Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-05-08

might climb out of reach of the water
that was dragging me down.
"But so slight was my hold that
could not get sufficient purchase to do
this; and was afraid to relax my grip
in the least for fear that might be
swept away before could regain it.
cit was plain that this state Of af-
fairs could not last very long. The
strain was in nowise violent or rough,
but it was steady. Far behind me down
the long tunnel 1 could hear the water
falling on the wheel. Ny 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? thought of
my wife and children, and chung with
renewed energy. I shouted. But who
could hear me, imprisoned as l 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-
gfneer. 1 could see the little beads of
sweat standing out on his forehead,
and two or three wisps of thin red hair
plastered down on his flushed skin.
"'Heaven preserve us!' ] heard him
say. IT'S Bickmore! Hold on, man,
and I'll save ye!'
"He waved his hand to encourage me,
and disappeared. I 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 a system Of rods and
levers knew that Sandy was hurrying
to 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 feather
down the penstock.
"The stream was only about four
| feet deep. and flowed with very little
sound or turmoil I managed to keep
nv head above the surface, and occa-
sionally my feet touched bottom as l
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 effortl for the sides were
smooth and Shiny; and even had I
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 l caught
what l felt was probably my last
glimpse of blue sky. The branch of
poplar hung above the opening, and |
saw its green leaves bright in the sun.
Then darkness came again.
"On through the cylinder I 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 be-
I 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 would be
over.
"The end came before had expected
it. With a shock that 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, bruisiDg and
wounding me. knew nothing else, for
at that moment l lost consciousness.
"When came to myself, l was lying
on heap Of paper waste in the base
ment of the mill. Half dozen of the
workmen were around me. felt sick
and weak. My clothing was torn in
several places, and I was covered with
bruises. But to me the miracle was
that was still alive and that my bones
were whole.
"The very thing that had been the
cause Of my peril had in the end proved
to be my safety The birch stump had
been swept down the penstocll, until
within a few feet of the wheel its roots
had caught on the edge of the last
manhole. The shock of my body had
dislodged it, but fortunately for me its
hold was not entirely loosened until
the engineer had closed the gate of the
race and stopped the wheel. Just as
the last root gave way the force of the
water abated.
81 had been found insensible in the
very end of the pipe. Death had been
only a few seconds away from me.
This watch-charm was carved out of
a piece of the stump that saved my
life" Companion.
HOUSEHOLD DEPORTATION.