The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1902-02-14

my fingers, which were hooked round
one of the wooden bars. The current
lasheo my body from one side of the
pipe to the other. If l loosed my grip
IN the slightest 1 should be swept to
death. Below me was the thousand
feet OF steel tube, through which an ir-
reslstlble torrent was shooting; and
at It's end was the great wheel, revOlv-
ing with the swiftness of light, and
ready to lacerate and mangle what
ever might be hurled against it.
The penstock was perfectly
straight, and about eight feet in diam
eter. For the first hundred yards a
gradually decreasing portion of its top
was above ground. Just where it dis
appeared beneath the earth was an
open manhOle, covered by heavy WIRE
screen. For tina remainder Of les
length it was buried at In increasing
depth beneath the surface, till it passed
through the FONDA ton wall of the mill
and came out in the lowest basement
to pour its food into the wheel-pit
There was another open manhole few
feet from the end of the pipe.
las L chung to the grating. with my
face barely above the surface, l could
see the little twigs and chips drawn
into the current and sucked down the
smooth incline. 1 tried to pull myself
up TO the grating in the hope that
might climb out of reach of the water
that was dragging me down.
But so slight was my hold that I
could not get sufficient purchase to do
this; and l was afraid to relax my grip
in the least for fear that | might be
swept away before l could regain it.
''It was plain that this state of af-
fairs could not last very long. The
strain was in nOwise violent or rongh.
but it was steady. Far behind me Down
the long tunnel 1 could hear the water
falling on the wheel. My fingers were
growing numb. Little by little the
strength was leaving them. I could
not hold on much longer. Would no
one come to rescue me? 1 thought Of
my wife and children, and chung with
renewed energy. shouted. But who
| could hear me, imprisoned as I was
in the mouth of the pipe?
Suddenly steps approached outside,
and through the top of the grating
| above me / saw red-whiskered face
looking down. 1t was the Scotch en-
gineer. I could see the little beads of
sweat standing out on his forehead,
and two or three wisps Of thin red Eair
plastered down on his flushed skin.
Heaven preserve us!' I heard him
say. It's Bickmore! Hold on, man,
and I'll save ye!'
''He waved his hand TO encourage me,
and disappeared. 1 heard him run
ming swiftly toward the mill, Then
| the sound of his footsteps died away.
''At the upper end of the channel
that fed the penstOck was the heavy
wooden gate, operated from the en-
| gine-rOom by system of rods and
levers l knew that Sandy was hurrying
10 close this gate and cut off the flow
of the water into the race.
But he had come too late.
Not five seconds after his face dis
appeared my numbed fingers lost their
grip, and l was swept like a feather
down the penstock.
THE stream was only about fouI
! feet deep. and flowed with very little
sound or turmoil. / managed 10 keep
my head above the surface, and occa-
siOnally nay feet touched bottom as ]
was borne along. But TO stop my
progress was simply impossible. The
/ current was too strong and too swift.
Occasionally l was dashed against
/ the iron sides of the pipe. and involun
tarily threw out my hands to clutch at
them. Vain effort! for the sides were
smooth and Shiny; and even had /
/ been able to arrest my course, my arms
| would have been torn from their sock
cts by the resistless power that was
/ hurrying me along
Overhead a square of light flashed
| by. I had already gone a hundred
yards and passed under the open man.
hole. Through its frame caught
what 1 felt was probably my last
| glimpse of blue sky. The branch of n
poplar hung above the opening. and 1
saw its green leaves bright in the sun.
/ Then darkness came again.
-NOn through the cylinder 1 rushed.
I do not know how long it took me to
traverse that thousand feet 1t was
probably in the neighbOrhood of two
minutes. remember looking back and
seeing the round, white, grated mouth
of the penstOck growing steadily
smaller and farther off. And every sec
Ond tht roar at the other end was he
coming louder and louder. From the
utter darkness in front the roar of the
beaten water doomed up the narrow
tunnel In a few seconds all wonld be
! over
THE end came before / had expected
| il. With a shock tina It drove the breath
out of my body, was flung against
something rough and sharp and hard.
something that seemed to clutch me
with several arms, bru1sing and