Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-07-12

| SIIuCh IL Ou d DlI VI uIy lOS. lie
flame sputtered into the fuse, and Will,
grasping his pike, ran for the head
of the jam, where the logs were thump-
ing and rolling.
In the days when jams were broken
| with cant-hooks and axes. the fioaters
always 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 wss long and burned slow
ly. Will was at the head of the jam
long before the explosion came. He
waited with the pike-pole balancing.
The onloollers stood on tiptoe. The
roar in the gorge was not quieting to
any ones nerves, but at last dozen
logs were lifted into the air, splin-
tered and broken, and the boulder dis
apEeared in smoke and spray.
There was not so much noise as ono
might think; just a sound that trav-
eled low down, but long distance.
A 50-foot dome of gray spray, speck
led with large black sticks and yellow
splinters 10 feet long, flashed up, and
then Will Conway poised for life and
| death struggle.
The jam quivered from end to end.
1t broke to pieces in great masses.
Some logs came jutting up out of the
black water; hundreds plunged in with
mighty splashing. All were tossed and
pitched.
In moment Will was stepping and
jumping from log to log, running to-
ward the gorge. Once he fell, and the
crowd gasped; but agile of body and
cool of mind, he sprang to his feet
feet again with only shoe wet.
AS he whisked into the gorge. one
voice alone was raised. Boss Koch
shouted, Good boy! Keep your
nerve!"
Will lifted a hand in reply, and was
then whirled out of sight.
Till this time hardly any one had
stirred, but now everybody turned and
ian for the road. Koch and his driv-
ers leading. They raced over little
patches of snow, through brook waist
deep with black water and broke down
dozen lengths of fence getting over
it into the highway. The river men
were dressed in flannels of bright col
ors, blue, red, checkered and plaid
blouse waists, and mackinaw trousers
of all shade and hues. On them the
sun shone with extraordinary effect as
they strung out along the road, the
best runners leading and the women
bringing up the rear, all headed for
Mad Toms pool, where the gorge ended.
Down the gorge, below the first turn,
| the right bank is worn out and hangs
far over the quick water. The turn
is a 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 huge molasses like
roll.
On the opposite side is fierce eddy,
in which logs dance on end and are
split in two by the crush. The rocks
on either side are hung with moss wet
by cold, thick spray, dashed up by
the wind. Here viii found himself
drawing toward the grinding mass in
the eddy.
| He was too far to the left. Quick as
thought he jumped to swifter log
higher up the roll, then to one beyond,
| and on to third, clear of the eddy by
a yard.
No time to think of it, though, for
ahead was business quite as dangerous
perhaps the worst of all.
The gorge narrows below the second
turn, and the water, crowded into it,
foams so high on both sides as almost
to curl over. Down the centre runs the
| black streak. Will got into that, and
the white water was higher than his
head on each side. He shot forward
with increasing speed. He saw one 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 10 feet
high took up the speed, and only a
greasy little trough lay down the CEN
| TIE.
Once more Will saw that he was off
MS course, nedueu LOO IluCn lot Ine
waves. Among them he could do moth
| ing; he would be tossed as from a cat
| apult.
He jumped again. The log dived,
and he had to go to one beyond. For
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 rope
walker holds his balancing pole, was
in the foam at both ends. Up and
down on short, solid three-foot waves
went his log, and through some soft,
| foamy ones.
A water-soaked log came lurching at
him, but fell short. Another plunged
across, Just ahead of him. 1t seemed
as If the whole jam was there. waiting
for him.
The next instant the tumble of wa