Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-09-09


There were good many reckless and
dare devil chaps among those whose bust
ness it was to haul and handle nitroglyc-
erin in the early days of that explosive
agent in the oil regions" said George
Place, who was one of the first to work at
making and canning nitroglycerin for the
wells, under the Roberts patent; "but
there was a teamster named Ack Warner
who would dare and risk moe with the
terrible stuff than any other person there
about He was known as Devil Dick, and
it was fit name for him. He had chum
named Dan Sutton, who was almost as
reckless as Dick, and have seen him and
Dick play catch many time with cans of
glycerin they were unloading, the drop
ping of one of which to the ground would
have more than likely wiped out of exist
ence every person around the well.
1T got so that whenever Dick Warner
had load of nitroglycerin to unload at
the we'll everybody else, except Dan SUIT
ton, took to the woods and staid there
until the stuff was out of their custody.
Once Devil Dick held great can of nitro
glycerin above his head and let drunken
driller named Patterson throw ten stones
at it from distance of thirty feet, on bet
of twenty dollars that he couldn't hit the
can once out of the ten times This was at
Roan's camp, and the whole camp watched
the insane proceeding from safe distances
on the hill. One of the stones hit Dick on
the arm, not two inches below the can, and
knocked it out of his hand. He caught
the can, though, before it reached the
ground or the throwing match would
lave ended there and then with the burial
Of such bits of Dick and the driller as
could be found, and they would have been
exceedingly few and small. The driller
came close to the can several times during
the trial, but failed to hit it, and Dick won
his bet.
BoMBARDING LYNX.
"ln those days the woods all through the
oil regions were full of wild animals, and
il wasn't an uncommon sight TO see bear
o. Canada lynx or a catamount prowling
round the camps or isolated oil villages.
The lynx was frequently very aggressive
and bold, and it was greatly feared by the
drillers and others at the wells. More
than once men had been attacked by
lynxes, and James Carker, a pumper, was
SO badly hurt in fighting off one that had
jumped from tree upon him as he was
driving through a piece of woods, that he
died of his injuries. One day Devil Dick
was on his way to well with a load of
niCroglycerin torpedoes, and he picked
Dan Sutton up on the way. On stretch
of the road through what was known as
Conway's woods, Dan discovered a big
Canada lynx stealing along through the
branches of the trees at one side of the
road, and keeping even with the wagon
He called Dicks attention TO the animal,
AMI Dick said that it was watching for a
chance to attack them, but declared that
if il followed them as far rs Ciary's open
ing he would get rid of the dangerous
beast.
"CIary's opening was gap in the woods
and ravine twenty feet wide and as many
deep. The lynx did follow the men as far
as the opening, and Dick stopped his
wagon.
TICKLIsH SUSPENSE.
The lynx crouched few feet away from
the edge of the nearest wall of the ravine,
and before Sutton surmised how Dick in
tended to get rid of the animal Dick grabbed
up can of nitroglycerin and hurled it
with all his strength at the lynx, which
was not over twenty feet away. The can
struck the soft body of the lynx square in
one side and knocked the animal over on
its back. The flesh and fur of the lynx
did not offer resistance to the can sufficient
to cause conclusion enough TO explode it,
but the can rolled on the ground and slowly
down gradual decline that led from where
the ynx lay to the edge of the ravine wall.
sutton, with all his recklessness in hand
ling nitroglycerin, stood aghast at this
deliberate risking of their lives by Dick,
for lie knew that the instant the can rolled
into the ravine and struck the rocks below
the terrible explosion that had been so
luckily averted 10y Dicks good aim at the
lynx would follow. Quicker than flash
he jumped from the wagon, tore like mad
up the ravine, and stood beneath the spot
where the torpedo would tumble into the
gully when it reached the edge.
"A scraggy bush of some kind grew out
of the top of the wall, and just as Sutton
reached the spot the can of nitroglycerin
had rolled to the edge and struck against
the main stem of the bush. The can had
struck it trit1e out of the center, and the
heavier end of the torpedo moved on an
inch OF two, until it extended little over
the edge.
KILLED on A RAILROAD
Sutton stood below with upreached
hands to catch the can if it fell but there
it hung against the bush, in position that
looked as if breath of wind would topple
1t over into the ravine.
"All this had occupied but few sec
onds. As soon as the torpedo lodged
against the bush Sutton ran back to the
TOdu, SHOUTING 10 LICK 10 ur1Ne on 50 lney
could get to Il safe distance before the fall
ing of the can and its certain explosion on
the rocks below. But when he got to the
Wagon he saw Dick with another torpedo
raised ready to hurl it after the first one.
He lowered it, though, and looked around
at Sutton as if he was disappointed.
1.-The Internal wildcats give me the
slip, Dan, and took to the woods said he.
Lordl but I'd like to bust one O these
shells on himp
THAT was probably the first and last
time wild animal was ever hunted with
fouT-quart nitroglycerin torpedoes, and
that was the last trip Devil Dick ever drove
for the company he was working for. He
wasn't discharged because he so reckless!y
endangered life and property by throwing
cans OF nitroglycerin at a lynx, but be-
cause be drove on from the ravine without
getting back the first can he threw, and
the company would not stand such waste
of their property.