Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-26


tons, CALCULATIONS, broke out
What happened?" cried Wallace
Carpenter.
What was that mans name?" asked
the Chicago journalist, with the eager
instinct of his profession.
This is terrible, terrible. terrible"
white haired physician from Marquette
kept repeating over and over.
A half dozen ran toward the point
of the cliff to peer down stream, as
though they could hope to distinguish
anything in that waste of flood water.
'The DAMS gone out" replied Thorpe.
II don't understand it. Everything
was in good shape as far as could
see. 1t didn't act like an ordinary
II was as dry as Done until Jus: as
that wave came along. An ordinary
break would have eaten through little
by little before 1t burst, and Davis
should have been able to stop it. This
came all at once, as if the dam had
disappeared. don't see."
His mind Of the professional had al
ready begun to query causes.
How about the men?" asked Wal
lace. isn't there something 1 can
do?"
you can head hunt down the riv-
err" answered Thorpe. II think it is
useless until the water goes down.
Poor Jimmy! He was one of the best
men had. wouldn't have had this
happen
The horror Of the scene was at last
beginning to filter through numbness
into Wallace Carpenters impressiona
BILE Imagination.
"No, MOI" he cried vehemently.
"There is something criminal about it
to me! I'd rather lose every log in the
rivern'
Thorpe looked at him curiously. "It
is one Of the chances of war;" said
he.
"I'd better divide the crew and take
in both banks of the river" suggested
Wallace.
"See If you can't get volunteers from
this crowd" suggested Thorpe. 81 can
let you have two men to show you
trails. need as many of the crew as
possible to use this flood water"
"Oh, Harry" cried Carpenter, shock
ed. you can't be going to work again
today, before we have made the slight
est effort to recover the bodies!''
"If the bodies can be recovered, they
shall be-" replied Thorpe quietly. But
the drive will not wait. We have no
dams to depend on now, you must re
member, and we shall have to get out
on the freshet water
"Your men won't work. I'd refuse
just as they Will" cried Carpenter, his
sensibilities still suffering.
Thorpe smiled proudly. "You do not
know them
"By Jove!" cried the journalist in
sudden enthusiasm. "By Jove, that is
magnificent
| The men on the river crew had
crouched on their narrow .footholds
while the jam went out. Each had
chung to his peavey, as is the habit Of
river men. Down the current past
their feet swept the debris of flood.
Soon logs began to swirl by-at first
few, then many-from the remaining
rollways which the river had automat-
ically broken. In little time the eddy
caught up some of these logs, and i'm
mediately another jam threatened. The
river men, without hesitation, as calm
ly as though catastrophe had not
thrown the weight Of its moral terror
against their stoicism, sprang, peavey
in hand, to the insistent work.
Thorpes face lit with qualification.
He turned to the young man.
you see," he said in proud simplicity
| With the added danger of freshet wa
ter, the work went on.
At this moment Tim Shearer ap-
preached from inland, his clothes drip
ping wet, but his face retaining its ha-
bitual expression of iron calmness
anybody caught?' was his first ques-
ton as he drew near.
Five men under the face" replied
Thorpe briefly.
Shearer cast glance at the river
He needed to be told no more.
II was afraid Of it, said he. 1.-THE
roliways must be all broken out. It's
saved us that much, but the freshet
water won't last long. It's going to be
close squeak to get 'em out now.
Don't exactly figure on what struck the
dam. Thought first I'd go right up
that way, but then I came down to see
about the boys"
Where were your" asked Thorpe.
"On the pole trail. I got in little,
as you see"
In reality the foreman had had a
close call for his life.
"We'd better go up and take a look"
he suggested. 1.-THE boys has things
going here alright
The two men turned toward the
brush.
Hi, Timw called voice behind
them.
Red Jacket appeared, clambering up
the cliff.
Jack told me to give this to you,"
he painted, holding out a chunk Of
strangely twisted wood.
"Where'd he get this?" inquired
Thorpe quickly. Its a piece of the
DAM" he explained to Wallace, who
had drawn near.
picked it out of the current" re-