River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-12-04

heavy load, and then rolled noisiIy back
to the squirting cupoIa. Now it rolled
toward him again. A half-dozen men
came with it to help direct the pour
ing, which was to be the most impor-
tant one of the day. The eyes of the
little boy glowed with excitement.
This was to be the most thrilling spec
tacle of all.
The electric traveller overhead
slowed and stopped. The enormous
ladle was almost directly above the
mold, the top of which was practically
level with the surface of the floor.
The great chains clanked as the huge
receptacle was lowered to within a
few inches of the ground.
At that moment something hap
| pened. There was q clanking as if a
| crossed link in the chain had suddenly
| Strengthened out. The ladle tilted
more to one side. An instant it hung
| there, and then with a rattle as of
ratchet, it sank suddenly to the ground
and turned on it's side.
Agreat glowing pool Of molten metal
poured out on the earthen floor and
spread in every direction. A cloud OF
steam from the damp sand assembled TO
the rafters. The men knew the dam
ger all too well. They had started back
at the premonitory sounds, and now
they fled instantly, blindly, from the
| horrible flood.
The little boy stood with his back
| tight against the stone wall, wonder
ing and thrilled, clasping and unciasp-
ing his hands. He was not frightened,
| but he was fairly sobbing with the ex-
| element of this terrific climax to the
wonderful sights he had seen. His eyes
were confused by the sudden glare Of
light, and a great wave of awful heat
swept over him.
The first irresistible rush of the
fiery wave was checked, but still it
spread out slowly in rivulets and
branches on every side, like the ten,
tacles of some hideOus monster. Sew
eral of these horrid, glowing arms
were stealing toward him, silently,
mercilessly. He turned to fly, frs!
one way, then another. He was sur
rounded on every side. The little fell
low gave one awful cry of terror and
and sobbing.
The men, who had fled instinctively
at the first warnings, had turned now,
and were gazing in horror at the ter
rible spectacle,
What could they do? Whatever was
ha in in
second by second, the octopus-like
arms of fire were creeping toward the
boy. There was no time to wait and
think out q plan of rescue, and Big
| George Smith had not waited.
| Without a word he had rushed to-
ward the boy. Men called to him to
stop, but he did not hear them, or if
! he did, he gave no heed.
Leaping the arms of molten metal,
he sprang nearer and nearer the boy.
Once he fell short few inches. The
heel of his boot barely touching the
edge of one of the streams, and was
cut off as with knife.
With one last, mighty bound, he
reached the boy, and, gathering him
tation, he turned to retrace his steps.
1t was harder now. New streams and
branches had formed, and interlaced
and made pools of fire.
Keeping close to the wall, he hurried
on desperately. The heat was sitting.
Measuring with his eye, he leaped from
spot to spot of floor yet uncovered,
where sometimes only the half Of his
foot could rest, holding the lad high
and close in his arms. Once he stag
gered and almost fell into the seeth-
ing mass. The distance was less than
80 feet altogether that he had to go,
but so erratically had the liquid,spread
itself that his course was zigzag, here
and there, wherever he could gain an
instant's footing. To fall, he knew,
meant death in it's most horrible form
for himself, and probably for the boy.
Out at the edge of the little lake of
fire the men were working like
mad with shovels, building a dam
of sand and throwing great SHOW
elfuls on the outer edge of the
pool to make last footing, for
the iron had filed in for several feet
from the edge all of the bare spots
which had served for stepping places
when Smith ran to the rescue but a
moment before.
He was within 10 feet of the edge
now, standing on little hill of sand
where there was only room for one
foot to rest, and all around, on every
~ 1.
but one way, and he did not hesitate.
Without pausing an instant, he sprang
as far as he could, splashed for single
step into the awful, burning flood, and
staggered into the arms of the men
waiting to receive him.
The father gathered his boy I'M
harmed into his arms, while the men.
trained to such emergencies, knelt
over Big George Smith, tearing away
what had once been shoes from what
had once been feet, and applying the
FIRST aid" remedies, always at hand.
An hour later the surgeon came into
the office, where the general manager
and the chairman of the board of di-
rectors sat figuring out the details OF
the ten per cent. increase in wages.
'sWe'H save his feet" said the sur-
geon, cheerily. "a little crippled. but
still pretty good feet. There's man
for you!" he continued, with profess
sional enthusiasm. Wonderful vital
ity! magnificent physique!"
Strong as horse!" remarked the
general manager.
..Please don't!n said the chairman