Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-05-25
BOYS IN 4 RON or DYNAMITE,
Smoking Complacently to the Horror
OF Interested Spectators.
From the Chicago luter-ocean,

VA AuNASSNSd SPECTATORS.
From the Chicago luter-Ocean.
II was laying big water main,
said \ contractor, I'VE had completed
the job and We're films up the trench,
When the pipe ended we were Obliged
to put II board covering over the other
end as work ON the next section had
not been started, and probably would
not be for some time, We had aled
up the entire trench and placed the
big board covering over the end had
partly filled the hole With dirt when
We heard feeble cry from the pipe,
rhe workmcn were frightened for
moment, Finally the foreman recoy-
cred presence OF mind enough to order
them To remove the dirt and boards
and see what was IN the pipe. When
they had done so, out crawled AS
Thoroughly frightened boy as ever
saw, He said he had crawled into the
pipe in the afternoon to hide from his
companions, and had fallen asleep
and was only awakened by the noise
Of the dirt and stones falling against
the boards covering up the end Of the
pipe,
His mother happened along about
ihis time, When she learned what
had occurred she set down her market
basket, picked up lath and treated
MS IL an exhibition OF how boy
should be properly spanked She
did the job IN artistic shape, and when
she stopped for want of breath that
boy had the fact impressed upon his
mind that n nap in the big water main
was against the rules Of the family"
"Thrcc small boys" said another
contractor, gave me about MS bad n
scare last summer MS ever had In my
lite, and II had caught any one of the
three | would have administered n
spanking which would have been up
To all the contract requirements OF n
we'll regulated family. had been do
ing piece OF work up town near a
'3rEc open lot. and the small boys of
the neiGhhorhood used to bother US by
interfering with the drills and other
tools when the workmen were not
about One rainy morning about n
week before the Fourth Of July the
crowd had been annoying the watch
man by firing OFF fire crackers about
the place. AS the men were not work
ing on account of the rain. the boys
had been having a gay time, and about
II O'Clock | came up to the place to
prepare 10 set the men to work at |
o'clock, ms II looked like clearing up,
found the Waterman enjoying him
self in saloon, and after | had be
rated him for his negligence, we pro.
cecded toward the place,
TO our horror we saw that the lid
of the large box whore our dynamite
was stored partly open and proppcd up
with stick, and from out Of the box
was coming frequently lit,lc puffs Of
smoke. We ran for our lives until
we reached safe distance and await
ed the outcome As there were 100
pounds of dynamite, and about 80
pounds of black powder stored I'm that
box, neither OF us would have gone
near 1t for any amount Of money. Our
first thought was that those boys had
SCI Hlc W some IHDnlhn IN mat DON
with their firocrackors.
we warned every one who came
near and did all we could TO avoid an
| accident. And after waiting about
ten minutes In hrcnthlcss expecta-
ton of a terrible explosion we saw
three youngsters stick up their heads
and peep out We made run for
those youngsters, and out they jump
ed, and scampercd away, If the watch.
man had been sober and had beer
about 1875 pounds lighter ana Is
years younger we might have caught
these little scnmps, but beer, age and
avoIrdupois were against us and they
got away"