Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1886-01-14

fOWed up near Tire east slope OF the
rock, and watching his chance, sailor
named Cherry leaped ashore on the
lodges. Mr.. Trewavas, who was ar
active man, next jumped to the rock
Before he could gain time to climb up.
however, great wave suddenly up.
lifted itself and swept him off.
'Lines and buoys were at once
thrown to him, but the unfortunate
gentleman was almost instantly sucked
down by the undertow, and disap-
peared. Selling a lifeline, Cherry, with
heroism rarely equaled, dived boldly
off into the boiling maclstrom after him,
and Remained for some time in the
depths of that black. dreary whirlpool,
trying to grasp him, but in vain. The
sailor was hauled out at length by
J means of the line, much exhausted
$50 depressing an effect did the death
of MIR. Trewavas have at Astoria, that
when man hired with the Lighthouse
Board to work at 1'illamook, people
told him invariably that he was going
to his death.
"a Mr.. Ballantyne succeeded Mr..
Trewavas in the effort to make the sur
|
win again returned to the rock, this time
better equipped. A spar buoy was now
anchored just off the east side of the
rock; and after Cherry had again landed
on the east slope, a four-inch hawser
was slung from the deck of the steamer
to the peak of the rock, and along this
cable, by means of pulleys and lines, Il
| traveller for getting over both men and
material was rugged.
Yet SO profoundly did the vessel
| heave on the strong, turbulent water,
| that at every lurch the middle of the
| hawser, along with the traveller,
dipped under, so that everything land
| dcd-the men as well-was soaked in
| sea-watcr.
''FOr hauling across the men, de-
vice called the 'brecchcs-buoy' was
| rugged, consisting Of pair of stout
canvas brooches, with large circular
life-preserver round the waist of them
as a girdlc. After buckling these upon
the person, the passenger was pulled
over, but never failed to get ducking,
and commonly landed spluttcring and
blowing like aporpoise.
cit was finally decided by the engi-
neer to blast off twenty-six feet from
the summit of the rock, thus reducing
its height to ninety feet above sea level,
to form Il fiat foundation, or site, for
the stone light-tower, which it was pro-
posed to build on top of the rock. The
stone courses for the tower We're cut
and numbered, ready for laying, at
Astoria.
''On the twenty-siXth of October, ten
workmen, myself among them, with
MIR. Ballantync and good supply of
food, blankets, tools, etc, were landed
from the 'Corwin' AS previously de-
scribed, and the work of blasting off
the top of the rock began in good earn
est. But l am free to say that hardly
expected to get off that ledge alive.
at took us fifteen days to drill in
for iron rods and ring bolts and build
a stone house for our provisions,
powder, tools, etc For our own shell
ter, very thick, strong canvas double
tent was pitched at the top of the rock,
dashed and secured every way by strong
lines to ring-bolts.
''Thc work of blasting then began
Often, while getting round the west
face of the cliff. we had to work from
swing-StaGes, suspended out ninety
feet over those boiling, roaring waves
So tough was the basalt rock, that the
best drills of English steel required to
be re-sharpened for every two inches of
hole drilled! A blacksmith worked
constantly with us, sharpening drills.
For the blasts giant powder was
used; with each blast we were obliged
to retreat down the east side of the
rock.
''Our orders at first were to pile the
fragments of rock from the blasting
into the great fissurc Oh the south side,
above spoken of, SO as to till it up. But
that idea was soon abandoncd; our
filling would not stay there, for though
we tumblcd rocks in there which
weighed many hundred pounds, the
waves whisked them out as if thew were
chips.
Thus we went on there day after
day, 'pecking' holes and blasting off
rock which tumbled into the depths
below, with little to cheer It's save the
scream of gulls, the harsh 'youk! youk!
youh" of sca-lions, and the gurgling
plunge of the water beneath us.
mot a nice place to spend Thanks
giving, Christmas and the HOLIDAYS,
Ell? The work never stopped. The |
cutter came down once 4 week in fair |
weather, bringing fresh provisions and |
the mail, and getting our letters for
home-folks.
son the first day of January, five
new men were added to the force.
''At last came the storm of which l |
began to tell you. 1t was on the night |
of the seventh of January. All that |
day and, in fact, for three days previ-
ously, it had been blowing, with snow
and sleet The sky was dark and |
gloomy, the, winding blowing too hard
for man to stand on the top of the
lodges.
I'VE had not been able to do much,
and kept to our tent, wrapped up in
all the blankets we had, to keep warm,
for the wind was bitterly cold and
piercing. The site of the tent had been
shifted about twenty feet down the
slope, on the landward side, to little
level which had been blasted out for
it. Our provision-house stood fifteen
or twenty feet lower down, this latter
being no more than sixty feet above
the sea.
Towards night it began to blow
even harder; and as darkness settled
over us the gigantic forms of the pillows
rolling in looked terrific.
''But as nine, ten and eleven o'clock
came, the gusts yelled (for l can select
no more fitting worO louder and loud
er. 1t seemed as if even the wind
would tear us off the rock We lay
there muffled up. No one talked much.
The new men looked wild
'.Mr Ballantyne tried to reassure