The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1889-07-10
A Deadly PIaything.

and the way il came to occur. Ny eN-
PLANTATION Of it was the truth, though,
aud am the only person who actually
knows that the explosion was not Of any
mysterious origin. It vas the result Of
one of the most curious incidents that
ever came to pass in tina. curious eoun-
try.
think it was ia 81 that Roberts. the
torpedo man, first demonstrated the
utility of his nitro-glycerine torpedoes
for shooting oil-wells aiterthey had been
drilled. Soon after they came into use
had put down well in one Of the Wild
est parts Of the region, and any enc who
was ever in that section Of the State at
that time has some idea Of what that
means. Nitro-glycerine, being a new
thing, people hadn't got use'l to handling
/ it vet. aud but few safeguards had been
thrown around the carrying and storing
Of the deadly stuff We al knew that il
was apt TO 20 or on very slight provoca-
ton sometimes, and it was going Off
every day, here and there about the re-
gion, and wiping folks or the face Of the
earth as completely As If they reyer had
been on it.
We struck the sand in my well along
toward the evening Of July 81 There
was a good showing for oil, and all it
wanted was a good shot Of nitro glycer-
iue. had ordered supply of the stuff
and it was to have been at the well that
day. but didn't come. The next day be-
ing the Fourth, and MY men having made
arrangements for celebrating somewhere
down along the creek, we concluded TO
suspend operations until the 5th. l had
no idea the nitro-glycerine would be de-
livered on the Fourth. remained at the
well that day, and to my surprise the
teamster came in with big can of the
explosive didn't care to have it round,
and wanted him to take it back and
co.ne with il the next day but he
wouldn't do It, and placed it on the der
rick floor
hAdAN NY tAAAAAA " -IAeANAtf AARhA
there as soon as could. The woods were
full of wild animals still, and scarcely a
day passed that bear and wild cats were
not seen prowling around l stepped in
to the derrick to get my coat, and while
was there heard noise in the brush,
and looking out saw two big bears slouch-
ing along right toward the derrick. I
wasn't used to bear, and without waiting
to think much about it, being pretty well
frightened, / sprang for the ladder and
climbed up into the derrick, and got on
beam twenty feet or so above the floor
to wait for the unwelcome visitors to go
on about their business. It seemed
though that they had made up their
minds that their business required them
to make an investigation Of the premises,
and they came right on and shambled in
on the derrick floor. They n0sed around
among the machinery, dangled the ropes
and clattered about generally. They
didn't appear to be in any hurry at all
and began toget uneasy.
"But if was uneasy over their fooling
around among the machinery what do
you suppose my feelings were when the
bright tin can containing the nitro-glyc-
crime caught the eyes Of the bears, and
they began to push and roll it about on
the floor? The perspiration rolled off
me in great beads, and I actually beiev-
ed that | could feel my hair turning
white | didn't know what minute the
bears would thump the can against some
thing hard enaugh TO explode it. What
the result of such a catastrophe would
have been it isn't necessary to hint at.
But all the while the bears were having
great fun with the can. By and by one
of the beasts lifted it in one of his paws
and rose upon his hind feet, holding the
can at arms length fully six feet from
the floor. All he had to DO was to drop
it, and all that my men would have
/ found when thev came back next day
wauld have been a big hole in the
ground As the bear stood there holding
that can of death his companion rose up
on his hind feet two or three yards away
and gazed at him in an expectant sort Of
way. | had often heard that bears
amused themselves in melon patches in
playing catch with one another by
chucking "A melon to and fro between
them. | made up my mind that the
two bears were about to have little di-
version Of that kind with that can Of
nitro-glycerine. shut my eyes and
waited for the climax that would surely
( follow 1t didn't come and looked
down again and found that the bears had
changed their minds about the game of
catch and were rolling the can about on
the floor again.
"By and by new idea seemed tostrike
the pair. A hundred yards or 80 from
the derrick there was a rocky ravine.
! One of the bears rolled the can Out ofthe
derrick, and both ofthem began to scram-
/ ble with it on the ground, competing
with one another in giving it impetus
over the rough surface in the direction Of
the ravine. At every shove the can was
/ liable to be sent flying against some one
Of the many big stones that lay thic's on
the grodnd, but by some good fortune it
missed them every time, and at last the
be lrs had jostled it along almost to the
ravine. | was 80 weak and trembling
from the fearful suspense had been sub
/ iected to that could hardly keep my
hold on the perch? I regarded the dan
ger rs practically over now, and was put
/ ting myself together to get down from
/ there and take 10 the woods, when | saw
one of the bears rear up on his launches
with the nitro-glycerine can in his jaws.
He stood close to big rock. lie raised
the can above his head. and I saw at
once that he made mp his mind to find
out what there was in that can, anyhow.
threw my arms and legs around the
beam and hung on for dear life. The
/ bear hurled the can against the rock.
There was a sound as Of 20 claps Of thun-
der rolled into one The earth shook,
and nv derrick swayed and ratified.
/ There was a shower Of rock and trees and
dirt for acres around. When that ceased
] everything WAS a. still a the tomb.