St. Tammany farmer., 1891-01-31

on ies front WAS nailed . sign that
read: danger! Keep away from this
buildinR!" This sign fascinated me 20
that could hardly avert my gaze from
It even though I plucked . wild rose
from bush that leaned conndingly
against tho magazine and pretended to
DO carelessly admiring it, beauty.
How much & in there?" asked.
'Oh. fifteen hundred quarts or 90;
enough. any way, to blow Oil City out
OF sight" answered my companion, Is
he unlocked the door and stepped in
side.
Rejecting that the danger could be
NO greater in the building than ten feet
from it followed him. Tho interior
was packed full Of square two-gallOn
tin cans. each Of which had handle on
top and two cork-plugRed vcnt-holes
They looked as though they might con-
tain maple sirup or something equally
harmless, utknowing what they really
did hold started the perspiration ON my
forehead - gazed at them.
Taking two at . time the torpedo
man set four Of the cans on the ground
outside the magazine. and relOcked the
door. Then drawing . sharp steel in
strument that looked like an ice-pick
from his bootleg, he dug out one Of the
tightly-driven corks from each can, and
examined its contents to satisfy himself
that 1t vas full They were. Then the
corks were replaced, anG As handed
them one at . time up 20 him. he gently
set the packages into the padded com
partments provided for them, and in
another minute We were driving away
from the lonely magazine over the
stumps. rocks and bog holes of the hor-
rible trail, with one hundred and twenty
pounds Of nitro-glycerine. liable to ex-
plode with the slightest conclusion,
snugly slowed beneath our seat
The ride over that rough forest trail
was altogether too exciting to be enjoy
able. 1t was like being confined In the
crater OF . volcano known to be ON the
eve of an eruption, and the main road.
when reached, seemed haven Of safety.
The remaining mile Of our drive was
made without incident, though We
drove ut what appeared to be . reck-
less pace. the torpedo-man saying that
We were little late.
At last We turned in through pair OF
bars. and. crossing . field. came to .
new derrick that marked the we'll
We were to shoot The horses were
securely hitched to tree. and the con-
tents of the buggy were carried to the
we'll. where the reel was made fast to
stout post From there its cord, which
terminated in an iron hook, was carried
through block hung directly above tho
pipe that extended . thousand feet down
into the earth. A number Of drillers and
other men interested in the we'll. who
had been lounging about the derrick,
left in . body as the torpedo-man
entered it carrying two cans Of nitro
glycerine, and l followed him with two
more. They walked of to respectful
distance, and there sat down TO await
developments.
Then we-for l now found myself in
stalled as chief assistant-proceeded to
business First the small tin tubes
were jointed together until they formed
a pipe sixty feet long, and were thrust
into tho we'll. where held them in po-
sitiOn. This Was tho anchor, and its
duty was to support the large tubes or
''shells," At the proper distance above
the bottom of the deep hole. Next one
of the larger-ten feet long-tubes, that
had > funnel-like end. was fitted into
the upper anchor tube, and was in
structcd to let the whole slip down un-
til only a foot Of the she'll projected
above the surface. Then tho torpedo
man withdrew the corks from the
glycerinc cans, and slowly but steadily
poured tho contents of two Of them into
the shell. 1t seemed as though the
ten-fcot drop must afford cOncussion
sufficient to produce An explosion, and
am certain that as the frst drops of
the oiiy-iooking stuff fell to the bottom
of the she'll my heart ceased its beat
ing. The cool steadiness of the tor
pedo-man. and his evident knowledge
of what he was about reassured me,
however SO that I nos only held the
first shell while it was being filled. but
the second. to which the first was at
tached by hooks of copper wire.
When both shells wcro filed and
hooked on to the stout cord that dan
Rled above the we'll, . percussion-cap
was placed under the iring-pan. . small
iron plate loosely fixed in the upper
end Of the torpe 10, and the whole was
let cautiously down . thousand feet
into the bosom Of the earth. ! was told
that the last three hundred feet Of its
passage were through body Of oil and
water, that would act rs tamping for
the shot
When the torpedo rested on the bot
tom Of the we'll, slight jerk disengaged
the line by which it had been lowered.
and this was reeled In. Then the tor
pedo-man said. interrogatively:
Il suppose you would like to drop the
go-devil""
Certainly" answered l felt that
l had gone too far to recede from any
part Of tho undertaking now. and 50
to drop the goodwill"
1t Was q four-nanxed bit of cast-iron,
about . foot long and pointed at the
lower end. 1t weighed some ten pounds,
ard WAS just large enough to slip read
lily down the we'll pipe.
The torpedo-man went to unfasten
the horses. and get them started away
before the explosion should take place.
leaving mo alone in the derrick, hold |
ing the bit Of iron that was to unlo0sen
tho awful force lying 20 quietly at .he
bottom of the well. In another min |
ute he shouted: LET her gor I
dropped the 'Eo-devil." and - 1t
whixzed downward on its errand Of de- |