St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-26

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| were iammed In inextricable confusion and
piled UP on each other in wild disorder as
they went on in their mad course. Now
and then one of the logs, impelled by
the force of the great mass behind
it, shot high in the air and landed
yards away upon the quivering floor which
stretched across the stream from bank to
bank. The torrent swept them on as if
they were toys to be played with and a
certain seemingly impossible distance had
to be covered within a certain time. 1t
was thrilling spectacle, calculated to fill
the onlOoker with curious interest and a
feeling akin to horror. Like all such spec
tacleS it attracted large crowds Of people,
and the banks were lined with spectators
during the whole livelong day, apparently
with nothing to do except to crafty NOR
bid curiosity. On this day that Minnie and
the detective were at her home the flood
was at its highest, and the mad frOllc of the
logs seemed wilder and more fascinating
than ever. The people flocked to the river
UdIlhS ny LiIUl5dIlllS, dllu duu
detective, having their curiosity aroused.
concluded to walk out and enjoy the fresh
air and also to visit the scene Of attraction.
They walked down to the river bank and
secured an eligible position for a good view
Just below the falls. 1t was truly a
grand and inspiring spectacle. as the
logs came rolling oyer the falls. turning
sOmersaultS over each other and going
through the most wonderful contortions.
The water seethed and boiled whirling in
w1ite froth at the very foot of the water
fall. and then the tiny waves rushed away
again as if intent upon Overtaking some
fleet adversary which had secured good
lead while the other had been detained in
the eddy. Minnie felt the inspiration OF the
scene and gaZed at it with feeling Of awe
and reverence. 1t was strange to her,
and relief to her strained nerves and
Overworked brain. She was drinking it in
in great draughtS-into her very soul
when there was sudden commOtlon in
the crowd above the falls, ard the people
surged back and forth and raised a great
shout.
There's man in the lOgsr" went up as
if by common instinct from every throat.
And so there was. And he was alive,
too, and struggling desperately for his life
He was hemmed in by mass of logs. and
it seemed miracle that he was not crushed.
Only his head and shoulders were visible.
except when he raised himself out of the
water as far as his waist. 4 hand rested
on log on each side of him. and he seemed
to be in a clear space of water about two or
three feet in circumference, the logs being
damned in such peculiar way that they
were held apart just at this point. If they
shifted ever SO little the gap would be
closed and the struggling man would be
| crushed into jelly. Several times he es-
saved to climb out of the water and up
on to the logs, but he was either too weak
to accomplish 1t or the swiftneSS of the cur
rent made it impossible. So he kept his
/ position and looked straight ahead of him.
He did not even turn his head when the
Threats of the thousands of people united in
one common shout. His head was bare.
and around his neck was large red hand
kerchief-Such as woOdsmen wear. He
! knew as we'll as anybody that no help
could reach him from shore, and he faced
his awful fate as calmly as any man could
who was only going to his dinner from his
place of business. He saw the falls ahead
| of HIM, and it flashed upon him instantly
ttnat here the lock in the logs. which pre-
must certainly be broken, and that
would be the end of it. But he
would not give up without struggle. He
was travelling very swiftly. The brink of
| the falls would soon be reached. He had
not moment to lose. but he retained his
presence of mind. Suddenly shifting his
| position, he threw himself around at the
rear end OF one of the logs, which was
| headed straight down the stream. About
| two feet from its end two large spikes had
| been driven in the log, about four inches
apart. Grasping one of these in each hand,
| he pulled himself partially out of the water,
by superhuman effort. and. getting out so
far that he could double over, he lay flat
down upon his stomach, his legs swinging
behind him in the water. and looked calmly
ahead as if calculating the exact spot where
| his queer lifeboat would shoot the rapids.
| The great crowd above the falls was in an
uproar, and the excitement was intense.
| Minnie and the detective, who stood below
| the falls. could not see the man in the
water, and iti,was impossible to go up
stream to get view because Of the density
| of the crowd But word was constantly
passing from mouth to mouth, and they
knew what was transpiring and just how
near the man was to the falls. And they
waited anXiously, their nerves strung to a
very high tension, and their breath coming
In convulsive gasps. It was an awful mo-
ment. Strong men shed tears in dire de-
1 spair, and women tainted and fell down
and were trampled upon by the swayine
| crowd. The brink was reached close to the
western shore. The end of the log to
| which the poor wretch clurg pOked its nose
over the edge of the descent. Another in
slant and it would shoot down the incline,
and the logs would tumble together and
pile up in great heaps at the bottom, crush
ing the life out of any living thing that got
within its clutches. The man was doomed
There was no escape for him. He closed
his eyes and clinched his teeth, while the
crowd groaned in unison until it sounded
like the rolling of thunder. Just then there
was breaking up of the lock of logs be-
hind the man and they rushed forward with
fearful velocity. twisting and turning with
awful force Then occurred one OF those