The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-25
DYNAMITED A BEAR.
How a Pair of PrOsDeetOrs Escaped
the Clutches of Bruin.


From the st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Duluth. Mlnn.-The use Of dynamite was
the means by which Billy Higgins and
Charley Metcalfe recently escaped the
clutches of a big black bear, in the Rainy
Lake gold fields north of here.
Higgins and Metcalfe are prospectors
i'm the Lake of the Woods district. They
went out prospecting a few weeks ago,
and for a couple of days had camped and
prospected about eighty miles from Rat
Portage. Their camp was pitched at the
foot Of a high hill, near a swamp. De-
Gliding to move on a few miles, they ave
a hasty breakfast of Cannock and Dacon'
and then proceeded to break camp. AS
they were bending over the packs, crash
was heard In the tangled swamp. Hig-
gins looked over his shoulder, and his hair
fairly stood on end, as he beheld big
black bear proceeding steadily towardd
him.
Here comes a bear, CharleyW he ex-
claimed in excited tones.
Metcalfe, who was Juggling at the straps
on his pack-sack, thought his partner
was attempting to spring some joke, made
"a Laughing reply and kept at his work,
without looking around.
Higgins jumped to his feet, waved his
arms and shouted loudly at the bear. Met
cdl1e then looked dIOutluy anu WHth nc
saw that a bear really was coming, he
was too scared to either move or yell.
Higgins kept shouting and waving his
arms at the big black brute. The ugly
looking customer came right ahead, until
he was within a couple of rods of the
prospectors, and then stood upon his hind
legs and cody viewed the situation
Metcalfe recovered enough from his
fright to grab some tin buckets and rat
tie them noisily together. The bear sim
ply b.inked his eyes and licked his chops
with his red tongue.
Billy get out the dynamite. He's right
on u.s." cried Metcaife, in terror. we've
got to do something"
Higgins reached into the pack-sack and
brought out a stick of dynamite, which
the prospectors use in testing collaborating
quartz veins, when they are so lucky as
to discover one The explosive was froz-
en- and he quickly cut 1t into four pieces
and proceeded to thaw out a piece by the
embers of the camp fire.
Hurry up! Hurry up" calculated Met
calfe, as he nervously stepped from one
foot to the other and ratified the tinware
to hold the bears attention.
The unwelcome visitor whined a little,
b.inked his small eyes licked his mouth
with that red tongue and shuftied around
on his hind feet. Higgins was nervousiy
attempting TO thaw out the dynamite. He
then got out Illuminating cap, inserted IL
in the dynamite, attached a fuse. touch
ed an ember to it and threw the explosive
rige under the bear.
The animal saw the smoking fuse and
shifted the odor. His eyes glittered omi-
nously and he never budged a step
The fuse burned down and flashed out
without setting off the dynamite cap. II
either had not been properly inserted or
else the cap was a poor one The bear
then suddenly turned tail and ran off sew
eral rods. Almost as quickly he turned
around came back and took up his orig
inal position.
Higgins FASTENED TO attach a cap and
fuse TO a second piece of dynamite, while
Metcalfe kept saying, ''We'l stand to-
gether, Billy! Wen stand together,
Billyp q
Bruln stood there like black statue.
Metcalfe gained better control of himself
and looked the unwelcome visitor in the
eye. Thus they stood until the prospector
looked over his shoulder to see what pro-