Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-05-08
THROUGH a
pENSTOCK
BY HILBERT w. TOhMHN.
NTHILE on a railway journey be-


a few months ago l shared my seat
with a quiet, well-dressed man of
middle age. Some trivial circum-
stance engaged us in conversation,
and ] learned that my fellow passen-
ger was an assistant superintendent
in Maine pulp mill.
On his watch chain hung a wooden
charm, dogs head, carved with such
grotesque and peculiar ugliness that
l had difficulty in keeping my eyes
away from it. Whenever he looked
out of the window my glance returned
to the charm. At last l could restrain
my curiosity no longer, and with an
apology made some comment on the
strangeness of the ornament. He
took my inquisitiveness in good part,
and was kind enough to tell me the
story of the charm.
Eyes" he said, cts queer-looking
piece of wood. 1t was carved for me
90 years ago by friend who had
knack for that kind of work. It's the
only thing have to remember him by,
and so 1 think a good deal of it. But
I've another strong reason for recall
ing the birch snag he whitfield it from,
and it may interest you to hear it.
"When l was between 25 and 30
years old I was at work in mill on
the Kenebec river. My regular posi-
ton was that of foreman of one of
the departments, but as 1 was very
handy with tools, often did odd jobs
20 accommodate the superintendent.
Zone August morning there was
trouble with the wooden CRATE that
kept drift stuff from getting into the
penstock, which is, as you know, the
great tube of iron or banded plank
conveying the water from the mill
race to the wheel. In the last high
water a log had broken one of the
upper spruce bars.
"The mill was running overtime to
fill extra orders, and the company did
not wish to close it for half day un-
less it was absolutely necessary. So /
was asked to repair the damage with
out shutting the gate at the headFbf
the race. I looked at the break and
saw that it would be no very difficult
task to patch it while the water was on,
provided the CRATE were swung back
against the side of the conduit. So 1
sent for my tools and went to work.
at was drowsy midsummer morn
ing. Dragon flies and swallows were
| IL, ho IF hn Y.iu
and from the stubble fields on each
side came the shrill rasping sound of
the grasshopper. In the street above
a group of little girls were laughing
and playing. Several hundred feet up
the river, under a grove Of leaning
willows, was swimming hole, where
half dozen boys were disporting
| themselves.
eff I had not been interrupted three
of four times by messengers from my
department in the mill, should have
finished the job in less than an hour.
As it was, it was almost noon before
the break was repaired to my salts
| faction. The hot sun beat down on
my head as 1 worked away at the
grating; below, the smooth, brown
water ran steadily into the flume.
"With my back to the race, was
putting a few final touches Oh my
work close to the water, when some
thing happened that for a minute
frightened me horribly. There came
a sharp clutch at my sleeve.
81 whirled round in surprise, and
saw something like lean brown arm
rising from the water! shook it off,
and another arm rose slowly and de-
liberately and seemed to make me-
chanical effort to grasp me, while the
first as slowly sank out of sight.
"They were the long roots of a wa ter
soaked stump that had lain for
months, perhaps years, on the river
bottom, and had now been swept by
the current to the head of the fume.
It was against just such unwelcome
visitors as this that the CRATE was
designed to be barrier.
"Now appeared huge octopus-like
body, revolving gradually in the flood.
It hung for a moment at the opening
of the penstock, and then disappeared
down the dark cavity, its roots scrap
ing against the sides and top as it
rolled over.
'I snatched boat-hook that lay on
the embankment and made an effort to
fix its steel tooth in the Shiny stump.
For a moment l thought had succeed
ed. ] leaned over little farther; the
earth crumbled under me, and fell
head foremost into the racel
GAS 1 fell I caught with my hands a t
the lower part of the grating. My
weight swung it out into the current.
which Immediately whirled it to; and
there hung, my body failing off into
the penstock, dragged down by the
clutch of the water.N
"My position was terrible ones
was holding on merely by the tips Of
my fingers, which were hooked round
one of the wooden bars. The current
dashed my body from one side of the
pipe to the other. If loosed my grip
| L
death. Below me was the thousand
feet of steel tube, through which an IT.
resistible 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 q
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 the remainder OF its
length it was buried at an increasing
} depth beneath the surface, till passed
: through the foundation 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
foot from the end Of the nine