Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-06-27
PLAYING WITH DEATH,
HOW DEVIL DICK HANDLED CANS
OF INTERCOLLEGIATE.

Deadly Expiosive-Ho Held IA Package
NJ the Stuff while Another Fellow
Threw stones at 1t on "a Wager
"There were good many reckless ant
dare devil chaps among those whose blisi
ness it was to haul aud handle nitrogiyc
erin in the early days of that explosive
agent in the oil regions" said Georg'
place. who was one OF the first TO work a
making and canning nitroglycerin for thu
wells, under the Roberts patent; "bu
there was teamster named Dick Warner
who would dare and risk more with th'
terrible stuff than any other person there
about He was known rs Devil Dick, t.nt
it was fit name for him, He had chun
named Dan Sutton, who was almost a'
reckless as Dick, and have seen him ant
Dick play catch many time with cans o
glycern they were unloading, the drop
ping of one Of which TO the ground woul'
have more than likely wiped out of exist
ence every person around the we'll
at got so that whenever Dick Warner
had a load of nitroglycerin to unload nj
the well everybody else, except Dan SUIT
ton. took to the woods and staid there
until the stuff was ont OF their custody
Once Devil Dick held n great can OF nitro
glycerin above his head and let drunken
driller named Patterson throw ten stones
at it from Il distance of thirty feet, on bel
OF twenty dollars that he couldn't hit the
can once out of the ten times. THIS was ut
Roau'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
have ended there and then with the burial
OF such bits Of Dick and the driller us
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 A LYNX.
'In those days the woods all through the
oil regions were full of wild animals, and
1t wasn't an uncommon sight to see bear
or II Canada lynx or a catamount prowliua
round the camps or isolated oil villages
The lynx was frequently very aggressive
and bold, and it wits greatly feared by the
drillers and others at the wells More
than once men had been attacked by
lynxes, and James Carker, IL pumper, was
SO badly hurt in fighting off one that had
jumped from tree upon him as he was
driving through piece of woods, that he
died of his injuries. One day Devil Dick
was on his way to well with a load OF
nitroglycerin torpedoes, and he picked
Dan Sutton up on the way. On Il stretch
of the road through what was known as
Conway's woods, Dan discovered Il 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,
and Dick said that it was watching for Il
chance to attack them, but declared that
if it followed them as far rs Ciary's open
ing he would get rid of the dangerous
beast.
"Clary's opening was a gap in the woods
and a ravine twenty feet wide and as many
deep. The lynx did follow the men az far
as the opening. and Dick stopped his
wagon
TICKLISn SUSPENSE.
"The lynx crouched Il few feet away from
the edge of the nearest wall of the ravine,
and before Sutton surmsed how Dick in,
tended to get hid of the animal Dick grabbed
up can of nitroglyccrin and hurled it
with all his strength ut 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 lynx lay to the edge of the ravine wall.
Sutton, withall his recklessness in hand
ing nltroglycerin, stood aghast at this
deliberate risking of their lives by Dick,
for he knew that the instant the can rolled
into the ravine and struck the rocks below
the terrible explosion that had been SO
luckily averted by 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 nitroglyceriu
had rolled to the edge and struck against
the main stem of the bush. The can had
struck it trife out of the center, and the
heavier end of the torpedo moved on an
inch or two mill II avtan,i1 = nj
the edre A & ''''ie oVe'
Eu1rn IN r,,,,o
Sutton stood helov VIII i1AD ,,o,a,
hands to catch the cnn If if fail tnt e', 49,
it. hnny ogain., t rha Jn ,h ~ eil' put there
lookr;! AS if breath Of yind poni.'on snaI
1t over into the ravine "00'' '0pp'e
"All this had orrmnied h,,. e.-
onds. As soon as the torna%o 'I I",, Heo,
against the bush Sntton ran haap ,ou. .t
road, shouting to Dick n Jrivo on' W L Ine