News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1897-05-26
He AVOIDS EXPLOSIVES.
Drifter's Experiences Have Led Him to
Steer Clear of Them.

Steer Clear of Them.
GAS you say, am extremely cautious
about handling high explosives" admit
ted Drifter, land for man who has mixed
in the MINING business | confess 1 am
unique. Why, actually avoid fireworks
displays, except at safe distance, and
when the big down town stores blossom
out with Fourth of July decorations pass
by on the other side.
81 wasn't so easily scared when you first
knew me- That's true. May be l can ex
plain how the scare developed in me. One
day while tramping along over a dusty
road in Connecticut-thereb being no stage
line to my destination-I was overtaken by
jolly young chap who was driving such
wagon as cigar and candy peddlers in New
England affect. He gave me a lift, and
put the whip TO his horses. He went at
hot pace and pulled away at cigar from
my case l enjoyed my smoke, too-that
is, until we reached the village. Then
the driver tossed his stump in the road and
said:
Young fellow, fire that cheroot.
You're riding on powder wagon, and the
boss would bounce me if he caught us
smoking. I'm used to taking chances
wasn't born to be blown up.
"The very next day an explosion shook
the country. A powder plant went up in
the twinkling of an eye, and that careless
driver-well, he was too widely scattered
to need a funeral
81 was rattle Drained when made my
first trip to the mining region now famous
as the Lake of the Woods mineral belt
We had to pack all the supplies to our
camp, and when we came to portage l
took my share of the work. picked up a
box weighing about 80 pounds and toted
it half a mile. l wanted to fill my pipe,
so l carelessly tumbled that box-cOntain-
ing canned goods for all knew-down on
the ground. Jack Brown, the foreman of
the outfit, lounged back to the trail and
said quietly:
Drifter, don't be SO kittenish with
that box It's full of dynamite. Lucky
for you and the lot of us that filled it at
the winter cache near Rat portage, and it's
frozen.
81 didn't talk above whisper during
the rest of the trip. The next summer l
went to the mine and did my turn on one
of the drifts. One day proposed a fishing
| trip. Mike, the day engineer, laid off and
didn't show up to suit Mike. So, padding
to rock entirely bare of vegetation, he
stretched himself and said
"'Now, Mr. Drifter, I'll show you how
| to catch fish, He had dynamite car
| fridge in a bottle He inserted fuse,
packed the dangerous stuff tightly in the
neck of the bottle and said, IN touch this
off, toss it in the Lakeland heaven help the
fishes. 1 argued against such unsports-
manlike slaughter, and Mike got ratified.
| We were standing on a naked rock. Mike
foot slipped, that Internal bottle dropped
from his hand, and We
"No, we were not blown to kingdom
come, for Mike just grabbed the bottle an
inch or so from the rock. He threw it out
| in the lake. There was a CONFUSION, a
vast jet of water shot up in the air and
hundreds of f1uttering dead and dying fish
! lay on the surface. l couldn t have touched
one to save me from hanging, and though
Mike simply said, That was close enough,
he suggested returning to the camp, and
he was the quietest man in the outfit fol
| the next month.
"From that day to this l have been just
trifle discreet, as you might say. l don't
nose around powder mills or try to inves
tigate chemical works. and when 1 &C
back to mining the miner who tries tc
thaw out dynamite cartridge by the fire
in our shack will get out of the camp be-
fore he's minute older if 1 catch him. ~
New York Sun.