Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-07-31
TOYING WITH DEATH
HOW "DEviL olcKn HANDLED CANS
OF NITRoGLYcERiN.


Bombarded Lynx with . Four
Quart Torpedo-Held n Package of
the Stun While Another Fellow
Threw Stones at 1t ON Wager.
There were good many reckless and /
daredevil chaps among those whose bnsi- T
ness it was to haul and handle nitro (
Rlycerin in the early days of that explo- I
sive agent in the oil regions" said George
Place, who was one of the first to work
ut making and canning nitroglycerin for
the wells under the Roberts patent "but I
| there was tcalnster named Dick War
ner who would dare and risk more with I
| the terrible stuff than any other person (
| thereabout. He was known as Devil /
\ Dick, and it WINS q fit name for him. He
had a chum named Dan Sutton. who was
almost as reckless as Dick, and have
seen him and Dick play catch many a
! time with cans of glyceln they were I'M
loading, the dropping of one of which to
/ the ground would have more than likely
4 wiped out OF existence every person
+ around the well.
at got so that whenever Dick Warner
i had a load OF nitroglycerin to unload at
i the we'll everybody else. except Dan SUIT
ton, took to the woods and staid there
until the stuff was out of their custody.
Once Devil Dick held a great can of
nitroglyccrin above his head and let a
drunken driller named Patterson throw
ten stones Mt it from u distance of 30
feet on bet of $50 that he couldn't hit
the can once out of the ten times. This
was at Roan's camp, and the whole camp
watched the insane proceeding from safe
distances on the hill. One Of the stones
hit Dick on the arm, not two inches be-
low the can, and Knocked it out Of his
hand He caught the can, though, before
it reached the ground or the throwing
match would have ended there and then,
with the burial of such bits of Dick and
the driller us could be found, and they
would have been exceedingly &sw and
small. The drillcr came close TO the can
several times during the trial, but failed
to hit it, and Dick won his bet.
I'm those days the woods all through
the oil regions we're full of wild animals,
and it wasn't an uncommon sight to see a
) bear or Canada lynx or catamount
proving round the camps or isolated oil
{ Villages. The lynx was frequently very
aggressive and bold. and it was greatly
feared by the drillers and others nj the
4 wells. More than once men had been
pumper, was 50 badly hurt in fighting off
one that had Jumped from tree upon
, him as he was driving through a piece Of
woods that he died OF his injuries. One
/. day Devil Dick was on his way TO well
with n load of niiro-lyecrin tnrpedccs,
II and he picked Dan Sutton up % the
way. On a stretch of the road through
t what was known as Gonway's woods
II Dan discovered big Canada LINK steal
{ ing along through tho branches of the
< trees at one side of the road and keeping
J; even with the wagon. lie called Dick $
4 attention TO the animal. and Dick said
Z that ii was watching for chance to at
! tack them. hut declared that if it follow
ed them as far as Clay S opening he would
get rid of the dangerous beast.
Clay opening was gap in the woods
) and ravine 20 feet wide md as many
deep. The lynx did follow the men as
far as the opening, aud Dick stopped his
wagon.
The Lynx crouchcd few feet away
from the edge of the nearest wall of the
ravnc. and before Sutton stirinised how
= Dick intended to get rid of the animal
Dick grabbed up n can of nitroglycerin
E and hurled it with all his strength at the
y lynx. which was not over 30 feet away.
The can struck the soft body of the lynx
Z square in one side and knocked the ami
NAL over on IL back The flesh aud fur
of the lynx did not offer resistance to the
can sufficient to cause conclusion enough
q to explode it, but the can rolled on the
II ground and slowly down gradual de-
cline that led from where the lynx lay to
e the edge of the ra,.ine wall
k Sutton. with all his recklessness in
handling nitrogycerin. stood ashast at
i this deliberate risking of their lives by
/ Dick. for he knew that the instant the
sr can rolled INTO the ravine and struck the
IT rocks below the terrible explosion that
" had been so luckily avertcd by Dicks
is good aim at the lynx would follow
Quicker than flash he jumped from the
4 wagon. tore like mad up the ravine and
stood beneath the spot where the TORPEDO
= would tumble into the gully when il
IS reached the edge
IS \ scraggy bush of some kind grew
out OF the top of the wall, and just as
Is Sutton reached the spot the can of nitro
Elycern had rolled TO the edge and struck
against the main stem of the bush. The
can had struck il a trife out of the center
q; and the henvier end of the torpedo moved
20 on an inch or two until it extended lit
h, tie over the edge.
vi Sutton stood below with upreached
lis hands to catch the can If it fell, but there
it hung against the bush, in position
&. that looked as if breath OF wind would
to topple it over into the ravine.
as An this had occupied but few sec
IL onds. AS soon as the torpedo lodged
d; against the bush Sutton ran back to the
NJ road. shouting to Dick to drive on so they
could ret to a safe distance before the
e. falling OF the can and its certain eNplo
IL sion on the rocks below. But when BIZ
got to the wagon he saw Dick with an
,e. other torpedo raised. ready to hurl it aft
!, er the first one. He lowered it, though
20 and looked around at Sutton as il he wa!
IS disappointed.
The internal wildcats give me tn,
slip. Dan. and took to the woods sale
IS he Lord. but I'd like to bust one o.
it these shells on him.
OF That was probably the first and las
a time wild animal was ever hunted witt
at four quart nitroglycerin torpedoes. ane
that was the last trip Devil Dick eve
drove for the company he was working
sh for. He WASH, discharged because he S,
nd recklessly endangered life and propert.
C by throwing cans of nitroglycerin at