The morning call., 1890-09-22
A THRILLING SCENE.
A Desperate and Exciting Duel Ninety
Feet Above Ground.

A Desperate and Exciting Duel Ninety
Feet Above Ground.
Two men fighting in mid-air This was
the terrible scene enacted few days since
on massive iron tower being erected by
the water works company, says the Peoria
Qlls.) Herald. When completed this tower
will be 100 feet high. The tower had reached
the height of 80 feet, and two gangs of
riveters were at work with their heaters and
their holders-on. The latter work ON the
inside of the tower, while the men who
hammer the rivets to head work on the
frail scaffod on the outside. There it winds
around the tall, black, iron tower, frail
below and dwindling away in the upward
distance into nothlngness. Ninety feet
from the ground, and on this frail sclffold,
the other morning two riveterS were work.
ing and from some unaccountab!e cause be-
came involved in an alteration. One was
Mique, the other Dennice. MiQue made
mislick and struck Dennice on the hand;
maddened with the sudden pain. Dennice
became at once demon, and swung his
hammer full and fair at the head of Mique.
Had the iron head of the hammer crushed
in those locks a mangled and lifeleSs and
half-headleSS corpse would have toppled
down to the solid earth ninety feet below.
MiQue, however, threw up his hammer in
defensive way and parted the blow Again
the hammer of Dennice swung, and again it
was parted, but as its head caromed on the
steel head of Nique's defensive hammer 1t
shot oil on a tangent like a glancing arrow
that strikes tree, and Knocked away one OF
the supports of the scaifold. There was
slckening, cracking sound as the frall up
right was Knocked away from the braces,
and down went the ends Of two plankS COM
prISiDS one section of the scaffod. MIque,
who had been retreating from before the
fierce advances of Dennlce, was on firm
footing but DenniCe was compelled to make
a Uiapt cOripU In EjmSuIf In tho fer
rOr Of the moment he leaped almost to the
very shoulders of the attrighted Mique and
Knocked him down backward, falling on top
of him. The force of the conclusion was
such that both men rolled to the edge of the
scafOld. and over went Denntce.
Instinctively, and in the desperation of the
moment, he caught one heel i'll the upright
Immediately behind him and threw lis loft
arm around the neck Of Mque. There he
hung on the edge Of the scaffOld, suspended
by only one heel and wrist, while below him
nearly 100 feet below-was a row of iron
pipes and plates of steel. To fall was to be
dashed to pieces.
To fall on the pipes was to break arms
and legs aud back. To fall on the plates was
to be cut into huge and CHASTITY slices.
The mans hand trembled, and his hammer
dropped from his nerveess grasp. The hand
swung over and gfasped Mique around the
louS with an awful tcnacty. and there The
men struggled on the awful verge of the
Scafold, and at that dizzy height Dennice
had almost managed to swing his weight on
the seatfoid when Miqnes hickory shirt
ripped, and back the man went into space
this time losing the purchase of his heel ana
swinging clear over. SO that he held himself
only by one arm and hung suspended up
right in the air
Mique managed to thrust the toes OF his
lett foot between the two narrow planks
that constituted the scaffold, and thus ac-
quired leverage. Throwing over the other
shoulder, by strong and almost miraculous
movement, he swung the suspended body
of Dennc4 back to the platform aud dashed
his face against the tower. There he lay,
motionless and still, and when their COM
panons reached them they found that both
had faintel dead away. The awful duel had
lasted less than forty seconds, but there is
none on record that can compete with it.