Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-01-23
on a bluff, looking down upon the Low.

he had timed the loggers progress,
steered his own course and reckoned
that of the river with tolerable accur-
acy. Not far below he presently saw
two or three drivers at work. Dodg-
ing these men and making a detour of
several miles, he discovered a gang
breaking a small jam.
Shrewdly calculating that this ad-
vance force would not finish before
nightfall, he made a fresh circuit and
camped at the formation of jam
where there was evidence that he had
pretty well covered the lower drift
of the run"
He Immediately set to work rolling
up short logs, stumps and drift stuff.
Six or seven hours of hard labor gave
him a bullet-proof shelter some four
feet in height, built upon the center
of the jam. Inside this he laid a bed
of "baby pine" He had about six
days rations, and water was. of
course, within easy reach.
It was two or three hours after
sunrise before he saw the advance
guard of the river-drivers. They
were coming leisurely over a rise
among the stumps, with pixies and
cant-hooks on their shoulders. At so
yards or so his o~dd-looking rampant
caught their attention, and the men
stopped and stared. The cruiser rose,
showing his head and shoulders, and
c~arelessly swung his gun to a
"ready."
"You may as well go back, boys"
he sang out. "The Beltrami COM
pany's in charge here"
The river thieves stood with open
mouths for some seconds. Then n
of them spoke. Guess, that guy means
business, fellers," he said.
The others evidently agreed with
him, for they turned promptly upon
their heels. At the end of Is or 20
minutes the cruiser heard men shout
ing above, and a foreman calling or
ders to some one to ego for the dyna-
mite"
There were no logs aloat to speak
of, and the cruiser knew there was a
jam up above somewhere. Doubtless
they intended to elbow it," and so let
the whole raft down upon him. But
he felt no fear; his jam was too solid
to be pushed by a raft.
An hour passed, with no demonstra-
ton from above. Then came a dull
boom of dynamite, which sounded a
quarter-mile or more up-river.
Presently q log appeared s,.iling
round a bend some 200 yards above;
but hardly had the timber heaved in
sight when it disappeared in the foam
and squirt of a surface explosion. In
stantly the cruiser understood. By
means of dynamite foated down
against his jam and exploded, these
river thieves intended to break it or
to annihilate him.
Secoin was worried. Stick dyna-
mite, such as river men use, is a low
explosive, to be shot only by fulminat.
ing caps, but very powerful. 1t works
downward SO that, under slight con.
finement, a few pounds will fairly
empty a creek channel of it's water or
of it's distractions.
While the cruiser watched, another
log appeared, but vas caught in an
eddy, and was finally exploded within
50 yards of his jam. Another came
on and burst. at the edge of the raft;
splinters shrieked spitefully above
his head, but these small charges were
tentative. The thieves were timing
their waterproof fuse.
After another interval of quiet, two
large logs dashed together swept
round the bend.
"Now look out!" thought the
cruiser. These timbers also were
caught in a tumbling eddy. They were
tossed, heaved and hustled, and for a
moment Secoin hoped they might be
held until their shots went off, but
they were presently flung out of the
whirlpool, although wrenched apart
at one end.
AS they 1oated upon smoother wa
tSls tiiC IICoo T. ILL VI u Il Ky hCS
came to the surface-a key which had
been dashed beneath, but was now
forced upward by the break that had
spread the timbers.
Secoin knew perfectly well that the
key was filed with stick dynamite, a
hundred pounds at least, and carried
enough long fuse and caps to insure
it's explosion against the jam.
Should he run for it? Very likely
he would be shot by men lying in
wait. Yet certain destruction await
ed him at the jam unless he swiftly
unloaded his rife and refilled it's mag
azine with some shells loaded with ex-
plosive bullets. If he could put one OF
those inside.
He aimed and fired quickly. His
first shot missed. His second struck
the key and exploded, splintering it's
rim. The big torpedo was getting
dangerously near. In frantic haste,
the cruiser fired a fusillade at his
growing target-four, five, six, seven
shots, and the river suddenly parted
in mid-channel.
The sight was appalling. Two huge
sheets were blown out upon either
bank, and a vertical wave ten feet
high rolled swiftly in upon the jam.
For a moment Secoin gave himself
up for lost. He looked for the jam
to part under his feet.
Then the edge of the big raft above
was lifted, it's great logs tumbled and
piled upon one another until the heap
formed a breakwater through the in
terstices of which spouts and jets fell
upon the logs below. For several min.
utes the water rushed against and
through this suddenly formed and
effective dam. Then the commotion
subsidized, leaving the jam doubly ef-