Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1903-01-01

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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 q
few inches of the ground.
At that moment something hap
pened. There was .clanking as it o
crossed link in the chain had suddenly
Strengthened out. The ladle tilted
more to one side. An instant it hung
there, and then with q rattle as of q
ratchet, it sank suddenly to the ground
and turned on its side.
Agreat glowing pool of moltenmetal
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 dan
ger all too well. They had started back
at the premonitory sounds, and now
they fed instantly, blindly, from the
horrible flood. st
The little boy stood with his back
tight against the stone wall, wonder
ing and thrilled, clasping and unclasp-
ing his hands. He was not frightened,
but he was fairly sobbing with the ex-
-citement of this terrific climax to the
wonderful sights he had seen. Hiseyes
were confused by the sudden glare OF
light, and great wave of awful heat
swept over him. NJ
! 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, first
one way, then another. He was sur
rounded on every side. The little fell
low gave one awful cry of terror and
despair, and stood there, trembling
and sobbing.
The men, who had fed instinctively
at the first warnings, had turned now,
and were gazing n-horror at the'ter-
rible spectacle.
What could they do? Whatever was
done must be done in an instant, for,
second by second, the octopus-like
arms of fire were creeping toward the
boy. There was no time to wait and
think out plan of rescue, and Big
George Smith had not waited.
Without 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
in his arms without a moments hest:
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
30 feet altogether that he had to 60,
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 filled in for several feet
from the edge all of the bare spots
which had served for stepping-p places
when Smith ran to the rescue but a
moment before.
He was within IL 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
sue, was sea VI VedtH. 1ncFe was
but one way, and he did nothesitate.
Without pausing an instant, he sprarg
as far as he could, splashed for single
step into the awful, burning food, ard
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 add remedies, always at hand.
An hour later the surgeon came into
the Office, where the general manager
and the chairman of the board of d.
rectors sat figuring out the details of
the ten per cent. increase in wages.
"We'll save his feet" said the sur
geon, cheerily. "a little crippled, but
still pretty good feet. There's mar
for you!"' he continued, with profes.
sional enthusiasm. Wonderful vital
ity! magnificent physique!"