The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-30

pressing its hydraulics through the
narrowing crevices- The situation ce-
manded attention.
A breeze began to pull off shore in
the body of rain. Little by little it in
creased, sending the water by in gusts,
ruffiing the already hurryfng river into
greater haste, raising far from the
short dirnly perceived white caps. Be
tween the roaring of the wind. the
dash of rain, and the rush of the
stream, men had to shout to make
themselves heard.
Guess you'd better rout out the
boss" screamed Solly to Wallace Car
penter; this damn waters comm up
an inch an hour right along. When
she backs up once, she'll push this jam
out sure
Wallace ran to the boarding house
and reused his partner from heavy
sleep. The latter understood the stu
alton at a word. While dressing, he
explained to the younger man wherein
lay the danger.
IF the jam breaks once" said he,
nothing top of earth can prevent it
from going out into the lake, and there
it'll scatter. Heaven knows where.
Once scattered, it is practically total
loss"
They felt blindly through the rain in
the direction of the lights on the tug
and pile driver Shearer. the water
dripping from his fiaXen mustache,
Joined them like a shadow. At the
river he announced his opinion. 1--WE
can hold her, all right" he assured
them. It'll take few more piles, but
by morning the storm'll be over, and
she'll begin to go down, again"
The three picked their way over the
creaking, swaying timber. But when
they reached the pile driver, they
found trouble afoot. The crew had
mutinied, and refused longer to drive
,1a,. foo Af thn Tow
IF she breaks loose, she's going to
bury u.s." said they.
"She won't break" snapped Shearer.
Get to work"
It's dangerous" they objected sui
lenly.
by God, you get off this driver.
shouted Solly. GO over and lie down
in a ten-acre lot, and see if you feel
safe there!"
He drove them ashore with a storm
of profanity and multitude of kicks,
his steel blue eyes blazing.
There's nothing for it but to get the
boys out again." said Tim; AZ kinder
hate to do it,"
But when the Fighting Forty, half
asleep but dauntless, took charge of
the driver, a catastrophe made itself
known. One of the elected men had
tripped the lifting chain of the ham.
mer after another had knocked away
the heavy preventing block, and 50 the
hammer had fallen into the river and
was lost. None other was to be had.
The pile driver was useless.
dozen men were at once dispatch
ed for cables, chains, and wire ropes
from the supply at the warehouse.
It's part of The same trick. said
Thorpe grimly; those fellows have
their men everywhere among us. L
don't know whom to trust"
You think it's Morrison G. Daly?"
queried Carpenter, astonished.
Think? 1 know it. They know as
we'll as you or that If we save these
logs Wen win out in the Stock Ex-
change; and they're not such fools as
to let us save them if it can be helped"
What are you going to do now?"
The only thing there is to be DONE
Well string heavy booms, chained to-
gether, between the cribs, and then
trust to heaven they'll hold. 1 think
we can hold the jam. The water will
begin to flow over the bank before long,
so there won't be much increase of
pressure over what we have now; and
as there won't be any shock to with
stand, think our heavy booms will do
the business"
He turned to direct the boring of
some long boom logs in preparation for
the chains Suddenly he whirled again
to Wallace with SO strange an express
sion in his face that the young man al
most cried out. The uncertain light
of the lanterns showed dimly the
streaks of rain across his countenance,
and his eye flared with a look almost
of panic.
II never thought of it," he said in a
low voice. Fool that 1 am! don't
see how l missed it. Wallace, don't
you see what those devils will do
neXt?"
mo. what do you mean?" gasped
the younger man.
There are twelve million feet of logs
up river in Sadler & Smiths drive.
Don't you see what they'll do?"
mo. 1 don't believe
Just as soon as they find out that
the river is booming, and that we are
going to have a hard time to hold our
jam, they'll let loose those twelve mil
lion on us. They'll break the jam, or
dynamite it, or something. And let
me tell you, that a very few logs hit
ting the tail of our jam, viii start the
whole shooting match so that no power
on earth can stop it."
81 don't imagine they'll think of do
ing that" began Wallace by way of
assurance.
Think of 1t! You don't know them
They've thought of everything. You
don't know that man Daily. Ask Tim,
he'll tell YOU"
"Well, the
1--WE got to send a man up there
right away. Perhaps we can get there
in time to head them off. They have
to send their man over" He cast
his eye rapidly over the men.
Il don't know just who to send.
There isn't a good enough woodsman
in the lot to make Siscoe Falls through
the woods night like this. The river
trail is too long; and a cut through
the woods is blind"
With infinite difficulty and caution,
they reached the shore. Across the
cleaning logs shone dimly the lanterns
at the scene of work, ghostly through
the rain Beyond, on either side, lay
impenetrable drenched darkness,
racked by the wind
Il wouldn't want to tackle it," pant
ed Thorpe. IF it wasn't for that
cursed tote road between Sadler's &