The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-04-14

The Minneapolis Journal, of the End
inst. contained an interesting article in
reference to the floods now raging along
the Mississippi banks, in this city. We
quote the following extract:
From the steel arch bridge nearly 1000
people watched the struggles of a white
bulldog to save himself from drowning.
The animal. after an unequal struggle
lasting fully an hour, sank and was car
ried over the falls
The dog had gone out on a boom about
hundred feet north Of the bridge and
soon found out that he could not get back.
with the precision and. sure-footednesS Of
an experienced logger, he followed the
slippery logs for fifty feet, when a huge
log struck the boom and he was hurled
INTO the water. After desperate effort
he regained the boom and sat down to
rest. The spectators cheered him and he
answered with wag of his tail.
From one section of the boom 10 another
he picked his way but before he reached
the opposite side of Inc bridge he had been
knocked into the water twice. While he
was passing beneath the bridge the crowd
rushed for the other side and waited with
GREATNESS excitement. for his APP
pearance. AT last, when he showed I'd
another shout of encourag cement rent the
air. but this time the poor canine re-
Sponied with look of despair. He
was shiverng with cold and it could be
seen that he was growing weak. He fol-
lowed the boom, however, until he came
to "A break. Then he came to a stand
still. Looking at the spectators as though
he wanted advice and help. he was about
to give up, when a friendly piece of ice
fioated up to the BOOM This was his
destruction He stepped out upon it and
again wagsed his tail. 1t was exceed
ingly cold upon his feet and a cry of hor-
ror went up from the crowd, for the foe
was sinking. The exhausted animal still
determined to fight for life, leaped for
the nearest log. 1t was another boom
He dragged himself upon it and lay down
painting.
The dog apparently saw that he was in
a desperate strait. He arose stretched
himself out and then gave a vigorous
shake. when suddenly the boom shot into
the air and the poor brute was flung clear
into the current of the river. A log rae
ing down upon the boom had wrought the
disaster.
The dogs silent and heroic struggle Mad
won MN the unanimous sympathy of hun
dreds of spectators. With i'll supressed
horror they saw the brave brute strug-
sn1s lor life with the relentless river
ana when he reached the crest of the fan
ana was seized upon by The hungry white
foam. there was more than one startled
cry as some onlooker turned away.
This illustrates in curious fashion
not only the close sympathy there is
between man and his brethren of the
animal world, but also the fact that
their intelligences differ not so much in
kind as in degree. A man placed in the
same conditions as that unfortunate dog
could not have acted differently. The
wagging of his tail in response to the
cheers of the multitude showed how
we'll he understood their feelings and
how much he appreciated them. The
sympathy that was felt for the Door.
heroic creature when he went over the
falls to death, shows that man and AMI
NAL are all "cut from the same piece of
cloth and that blood kinship exists
between them for the carrying out of
the inscrutable designs of Providence.
All this teaches us the moral of char.
ity and brotherly love- not only for one
another, but for the poor creatures that
don't speak our language, ana who are
so dependent on our bounty.