The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1902-02-14
THROUGH a
PENSTOCK
BY HILBERT W. TOhMHN.
WHILE on railway journey be-

~
w tween Springfield and Boston
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
Al Maine pulp mill.
On his watch chain hung a wooden
charm, a dogs head, carved with such
grOtesque and peculiar ugliness that
/ 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 inquisitiveEess in good part,
and was kind enough to tell me the
story of the charm.
EYES," he said, cts queer-lOo1ing
piece of wood. 1t was carved for me
20 years ago by a friend who had a
knaek for that kind of work. It's the
only thing have to remember him by,
and SO / 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 / was between 25 and so
years old / was at work in a mill on
the Kenebec river. My regular posi-
ton was that of foreman of one of
the departments, but as was very
handy with tools, often did odd jobs
90 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 a Cay I'M
less it was absolutely necessary. So
was asked to repair the damage with
out shutting the gate at the head/Of
the race. 1 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 /
sent for my tools and went to work.
at was a drowsy midsummer morn
ing. Dragon flies and swallows were
darting over the surface of the river.
and from the stubble fields on each
side came the shrill -asping sound of
the grasshOpper. In tie street above
a group of little girls were laughing
and playing. Several hundred feet up
the river, under a grove of leaning
willows, was a swimming hole, where
a half dozen boys were dfsrorting
themselves.
"If had not been interrupted. three
of four times by messengers from my
department in the mill, l should have
finished the job in less than an hour
AS ii was, it was almost noon before
the break was repaired to nv salts
faction. The hot sun beat down on
my head as I worked away at the
grating; below, the smooth. brown
water ran steadily into the aume-
with my back to the race. was
putting a few final touches on nv
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 a lean brown arm
rising from the water! l shook il off.
and another arm rose slowly and de-
liberately and seemed to make a me
chanical effort to grasp me, while the
first as slowly sank out of sight,
"Theywere the long roots of water
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 f1ume.
it was against just such unwelcome
visitors as this that the CRATE was
designed to be barrier.
wow appeared huge octopus-like
body, revolving gradually in the flood.
Ii 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.
81 snatched a bOat-hook that lay on
the embankment and made an effort to
fix its steel tooth in the Shiny stump.
For moment I thought I had succeed
ed. I leaned over a little farther; tine
earth crumbIed under me, and l fell
head foremost into the race!
"As fell 1 caught with my hands at
the lower part of the grating. Ny
weight swung it out into the current,
which Immediately whirled 1t to; and
there ] hung, my body failing off into
the penstoek, dragged down By the
clutch Of the water.