Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-03-07

of years ago.
VIII could see the streak for a short
distance along the right bank of the
gorge. To the left the logs that
missed the jam were lifting their
noses against the ledge and tumb1ing
over backward.
Will pulled his belt a hole tighter,
and drew his ~trouser-legs out of his
stocking tops: if he had to swim for
it there wouldn't be bags of water on
each leg drawing him under. He
glanced back and saw where the pike
pole was. Then he took a match
from the bottle and struck it on a
bit of dry log. The flame sputtered
into the fuse, and viii. grasping his
pike, ran for the head of the jam,
where the logs We're humping and
rolling.
In the days when jams were broken
with cant-hooks and axes, the ~fioaters
tried to keep ahead of the rush of
logs lest they be crushed among
them: but IN these days of high ex-
plosives one must take ones chances
at the other end: and this is not the
safest place, when all the logs are
moving and grinding together.
The fuse was long and burned slow
". VIII was at the head Of the jam
long before the explosion came. He
waited with the ~pike-pole balancing.
The onlookers stood on tiptoe. The
o a in the gorge was not quoting
to anyone's nerves. but at last a dozen
logs were lifted into the air. splin-
tered and broken, and the bowlder
disappeared in smoke and spray.
There was o so much noise as
one might think: just a sound that
travelled low down, but a long dis
lance.
\ 5O-foot dome of gray spray.
specified with large black sticks and
yellow s~Dlinters ten feet long. flashed
up. and then Will Conway poised for
a life-and-death struggle.
The lam quivered from end to end.
It broke to pieces in great masses.
Some logs came iutting up out of
the black water: hundreds plunged
in with mighty splashing. All were
tossed and pitched.
In a moment Will was stepping and
jumping from log to log. running
oval HI SClSC. oACt It lcH. anu
the crowd gasDed: but agile of body
and cool of mind. he sprang to his
feet again with only a shoe wet.
As he whisked into the gorge, one
voice alone was raised. Boss Koch
shouted: Good boy! Keep your
nervei"
VIII lifted a hand in reply, and was
then whirled out of sight.
Till this time hardly anyone had
stirred, but now everybody turned
and ran for the road. Koch and his
drivers leading. They raced over lit
tie patches of snow. through a brook
waist deep with black water, and
broke down a dozen lengths of fence
getting over it into the highway.
The river men were dressed in fan
nels of bright ~colors, blue, red,
checkered and plaid blouse waists,
and mackinaw trousers of all shades
and hues. On them the sun shone
with extraordinary effect as they
strung out along the road, the best
inner leading and the women bring
ing up the rear, all headed for Mad
Toms pool, where the gorge ended.
Down the gorge, below the first
turn, the right bank is out and
hangs far e the quick water. The
turn is Il gradual one, and the logs,
once clear of the lifting wave above,
swing round to the left again, end
on, and along the side of a huge mo-
lasses-like roll.
On the opposite side is a fierce eddy,
III which logs dance on end and are
split i'll two by the crush. The rocks
on either side are hung with nos
wet by u cold, thick spray, dashed up
By the wind. Here viii found him
self drawing toward the grinding
mass in the eddy.
He was now too far to the left.
Quick as thought he jumped to a
swifter log higher up the roll, then
to one beyond, and on to a third.
clear of the eddy by a yard.
Not time to think of it, though, for
ahead was business quite as danger
ous-perhaps the worst of all.
The gorge narrows below the sec
ond turn, and the water, crowded into
it, foams so high on both sides as al
most to curl over. Down the center
runs the black streak. VIII got into
that, and the white water was higher
than his head on each side. He shot
forward with increasing speed. He
saw II log three feet in diameter
strike a ledge, to be hurled end over
end through the air.
AS the spray lifted, he saw ahead
the black level of Mad Toms pool
where there was safety.
But before that the water gushed
out suddenly fan-like, until rollers ten
feet high took up the speed, and only
a greasy little trough lay down the
center.
Once more Will saw hat he was off
his course, headed toe much for the
waves. Among them he could do
nothing; he would be tossed as from
a catapult.
He jumped again. The log dived,
and he had to go to one beyond. For
a moment he hung. almost topping.
but he got his balance again, none too
soon.
Ten seconds of awful roar followed.
His pike-pole, which he held as a rope
walker holds his balancing pole, was
in the foam at both ends. Up and
down on short, solid three-foot wave
wen his log, and through some soft,
foamy ones.
A water-soaked log came iurching at
him, but fell short. Another plunged
across just ahead of him. It seemed
as IF tha whole lam was there WAITING