The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-27
AN EARTHQUAKE IN CAN
rrryTs THAT LEFT ARCADE IN BAD
NAP FOR BUSINESS.

y,cL IN Earning $50 nnd n Reputation.
.nr. time" said John Gilbert, the travelling
r-oceryman, zone of my trips took mo up into
s.,,.rn New YORK. and i found myself at the
- ,ittIe village Of Arcade, There was much
,.nsIon OF feeling thore. Tho village was per.
oortibly disturbed. and people avoided one GER
tain atreet in town in q shudderinR way TINT
rrodo mo think that perhaps the stroot was
ororontined because Of smallpox or some
thing Of that sort. But 1t wasn't. Tho trouble
was this:
"About a year before a farmer who lived .
r,,,e or so from Arcade got It into his head that
,hcro was oil or salt or gas or something under
NJ, farm. He talked II up, and by and by got
=, ,rto other peoples heads that there ought to
ho oil or salt or gas under the farm, or. at least,
iron or coal, and they formed the Arcade OIL,
a,lt. Iron, Coal and Gas Company. They
v,,,ed to no comprehensive and not miss any
,hiny They put down a well. They put It
down until thcy thought they must DO pretty
r,nr a, far under the farm as thero was any
bottom. and not having found any one of tho
things that gave them a right to the title of
their company. they thought the proper thing 10
do was to shoot tho we'll with nitro.glycerine
and see what that might develop. Thoy set
of nitro.glycerino In that we'll until the farmer
At last protested, because he was afraid his farm
would be all blown away. They had q four
ouort can OF nitro-glycerine left, and they do
cid.d to give tho well tho benefit of ono shot
more and then give 1t up II that last shot didn't
turn ur either oil, or salt, or gas, or coal, or
iron. When they started to use tho charge,
however, they found that this shooting appara-
,us had got out Of order. and wouldn't work.
and as the cost OF getting 1t back into shape
would be moro than the chance OF that can of
pttro-glvcerine discovering something that
would rrolong the life OF the Arcade Oh, Salt,
Iron, Coal and Gas Company was worth, they
abandoned the well.
but they had the four.quart can of nitro
olyccrinc on their hands. No ", nitro-glycerine
Is rather ticklish stun to have lying around
loose in u community, as n triflinS shock or con.
S Sbsn nil rs tayts rH S' g 81 s't to going G@s il it% docs sna
leave much in its vicinity to ten how the circus
happened to begin. So the A area go on. Salt;
condensed earthquake over to the creek, way
ont OF town. and buried 1t in the bank. intend.
lively commodity to come and take it away.
But somehow they neglected to do this and by
and by forgot all about It;
In the spring is tho making OF maple syrup,
which is put up in tin cans for the market.
along about that time Of year. A few days be-
fore 1 arrived in Arcade one Of these floods had
way at me same time eamc one Mr.. Kast,, a
humble and frugal citizen of Arcade. He
came alonG, in time to see a big tin can floating
on the food near the bank and within reach.
"'Ha, hat said citizon Kast. A can O. new
maple sugar washed down from somebody's
Then Mr.. Kast yanked tho can from the
He hadn't gone far through the village on the
happened to be a member of the late Arcade
o., Salt, Iron. Coal and Gas Company, The
Kast whom he saw the can and thought he
recognized 1t. He turned whitor than a white.
w ma1Ssd isase; aS Ci sna na hd dsw sen iSs st9set IKE Re,
ment and then went on. Right in the heart OF
This citizen was mono other than, the Presi-
dent Of the late comprehensive mining, Com.
e efidiss AK Kas Mn bis e eyes sic fsli Pe on ths 'e esn sG shat Isss
was proudly bearing homeward. With n yell
that made the custodian of the can lump. this
While the amazed MIR. Kast was still gazing
down the street whore the fleeing citizens coat
sfiif another Areado Citizen nf came along. '0t Tsi:
one seemed to have had a cool head on his
s9ouIders, although he recognized in the can
led and forgotten can Of nitro,glycerine.
'kest, said no. seems to me hat II were
where I got it from. 1t won't be OF any use to
you, and Arcade is too nice a place to be dug
"The sudden change In expression on Kast's
race and the nervous movement no made were
TOO much for even the cooi-headed citizen to
his speed. He was sure Kast was about to
hurl the deadly can to the sidewalk and he
Citizen Kast didn't hurl It. He placed it on the
sidewalk as gently as if IL had been n sick baby,
II an9 bc .R waI TOOK sofo L" is hes Shs and never stopped I'M
II had a ding notion to lock tho door. too
said Mr.. kast. but l didn't
,,,nlhe news of the resurrection of the can Of
nitro'glyccrine and of its threatening presence
within Wh the village w2sn't long in spreading
part OF Town. Ipnnln whn Il VAU in tho lrrnaf
where the can was on Involuntary post did not
venture out OF the r houses except stealthily
ealc me can was apparently the only occupant
OF that particular taoroaghfarc. The mein-
Der OF The 'Etc ArCadC Oil, Salt, Coal, Iron, and
Sta' Company had got together promptly after
tht coming OF the can to Town. and Clipped in
u" maxi a pot Of $50. which they offered to any
9hu VINO would take the can away and safely
win Ehe bot.
o! nv l'yihE to do any business in tho place
Wni." matters were so unsettled, and I was
xx SnI ~ t%r the next train out of town whom
hotI &c dicton OF three miles up the creek APP
pteersI Oh The scene. According to ~, excited
SSatnSn who brought the news OF Abel to tho
ms iarhl; put his team under a shed, and then
s.nrneI DOVE the street where the can OF nitro
got within fifty feet OF the can. He discovered
H. stopped a second or two. and then made for
~ on q run. 4 dwe!ier in one OF the houses
window: u - II
"",Hi; there! Great Kingdom Come. hold on
Astonished. ~
WHATS ailin' your said he.
IN the name OF all the showers Of fro and
mtm',9ne that ever fell hollered tho man
ron the window. You amt going to pounce
nowho on that n'tro-glycerino Ike a sledge ham.
ncFi IRE You, and blow us all sky.high.'
ltro-gi!cer!ne, said Abel, looking at the
Gan and edging away.
m ies! Nitro. gllycerine!' yelled tho housed.
hh up citizen. 'ion've como to try for the $50
W" 'lEginE it away, amt, your
ever. '"'' A'ei'n more amazed than
,ro jumping JugGernaut!' shouted tho man
MI % inc window, You don't mean to tell me
aIas you We're going TO pick that can of nitro.
glycerino up, without getting tho $50 from the
Tor doing itf
iD,, IEYH nun exclaimed Abel. 'Nitro-glycer-
ana he gave another look at the can and
t eoSsa NJ the t5Sr e Ell, bearer OF the news. in
eplpahy representatives. This was true.
Nv me npshot OF, tho business was that
aoe, agreed to run the risk OF transporting Inc
aeSulS can beyond the outskirts OF the town and
H7'uine al further responsibility for its future,
Al return f0r the $50. which was to be paid