The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1898-05-12
FIELDS OF ADVENTURE,
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND DARING
DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.

4 Dangerous Toincnt-Eow . Foreman
Saved EIany People FROM Destruc-
ton bya Dynamite Bonb-Tne Patriot
ism OF = Dying Fireman on the Maine.
; During the building OF the bridge
over the Willamette River at P ortland;
Oregon, all incident occurred that
must have made at least local hero
OF the foreman in charge. In a mo-
ment of general panic he Kept cool,
and by al admirable display OF nerve,
saved many lives and many thousand
dollars worth of property. The cir
cumstances are thus related by q
Companion correspondents.
The water at the point where the
large pier for the pivot spin was to be
placed was eighty feet deep. A pile
foundation was put in to~earry the
caissons. The piles were over one
hundred feet long, and were driven
from twenty to thirty feet into the
ground under the river with a steam
pile driver worked on a barge. The
piles numbered more than three hun
dred, and formed an almost solid
square. Then it was found that some
OF them were superfuous, and were
in the way of others. It was ne
cessary to remove them.
This was done by sending down g
diver, who drove spike ring in the
pile to be removed, passed a light
rope through it, and returned to the
surface with the roped ends. 4 dyna-
mite bomb was then attached to cne
end Of the rope, and with the fuse
lighted, it was dropped into the water.
The foreman who had received the
other end Of the rope from the diver,
then drew in the line until the bomb
reached the ring at the base of the
pile, where it was, held until it
was blown to atoms.
On tho occasion now referred to, the
foreman, standing on the barge, drew
in the rope as usual, but by some &C
cident the spike was pulled out, and
the spectators were horri6ed and ter
ror stricken to see the foreman hold
ing the spike. bomb and all, in his
hands, with the smoking fuse burning
almost into the cap.
''Run for your lives, boys!" the
foreman shouted; and the twenty five
men on the barge waited for no second
invitation. -
At first the foreman tried to throw
the whole bundle into the river, but
the rope being tangled about him, he
was unable to DO SO. He then coolly
but quickly tore the bomb, composed
OF twelve sticks of giant powder, to
pieces, and drew the cap from the stick
in which it was set and dropped itinto
the, water. So shortwas the time that
src,e 6 pio1s5d rsaore sscaed tae
water.
: Had he hssjtabei G1soment, the de-
.-1as---IiI nave cost rot only his own
life, but theliv Of many of the work
men, and heavy property loss Of
machinery and materials.
The diver had perhaps the worst
scare. There he sat on the side of
the barge, loaded not only with his
heavy diving suit, butwith fifty pounds
Of extra weight at his waist to sink him
whe1 he went below.
The poor fellow did not know what
to do. He feared to jump back into
the water as, if the bomb should he
thrown there, the conclusion would
certainly kill him. Finally he made
up his mind to run with the rest, aud
notwithstanding his heavy load, he is
said to have kept up with the pro-
cession.
It was close call for many people.
The wharf at the end of the barge was
lined with spectators, and on the wharf
was small building containing one
hundred and fifty pounds of dynamite,
which in all probability would have
exploded from the conclusion had the
bomb been fired above the water.
One incident raised laugh, even.
in so critical a moment. One of the
superintendents Of the work, when he
saw the danger, quite s'lost his head. +"
He was on the wharf, and ran about
wringing his hands and crying,
"Where shall I gv? Oh, where shall
T go?'' And the place where he hefnaliy
crouched was directly behind the
warehouse containing one hundred
and fifty pounds of dynamite-un-
questionably the most dangerous spot
he could have chosen.