The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-09-24

This peculiar trait in the young fellow
gained for him the humorous title of the
"Inventor" All the men felt great kind
ness for him, even though their manner to-
ward him was occasionally harsh and impa-
ticnt
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 a little distance
and began to eat his supper. Doubtless the
latter intended to keep general oversight,
but he certainly made the Inventors eyes do
the most Of the looking. Whether he felt a
kind of reckless trust in the instinct of his
half-wittod companion, or indolently con-
cluded that nothing wrong could mapped, he
was sadly - blame for charging himself so
little with the important duty before him.
Not word was said by either watcher,
and only the deep roar of the furnace was
heard through the vast foundry.
George finished his supper, and sauntered
into one of the tool shops to find his pipe.
Inventor" sat alone before the great blast.
The one rational faculty Of his feeble mind
enabled him to comprehend what it meant,
and even something of the magnitude of the
enterprise that was ripening inside those
burning walls. lie knew that the furnace
was full of valuable metal, and that close
beside him, buried out of sight in the deep
sand, was the huge mold, SO soon to be filled
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 something
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 a burning crack ap-
peared near the top of the furnace. Then
another crack, and a scorching brick fell out
and rolled to the ground at his feet!
The lad opened his mouth to shrek, but
50 terrified was he that the sounds stuck in
his throat, as if he had been in fit of night
mare.
A thin red strem followed the fallen brick,
and trickled down the furnace side like run
ming lava Then came another alarming
noise, and thin gap halfway down the
masonry let out more of the Kissing metal.
Where was George? Was the unfaithful
fellow still hunting for his pipe? The fur
mace was bursting, with only a 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 funnel,
few quick, prying strokesl Stand back,
now The confning clay fell away, 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-mod.
The "loo' had done a deed worthy of a
general on field of battle.
Was it too late? Every moment new fs-
sures 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 relieved by the opened
vent, but the leaks multiplied continually
1t was art running race with ruin.
Poor "Mopus" stood powerless before the
coming catastrophe. His knees knocked to.
gether, and his head swan. A great heap
of red.hot bricks and rubbish fell at his feet
lie had barely thought to get out of the way
and save his life. lie heard wild shout o
human voices in the distance, then an awfu
roar behind him, and he saw and felt him
self pursued by surges of seething fire.
Sharp, blisterng pains pierced his flesh at &
hundred points. The rest was all horrible
unintelligible dream. 1t was as if he had
suddenly sunk into the earth and beer
swallowed up forever
By seven o'clock comparative quiet reign.
ed again on the scene of disaster. Ruins lay
everywhere. The engines had quenched the
flames that had caught the building, and tn,
men, blackened with smoke, stood in silen
groups about the remains of the furnace. II
had fallen to pieces, and nothing was lel
but heaps of steaming rubbish
Poor "Inventor," who had been founC
with the tapping-rod in his hand, lying OF
his face in the sand, irightfully burned, haC
been carried to his home.
Little was said but the few words spoken
uttered with no mild emphasis the natura
wrath of the master and the hands agains
the man George, whose excuse for himsel
only exaggerated his. .ohense,
"See what he's DONE" said they few
days later, as they stood in the self-burne,
foundry Give thousand dollars gone I,
waste in minute The best job in twent.
years spoiled The rascal, to go hunting
for his pipe, and leave that stutterng idio
to watch Is that all he can say for him
self? Out upon such carelessness Why
the boy didn't even know enough to baw
out when he must have seen the furnac
tumbllng to pieces -
The master who had more at stake tha
the men, of course felt the loss more keenl
than they. lie almost wcpt with mingle
grief and rage. Suddenly something pecul
lar caught his eye among the debris, and h
cried in Il startled voice:
"Hallo! What's this? What's this?'
lie spatched up fragment of one of tn
troughs which had led from the furnace
the mold, There were traces of the streaI
of bronze st.ll running in it, Then the po.
sible meaning of the iron found in the in
jured boys hand flashed upon him.
"Bring me a shovel, quick" he shouted
A spade was put into his hands, and h
began nervously to heaye away the hot ma
that lay piled over the bell-mold. 1t was
herculean task, but he worked like gian
and three or four of his men took hold an