The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-21
CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XIV.
SartweI, as he had written to his
daughter and telegraphed to Barney
Hope, found himself very busy, now the
men had come back. Although he dis
missed none who had taken part in the
strike, he rearranged with dogged
ruthlessness the whole service OIL the
works. Few men got their old jobs
back again. or their old wages. There
were promotions and retrogradatloIs'
although no one was discharged AT
first 1t seemed to the men that TINS was
a mere brutal display of power, pre-
sided over bV wanton caprice, Out as
time went on they began to see 1he
glimmering of a method in the WeaV-
ing of the web. Those VINO were oe-
graded to the meanest and most poorly
paid work the firm had to otIer were
the men who had been most hot-headed
in bringing on the strike and the most
persistent in opposing its concluslOll-
The soberer heads among the men VINO
had been thrust into the background
during the agitation. were in every IN
stance given promotion and higher pay
and as these changes took place one
after another-for Sartwell was noe
the man to disorganize the works py
any SWeeDingly radical changes-lhe
general conclusion was that the man
that those whom the- had valued
lightly were the workmen whom ne
priced. Yet it could not be denied, even
by those who lost in the game OF re-
organization, that the more conserV-
alive men thus advanced were among
the most capable workmen IN the rae
Tory They were the men who had
most to lose by the strike and had
naturally been most reluctant to enter
into a contest the end OF when no
one could foresee. BY and by II began
e be suspected that the manager must
have in his possession complete and
accurate record Of every action and
speech during the strike, SO entirely
did his shifting about OF the paWns,
which he played with such cool and
silent relentlessness, coincide with the
doings of each piece during the trouble
they thought was past and hoped had
been forgotten. In some instances 1t
seemed as if Sartwell had deliberately
marked the contrast by bringing for
ward the degraded and the elevated
into purDoseful juXtaposition, so that
his design in showing that he held
the future of each man in his hand
could not be misunderstood by even the
most stupid OF his employees. 1t was
grim object lesson, apparently intended
to convex Sartwelrs determination to
stick by the men who, even remotely,
had SvmDathized with him in the late
struggle; for not word was spoken,
and when man protested humbly
against debasement, the manager made
no reply, and the workman knew he
had either to submit or to apply for
his wages at the office.
In nc instance was the evidence of
SartwellS silent wrath more manifest
than the cases OF Braunt and Scim-
minis. The two men had been equal
in position when the strike began, al
money than Braunt. Now Braunt was
made superintendent of the upper
floor, where most of the employees
were women and boys, while Scimmins
was given the work which one of the
boys who did not return a the end
of the strike had done. Scimmins had
the double humiliation of being under
the none too gentle orders of the big
Yori1shirenan whom he had houted
during the strike, and also of having
t. accept little more than boys wages.
He cursed Sartwen loud and often; but
the manager was a man who paid little
heed to the curses of others. and Scim-
minis was not in a position to refuse the
small pay he. received.
Sartwell had a. last arranged the in
terror economy of the factory to his
liking, and was just promising himself
4 few days free from worry down at
Eastbourne. when a most unlocked
Z
Shortly before the dinner hour he was
coming down the stairs from the upper
floor, when a Shrek. which seemed to
be the combined voices of those he had
left a moment before, paralyZed him
where he stood. The first thought that
flashed through his mind was that
Braunt had gone suddenly mad, and,
perhaps, killed some one; for the man
ager had noticed. since Braunt's pro-
motion, that he sometimes spoke wild
ly, while now and again there was a
dangerous maniacal CLEAN in his eyes
which betokened latent insanity. Be
fore he could turn around two dis
hevelled. screaming women passed
him.
Whats wrong?" he shouted after
them.
Fire. they shrieked back at him as
they fled.
AS SartweIl bounded up the stairs he
met no more coming down. He heard
outside in the yard a mans deep voice
hoarsely shouting Fire. FIRE." The
managers heart sank as he thought of
the numbers on the upper floor, the
narrow stairway, and the single exit.
The other floors were reasonably safe,
with broad stairways and wide doors;
but the upper floor which formerly
had but few occupants. had long been
a source of anxiety TO him, fearing, as
he did, just such a catastrophe as now
SeGDQeu imminent. ne TellGOXinE OF
this had often been agreed upon by
both the owners and himself and was
among the good intentions which were
at various times postponed to a more
convenient season-and now the cry of
fire." was ringing in his ears, and
the narrow stair was the only means
Of escape.
He found the open doorway blocked
by a mass of bowling human beings,
each wild TO escape and each making
escape impossible They were wedged
and immovable, many too tightly COM
pressed to struggle, while others
further back thrashed wildly about
with their arms, trying to fight their
way to safety.
The dangerous aromatic smell of
burning pine filled the air, and smoke
poured up through the lift shaft and
rolled in ever increasing density along
the ceiling There was no flame as yet
but If the jam could not be broken il
would not need the fire itself to
smother the life out of those in the
hopeless contest.
Stand back theIS," cried SartwelI
There is no danger if you keen cool.
All of you go back to your places.
I'll go in with you and be the last TO
leave. so there's nothing to fear"
a red tongue of flame flashed for
the twinkling of an eye amid the black
smoke diSa ppearing almost as soon