Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1878-01-30

one udy very iarSc HitinS GUAM
broke with its load and an Iron
fragment struck him on the head,
injecting serious injury. From
this he partially recovered, and
only partially, for his reason was
impaired. But his natural love
for machinery and mechanical ex-
periments remained, and as he
gained his bodily strength he spent
most Of his time making small
wheels and shafts, and putting
together odd contrivances, which
he would exhibit with immense
pride and satisfaction.
This popular trait in the young
fellow gained for him the humorous
title Of the "Inventor." All the
men felt a 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 cast
ing of the king of the chime of st.
Johns. Faithfully he kept his
please before the furnace, while
the man George sat down a little
distance away and began to eat his
supper. Doubtless the latter in
tended to keep a kind Of general
oversight, but he certainly made
the "Inventor's" eyes do the look
ing. Whether he felt a kind of
reckless trust in the instinct of his
half-witted companion, or indolent-
ly concluded that nothing wrong
could happen, he was sadly to
blame for charging himself so little
with the important duty before
him.
Not word had been spoken by
either watcher, and only the deep
roar of the furnace was heard
through the vast foundery.
George finished his supper and
into one of the 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
hat was ripening inside those
burning walls. He knew that the
furnace was full of valuable metal
md that close beside him, buried
,ut of sight in the deep sand, was
. huge mould so soon to be filled
With the precious cast. He knew
md could see that all the channels .
or the flows of the fiery liquid
we're ready, and that near the
mouth of the furnace stood the
ong iron rod that was to be used
vhen the moment came to let on the
molten stream.
All this was limited thoughts
ook in by habit. Dimly conscious
hat something great was to he
lone, he sat with his eyse on the
urhace, absorbed and intent.
Suddenly something startled
Tim. There was slight noise, and
! burning crack appeared near the
OPP of the furnace. Then another
rack, and scorching brick fell
,ut and rolled to the ground at his
eet.
The lad opened his mouth and
,hrieked, but so terrified was he
hat the sound stuck in his throat,
Us if lie had been, in fit Of night
mare.
A thin, red stream followed the
ALLEN brick, and trickled down the I
like lava. Then came {
another alarming noise, and a thin
ay half way down the masonry s
let out more OF the Kissing metal.
Where was Georgel Was the ]
nnfaithful fellow still hunting for
his pipei The furnace was
with only q poor, half
idiot lad to guard it.
What could he do? He did !
what perhaps q lad in his right
mind would not have dared to do. 4,
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; a few quick, prying
strokes. Stand back, now The
clay fell away, and the
yellow-wbite food spurted out with
resistless force. 1t leaped into the
,laylined troughs, and Kissed it
way into the mould.
The "foop has done a deed ,
worthy OF q general on the field of