The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-09-09
VERY NEAR ETERNITY.
How Nerve and Lucky Throw Saved the
Lieutenants Life.


How Nerve and Lucky Throw Saved the
Lieutenant's Life.
About 10 O'Clock in the forenoon we
arrived at the canyon we had been sent
out from Fort Ellis to bridge. There
were twelve of US under the command of
lieutenant, and while a part of the men
prepared camp the remainder set about
looking for suitable timber. AT this
point the walls OF the canyon are as plumb
up and down as though laid by the hand
of man and the height of them was
exactly 12S feet. After about fifty feet
down the darkness shut out further
vision, but we knew that stream of
water ran at the bottom. While the rift
was two miles long it was a marrow one.
From bank to bank where we stood the
distance was thirty-two feet. There were
q dozen big boulders on our side and as
the soldiers pulled off their coats to go to
work they put their shoulders to the
stones and sent them rolling and crashing
down into the darkness. 1t was enough
to make one shiver to hear them strike
the rocks down there and fly into frag-
ments.
The best trees for our purpose were on
the other bank. We cut down a straight
and slender pine and managed to launch
it across as a bridge for two or three ak
men to pass over. It seemed as though a
cool headed man could walk over without
the slightest trouble, but one after an
other the soldiers made a start and lost
their nerve. The pine bent under a
man S weight, and the thought of the
awful fail was enough to make us weak
in the knees. The officer encouraged US,
but to no purpose. Not a man dared to
stand upright, and the two or three of US
who sat astride and started TO s'hitch''
ourselves over did not get eight feet from
the bank before we were all a-tremble
and had no courage left. With a bitter
ding at our nerve the lieutenant ordered
us aside and star ted to make the passage.
With nothing to balance him, and walk
ing as erect as If on parade, he stepped
out. He had gained the middle of the
chasm when the log gave an oninous
crack. There was weak spot in it some
where. and he was heavy man. The sound
made MS cry out, and the sound and our
cries combined unnerved the officer. He
threw up his hands and uttered shrek,
and / thought he was gone, but he saved
himself by falling astride the log. His
face Yves toward us, and for few minutes
Il was the face of dead MN. The log
had bent down IN the center, and right
under him we could see the fresh splInters
OF break. Not man of us moved or
spoke for three or four minutes. The
lieutenant was the first 60 recover his
nerve. The color came back to his face,
his eyes lost their look of horror, and his
voice was fairly firm as he said:
tsDon't get excited, men. It's a bad
situation, pnt think you can help me out
of it. Corporal Watterson, you take that
inch rope. make moose in one end and
try to throw il over my head. II the log
breaks the moose viii bring me up"
1t was new rope about sixty feet long.
By the time the moose was ready ali of US
wera getting over our scare It was a
throw OF only sixteen feet, but the trouble
was the position of the officer. He sat
bent over, with his hands resting on the
log before him and dared not straighteu
M. The moose struck his shoulders and
fell of. After a dozen failures he quietly
said:
Don't try any more. Cut down
small tree and shove the end out to me. -
There wasn't one suitable for the pur-
pose within forty rods Of US and then we
had 70 trim ii up and carry it TO the spot.
We dared not touch the log he was on !,
but rested the tree on the bank near by
and slowed the end around to him. The
log was slowly giving way under his
weight and every half minute there was q
swapping and 6plintering. ANY sudden
move on his part would precipitate the
dreaded calamity. To grasp our pole he
must lift his arms, which were out
stretched and bearing up portion OF his
weight.
'sIt's going to be a close call, - ne said
as he looked into our faces. sand the
chances are against me. Much will depend
on you. I shall grab the pole suddenly,
and il will be q heavy weight for you to
swing around. Keep cool and do your
best / shall count three aloud ard then
make grab for the pole.''
The pole or tree was about twenty five
feet long and not near as thick as tele-
graph pole. When we had put out six
teen feet Of it we had only nine feet rest
ing on the bank, and that did not give
much leverage. AS many as could do so
sat down on the butt of the pole, and the
corporal stood ready with the nosed rope.
lone, TWO, thTeei'' counted the lieu
tenant and then made his grab for for the
pole. There was g crash, and the log fell
into the canyon, and at the same instant
he caught the pole and hung at full
length. We cheered and cheered, but
while yet cheering white splinter sud
denly showed itself ten feet from our
lands, and the pole began to bend. The
officer could not see, bat he heard the
Swapping and knew what had taken