Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-11-29

anu INTERNATIONALLY. Mduy VI the Souuly
roads We're impossible, the farmers
were cut off from their market. bust
| hess was at standstill. The people
Killed time with speculations on the
weather and discussing the reports
that had come in from the out dis
trlcts. Groups of idlers sat on the
counters and played eucher or Yam
kee Grab for drinks.
Belheim was a squatter's town. No
surveyor IN his sane sense would have
selected such site as that for a set
Element. 1t lay in the hollow of a val
ley, in the midst of vast sheen RIM
and it had grown up by accident. The
owner of the run, wealthy absentee
residing in London. refused to cut up
any more land for building sites. The
town therefore made no progress.
Situated between the confluence of
two rivers, Belheim was subject to Sc
we're periodical floods. Whenever an
/ unusually wet season occurred the dis
tant mountain torrents poured down
into the rivers, and the food. backing
up at their junction, overspread the ad-
jacent low lying country, forming one
= vast lake. An enormous dam had
been built across the head of the val
ley to protect the town.
Hang my luckr' growled the Kanga-
roo, 4 lanky shearer, throwing down
the dice box with a bang. "who the
devil has any chance against eight
Gems? Here, landlord, I'm stuck again
Give us another dose of your fine old
kerosene"
''Shouldn't wonder if we don't have
another flood like We had i'll 70" re-
marked Tommy. the Shingler, sagely
Just the same kind of weather all
over. My word that was a sneeZer!
Noah's flood wasn't a patch on it,
There was six foot O. water in this bar
Dye mind that time. Masher?"
my blooming oath-will l ever for
get it? Boss and the Misslls and three
kids was drowned up there at the
crossing-best boss l ever worke,. for.
"Here's humping luck, boys" said
the Kangaroo, tossing off a neat
whisky and wiping his mouth with the
back of his hand. lets have a Shil-
ling i'll and the winner shout next
time"
"Ain't no danger of another food"
broke in Yankee Joe, ''tha dams been
put up since then"
Don't you be too cock sure O. that"
said the Shingler. Listen! dyer hear
that? That's the roar O. the waters at
the junction. My word, it's a sight
worth seeing. The two big floods
grapple and fight each other there, and
one on 'em goes back for a rest, and
races about all over the country. and
then comes back again, bringing down
hundreds of big trees and drowned
cattle and sheep. Hello, what's this 2"
''It's Holmes" said the Kangaroo,
hes Cliffords boundary rider. Look
at his saddle. The waters been right
over the seat
The newcomer fastened the reins
carelessly to the ring in the post. and
sauntered into the bar. Water was
dripping from his clothes and forming
a puddle on the floor.
Hello, mates. Here give it a
name"
on the counter and began to fill his
pipe.
"Anything up?" asked "The Kanga
roo
eyes; the foods up over the girths.
and there's a big pile o logs and dead
sheep banked up behind the bridge.
My, word, when it goes you'll have to
look out for squalls down mere"
The news spread through the town
like wildfire, creating general conster-
nation. The few people who We're rich
enough to live in two-story buildings
began moving their furniture to the
upper floors. the stOrpkeopers piled
their goods on the counters and upper
shelves, and the host of the Bushman's
Rest got up a fresh supply of spirits
from the cellar. He knew that a big
flood meant "a big drunk
| Suddenly 1.-THE kangaroo" paused III
the act Of throwing and held the dice
box poised in his hand.
There was a noise of shouting in the
streets.
"Thercs leak in the damn" yelled a
man rushing past with 4 shovel on his
shoulder.
In another moment hundreds of men
were rushing up the valley towards
the spot where a yellow watery thread
was slowly oozing through the en-
bankment and winding down like a
monstrous serpent toward the town.
! They clustered about the weak spot
like swarm of ants, piling up timber
and earth against the breach, fighting
! the watery demon with desperate
energy. The leak grew smaller and
smaller, dying away into thin, trick
| ling thread, and soon it ceased alto
gether. The men sent UP a shout of
triumph and desisted from their labor.
| Marrow shave, wasn't it?" remarked
"The Shingler." "What's that?"
| Suddenly came a sullen boom, like
the muff1ed roar of distant guns, fol-
lowed by the sound of crushing timber
and the surging of torrents, swelling
into a mighty roar.
1.-THE bridge has gone!' was the cry
that went up. and the men rushed
away down the valley, where their
wives and little ones were.
All that day there had been a des-
perate trial of strength between the
bridge and the rising flood. The
strong timbers Of the structure had
groaned under the pressure of a great
mass of nondaroJ1s logs and traeS nm