The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-12


3 portion of its top was above
8, ground. Just where it disappeared
$EJ beneath the earth was an open
~ manhole, covered by q heavy
wire screen. For the remainder
or IT'S length it was buried at an in-c
creasing depth beneath the surface, till
it passed through the foundation wall,
of the mill and came out in the lowest
basement, TO pour its flood into the
wheel pit There was another open
manhOle few feet from the end Of
the pipe.
AS I chung to the grating. with my.
face barely above the surface. I could
see the little tWigs and chips drawn
into the current and sucked down the
smooth incline 1 tried TO Dull myself
up to the grating in the hope that Il
might climb out OF reach of the water
that was dragging me down.
But so slight was my hold that I
could not get sufficient purchase To,
do this; and I was afraid to relax my
grip in the least for fear that / might
be swept away before / could regain il. &
1t was plain that this state of az
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 I could hear the
water falling on the wheel My 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 me2 I thought OF
my wife and children, and chung with
renewed energy. 1 shouted. But who
could hear me, imprisoned as was
in the mouth of the pipe?
suddenly steps approached outside,
and through the top of the grating
above me I saw a administered face
looking down. 1t was the Scotch en-
gineer. L 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
q" Heaven preserve u.s. I heard him
say It's BiclmOre! Hold on, man,
and III 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 heavyl
wooden gate. operated from the engine
room by a system of levers. I knew
that Sandy was hurrying to close this
gate and cut OF 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 a feather
down the penstOck.
THE stream was only about four
feet deep, and flowed with very little
sound or turmoil I managed TO keep
my head above the surface and Occa-
siOnally my feet touched bottom as 7
was borne along But to stop my
progress was simply impossible. The
current was too strong and too swift
Occasionally I was dashed against
the iron sides Of the pipe, and involun-
tarily threw. out my hands to clutch at
them. Vain effort for the sides were
smooth and Shiny; and even had I beer
able to arrest my course, my arms
would have been torn from their sock
cts by the resistless power that was
hurTying 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 I caught what
I felt was probably my last glimpse Of
blue sky. The branch OF a poplar hung
above the opening, and saw its green
leaves bright in the sun. Then dark
ness came again.
"On through the cylinder I rushed.
I do not know how long it took me to
traverse that thousand feet. Tt was
~ D'Je+t-g III Tic LlBDL LgDQ OF Two
minutes. remember looking back and
seeing the round, white, grated mouth
Of the penSIOck growing steadily small
er and farther of. And every. second
the roar at the other end was becom-
ing 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 I had expected
1t. With q Shock that drove the
breath out Of my body, was flung
against something round and sharp.
and hard, something that seemed to
clutch me with several arms, bruising
and WOunding me. I knew. notbfng
else, for at that moment I lost con-
SciOuSnesS.
When I came to myself I was lying
on heap Of paper waste in the base
ment Of the mill. Half a dozen Of the
wOrkmen were around me. I felt sick
and weak Ny clothing was torn in
several places, and I was covered with
bruises. But to me the miracle was
I 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 mad Deen swept down the pen
stock, until within a few feet OF the
wheel its roots had caught on <he edge
Of the last manhOle. The shock Of my
body had disIOdged ii, but fortunately
for me its hold was not entirely lOos-
ened until the engineer had closed the
gate of the race and stopped the wheel
Just as the last root save way the
force Of the water abated.
q had been found insensible in the
very end Of the pipe. Death had been
only q few seconds away from me.
This watch-charm was carved out Of 4
piece Of the stump that saved my life"
Youths Companion.