The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-01-04
CHAPTER Ii.

CHAPTER Ii.
Wallace Carpenter and Hamilton, the
journalist, seated against the sun
warmed bench of Mrs. Hathaway's
/ boarding house, commented on the
band as it stumbled into the wash
room. Their conversation was inter
rupted by the approach Of Thorpe and
Big Junko. The former looked twenty
years older after his winter. His eye
was dull, his shoulders dropped, his
gait was inelastic. The whole bearing
of the man was that of one weary to
the bone.
I've got something here to show
you, Harry" cried Wallace Carpenter,
waving a newspaper. 1T was a great
drive and here's something to remem-
Der it by"
"AH right, Wallace, by and by" re-
| piled Thorpe, DULY. I'm dead. I'm
| going to turn in for while I need
| sleep more than anything else"
/ He passed through the little passage
! into the "parlor bedroom" which Mrs.
/ Hathaway always kept in readiness for
members of the firm. There he fell
/ heavily asleep almost before his body
had met the bed.
| In the long dining room the river
men consumed a belated dinner. They
/ had no comments to make 1t was
over.
/ The two on the veranda smoked To
| the right, at the end OF the sawdust
street, the mill sang its varying and
/ lulling keys. The odor of fresh-sawed
/ pine perfumed the air. Not a hundred
yards away the river slipped silently
! to the distant blue Superior. escaping
! between the slanting stOne-flled cribs
I which held back the logs. Down the
I south and west the huge thunder heads
/ gathered and flashed and grumbled, as
/ they had done every afternoon for
days.
] Queer thing commented Hamilton
/ finally, these cold streaIIs in the air
They are just as distinct as though
/ they had partitions around them
Queer climate anyway agreed Car
/ penter.
Excepting only for the mill, the little
/ settlement appeared asleep. The main
/ booms were quite deserted After
awhile Hamilton noticed something.
Look here. Carpenter" said he,
/ whats happening out there? Have
some of your cOnfounded logs sunk, or
/ what2 There don't seem TO be near
so many of them somehow"
No. it isn't that proffered Carpen-
ter after a moments scrutiny, there
are just as many logs, but they are get
! ting separated a little so you can see
Guess you're right. Say. look here.
I believe that the river is 'risingi"
Nonsense. we haven't had any rain
Shes rising just the same You see
1 that Spite over there near the left-hand
crib? Well, I sat On the boom this
morning watching the crew, and
whitfield the Spite with my knife-you
can see the marks from here. I cut
the thing about two feet above the
water. Look at il now
She's pretty near the water line
that's right" admitted Carpenter.
About an hour later the younger man
/ in his turn made a discovery.
shes been rising right along" he
| submitted. Your marks are nearer
the water, and. do you know. I believe
the logs are beginning 10 feel it, See,
/ they've closed up the little openings
between them. and they are beginning
TO crowd down to the lower end of the
pond"
I don't know anything about this
business, hazarded the journalist,
but ! should think there was a good
/ deal of pressure on that same lower
end. By jove look there See those
logs up-end? I believe you're going to
have jam right here in your own
/ boOmsl"
Il don't know" hesitated Wallace.
Il never heard of its happening"
You'd better let some one know
L hate to bother Harry or any OF the
rivermen. III just step down to the
mill. MasOn-he's our mill foreman
he'll know
Mason came to the edge of the high
trestle and took one look
Jumping fish hooks," he cried.
why. the rivers up six inches and
still a comm Here. you. TOM" he
called to one of the yard hands, 'you
tell Solly TO get steam on that tug
double quick. and have Dave hustle to-
gether his driver crew"
What you going to do?" asked Wal
lace.
IT got to strengthen the booms," ex-
planned the mill foreman. wen drive
some piles across between the cribs
rs there any danger?'
ooh. no. the river would have to rise
a good deal higher than she is now to
make current enough to hurt They'v
had a hard rain up above. This viii go
down in few hours
After a time the tug puffed up to the
bOons. escorting the pile driver. The
latter towed a little raft Of long sharp
ened piles. which il at once began 70
| drive in such positions as would most
efectuaIly strengthen the boOms. In
the meantime the thunder-heads had
| slyly climbed the heavens. 50 that a
! sudden deluge of rain surprised the
workmen. For IN hour i poured down
in torrents; then settled to steady
gray beat. Immediately the aspect had
changed.
SoiIy. the tug captain. looked at his
mooring hawsers and then at the near
est crib
"She's riz two inches in tn las two
hours" he announced. "and she's run
min like a mill race" Solly was q
typical north country tug captain
short and broad. with a brown, clear
face. and the steadiest and calmest Of
steel blue eyes, when she begins tc
feel IL pressure behind he went on
there's goin' to be trouble"
Towards dusk she began 20 feel that
pressure. Through the rainy twilight
. the logs could be seen raising their