the person left to help watch
the great blast for the casting of the
king bell of the chime Of St. Johns
Faithfully he kept his place before the
furnace, while the man George sat down
at little distance and began to eat his
supper Doubtless the latter intended
to keep a general oversight, but he Ger
tainly made the Inventors eyes do the
most of the looking. Whether he felt
a kind of reckless trust IN the instinct
of his half-witted companion, or indo.
lently concluded that nothing wrong
could happen, he was sadly to blame for
charging himself so little with the i'm
portant duty before him.
Not word was said by either watch
Ell, and only the deep roar of of the fur~
mace was heard through the vast foun
dry.
George finished his supper, and saun~
tered into one of the tool shops to find
his pipe ''lnventor' sat alone before
the great blast. The one rational fac
ulty Of his feeble mind enabled him to
comprehend what it meant, and even
something of the magnitude of the ems
terprise that was ripening inside those
burning walls. He knew that the fur
mace was full of yaluablemetal and that
close beside him, buried out of sight in
the deep sand, was the huge mold, so
soon to be filed with the precious cast.
He knew and could see that all the
channels for the flow of the fiery liquid
were ready, and that near the mouth Of
the furnace stood the long iron rod that
was to be used when the moment came
to let on the molten stream.
All this his limited thoughts took in
by habit. Dimly conscious that some,
thing great was soon to be done, he sat
with his eyes on the furnace, absorbed
and intent
Suddenly something startled him.
There was slight noise and burning
crack appeared near the top of the fur
mace Then another crack, and schorch-
ing brick fell out and rolled to the
ground at his feet.
The lad opened his mouth to shrek,
but so terrified was he that the sounds
stuck in his throat, as if he had been
in fit Of nightmare.
A thin red stream followed the fallen
brick and tricked down the furnace side
like running lava. Then came another
alarming noise, and thin cap half-way
down the masonry let out more of the
Kissing metal.
Where was Geore? Was the unfalth-
full fellow still hunting his pipef The
furnace was bursting with only g poor,
half idiot lad to guard it.
What could he do? He did what
perhaps lad in his right mind would
not have dared to do. Rushing to the
mouth of the furnace, he seized the long
iron rod that stood near and tapped the
vent One desperate thrust with the
sharp point up the terrible fnnnel-a
few quick, prying strokes Stand back
now The combining clay fell away, and
and the yellow, white food spurted out
with resistless force. 1t leaped into
| the clay-lined troughs, and Kissed its
way, flaming, down to the mouth Of the
bell-mold.
The ''fool" had done deed worthy
of a general Oh field Of battle.
Was it too late? Every moment new
assures opened in the doomed furnace.
Some OF the upper stones toppled over
Still the metal poured out into the mold.
But the waste was great from those
gaping flaws. The pressure was reliev-
ed by the opened vent, but the leaks
multiplied continually. 1t was art lun-
ming a race with ruin.
Poor ''Mopus' stood powerless be :
fore the coming catastrophe. His knees
knocked. together and his head swan.
A great heap of red hot bricks and rub
Dish fell at his feet He had barely
thought to get out of the way and
save his life. He heard wild shout Of
/ human voices in the distance, then an
awful roar behind him, and he saw and
felt himself parsued by surges OF seeth-
ing fire. Sharp, blistering pains pierre
ed his flesh at hundred points. The
rest was all horrible, nnintelligible
dream. 1t was as if he had suddenly
sunk into the earth and been swallowed
up forever.
By seven o'clock comparative quiet
reigned again on the scene of disaster
Ruins lay everywhere. The engines
I had quenched the flames that bad caugh