Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-03-20
OLD CupoLA: THE FIFTH ANGEL
isY EDsl,EST CRlSSEY.

And tie fifth angel sounded, aud saw a star
3tu from heaven ,,nto the earth. and to him was
givan ile key 10 the bolt omless pit.
aza he opened the botromless pit; ana there
smoke ont OF tho pit, as the smoke OF Il
ssssas fMrnace.-LEevelation.l
never see heading in newspaper
c,wcesning prize fight, OF wrestling
match. or look upon the cupola OF q
blast furnace without experiencing the
nssst intense nervous excitement.
Aud I will tell you why. The early
yssars OF my manhood we're spent i'll
Pittsburgh, as moulder il one OF her
oldest stove fouEdries.
and happy days they full of
hard work and honest pride in my
wang wife, my strong arm and my
k&als in throwing pattern.
Bnt that's neither here or there.
What you wish to know is the story
ii the struggle which well-nigh ended
in my being thrown alive into the blast
I was on the night force then and was
1sst approaching the foundry enc even
iDg in early fall, as "Old Cupola," as
we called the tall, red-headed Scotch
lan who tended the blast cupola, was
Starting up the incline plane, that i'll
these days led to the cupola room, with
his wheel-barrow loaded with pig
lrDn,
Close behind him was stretch of
new wall, that the masons had just put
Up, and left without tying" just
Shen strong breeze came up, and [
Msw that the wall was beginning to top
pie.
yelled to the man to get out Of the
way, but he did not hear me, On ac-
sonnt of the wind, and the next breeze
tnmbled the upper part of the wall pell-
saell upon him, as l supposed. But Oh
reaching the spot, 1 found that, as he
Sad been close to the wall, most Of the
Micks had been blown over him.
His head seemed badly crushed, and
rs soon as could give the alarm, cut
ihe tie-strap of horse that was hitched
20 front of saloon opposite the foun-
dry, and in five minutes returned with
u doctor.
They had carried "Old Cupola" into
railroad boarding house near by.
The doctor directed me to sponge the
blood from Cupola's head.
suppose the water revived him; at
senst he "came to, and was the first
man he act eyes en-.
Whether or not that had anything to
do with the nub of my story, I don't
know. You must be the Judge of that.
When the doctor had finished patch.
ing" him up, he said that the only seri-
Gus wound was across the top of the
man's head, where the edge of brick
had left long dent OF crease; but that
the brain did not seem to be in the least
affected, aud unless something like
brain fever set in, he couldn't see why
Crpola' wouldn't pick right up again.
And he did.
used to drop in and see him oc-
easlcnally and take some little dish or
aainty that Martha, my wife, would
fix up.
Ills head seemed as clear as bell,
md he mended sight faster than even
the doctor had any notion of, on the
start.
He was always very thankful for all
the little things that my wife sent, and
more than that, he seemed to take a
great liking to me. He was very re-
Aigions and read his Bible almost con-
stantly.
In six weeks from the time of his
hurt he was out again, and in two weeks
more, began work at his old job.
Meantime I had been promoted to
the position of foreman of the casting
room.
This job always took me up into the
spnT n ,,%o 1>oc
TO draw off, to see that the blast was all
night.
~Old Cupola" had been back at his
work long time-several months-do.
ing it just as quietly and faithfully as
s,er, when, one day, came up to the
uupola-room, to take last peep at the
blast.
He had wheeled his last barrow Of
pigs" up before the furnace door.
threw open the door and looked into
tAe blast. It needed few more "pigss
Ut iron, before it would be ready to
draw of.
As ! turned around from the furnace
howard "Old Cupola," it struck me that
Ills eyes had q queer look. But my
next thought was that it was only the
sttecs OF the white light from the open
door Of the blast, shining squarely into
Ais face.
Throw few more pigs in" said T,
and then you may knock off"
He started to reach down to his wheel
barrow, to pick up "pig," but sud.
denly drew up and clapped his hands to
his head.
BY this time I had stepped to the op.
posite side of the barrow, and just had
it on my tongues end to ask him what
was the matter. But I never got the
words out-for the next second he gave
such o yell as I never expect to hear
again. Then he held up both hands,
Axe preacher saying the benediction,
and shouted: "Then the fifth angel
sounded" Here he seemed to for
get something, and fourished his right