Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-12-04
At HOME WITH oYN-aITG.
A Blasting Superintendent Throws a Ba.
Full Of Il Fifteen Feet.

A Blasting Superintendent Taruus a ia:
Full Of 1t Fifteen Feet.
When men were engaged IN blast.
ing away the mass of wreckage al
the stone bridge in Johnstown. Pa.
after the destructive food there last
spring. people who had the time To
watch the work had an opportunity
to see how much confidence a man
can have in dynamite. Those who
took nc part in the work had a whole
some respect for the explosive and
were content 10 watch the blasting
operation from a safe distance. la
deed, the workmen themselves lost no
time in SQUIRTING away and seeking
places Of shelter when a blast was To
be set off. But there was one man
who never hurried, who never seemed
TO be alarmed, and who never took the
trouble 20 get far from the blast.
He was the superintendent of the
blasting force and was an odd little
old man. with gray hair, bent shout
ders and a hobbling gait. He himself
always took the charge, fastened il TO
the end Of a long pole, and sank il at
the point where he wished the blIst TO
be discharged. He would pull il up
again, examine it carefully and then
replace it with an airof great fondness
for his work. This done he connected
the wires running to the battery, and,
after a final glance all around to see
that everything was right, hobbled
away. As he raised his hand as a sig
nal to the man at the battery, the last
n OF his assistants colld be seen
disappearing in a mad scramble TO get
10 secure territory. But hardly did
the great Of shattered logs, twists
ed iron and muddy water come rush.
ing down from the height TO which il
vas hurled by the terrific force OF the
dynamite, when the little man hob.
bled back again to see the result of the
blast.
Long after the operation Of blasting
had become common and monotonous,
people stopped TO watch the superin
tendent's deliberation, calmness and
apparent indifference 10 danger. One
OF his assistants found time one noon
TO tell a group Of interested spectators
a story illustrating the gray haired
mans faith in his dangerous and de-
structive weapon.
''The old man and l." said he,
"were working down a mountain one
day, trying to get to q point where wo
e TO do some blasting for a road.
He was carrying the charge of dyna-
mite, while the battery was strapped
10 my back. II was hard work to get
along. The descent was steep and
very rugged. My business is with
electricity, not dynamite, and / felt
nervous enough for fear the old man
would drop that bag and blow us TO
pieces. You can know how | felt
when tell you that l kept as faraway
from him as possible, although | knew
perfectly well that, if that dynamite
did go otY, might just as well be ten
feet as 100 feet away from him. for all
the good it would do me.
''Thc further we wentthc harder VIC
worked. and the old man got more
disguised az every foot we gained.
After struggling and slipping along
for about on hour we came 10 "a steep
drop NJ about Fifteen feet and that
stopped u8 fora while. Bot wo finally
found a plaro down which we thought
We could eide. lio was jo go first,
aud ] YVES 20 let down mv battery 10
him by the straps Bat ho Ruid he
could r.t bis bag down easier than
that. rul lar1fv had liUu tl we'll h0
had dropped it. directly 90 our feet hc.
low. II eyer my heart stopped beat
ing II WIS when ] saw him throw that
wicked black bug ICould not catch
my breath. aud / stood there, my