Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-05-03

The two on the veranda smoked. 10
the right, Mt the end of the sawdust
street. the mill sang its varying and
lulling keys. The odor of fresh sawed
pine perfumed the air. Not hundred
yards away the river slipped silently
to the distant blue Superior, escaping
between the slanting stone filled cribs
which held back the logs. Down the
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 streaks in the air.
They are just as distinct as though
they had partitions around them"
Queer climate anyway" agreed Car
penter.
Excepting always for the mill, the
little settlement appeared asleep. The
main booms were quite deserted. Aft
er awhile Hamilton noticed something.
Look here, Carpenter" said he.
whats happening out there? Have
some of your confounded logs sunk, or
what? There don't seem to be near so
many Of them somehow
mo; it isn't that" proffered Carpen-
ter after moments scrutiny. "There
are just as many logs, but they are
getting separated little so you can
see the open water between them"
Guess you're right Say. look here,
I believe that the river is rising
Nonsense! We haven't had any
rain"
She's rising just the same. You see
that Spite over there near the left hand
crib? Well, I sat on the boom this
morning watching the crew.. and 1
whitfield the Spite with my knife. You
can see the marks from here. cut the
thing about two feet above the water.
Look at it now"
She's pretty near the water line,
that's right" admitted Carpenter.
About an hour later the younger man
N his turn made discovery.
"She's been rising right along" he
submitted. "Your marks are nearer
The water, and, do you know, believe
the logs are beginning to feel it. See,
they've closed up the little openings
between them, and they are beginning
70 crowd down to the lower END Of the
pond"
Il don't know anything about this
business" hazarded the journalist, 'but
7 cho,,ld think %bnro woo a ryood dool If
pressure on that same lower end. By
Jove, look here! See those logs up-end.
l believe you're going to have jam
right here in your own booms."
II don't know" hesitated Wallace.
81 never heard of its happening"
YOU'D better let some one know"
II hate to bother Harry or any of
the river men. I'll just step down to
the MILL Mason-hes our mill fore
man-he'll know"
Mason came to the edge Of the high
trestle and took one look.
dumping ishhooksv' he cried. "Why,
the rivers up six inches and still
a-comin'! Here you, Tomw he called
to one of the yard hands. you tell
Solly to get steam on that tug dou-
BILE quick and have Dave hustle to-
gether his driver crew."
what are you going to do?" asked
Wallace.
II got to strengthen the booms," ex.
planned the mill foreman. well drive
some piles across the cribs"
lis there any danger?
"Oh, no. The river would have to
rise a good deal higher than she is now
to make current enough to hurt
They've had hard rain up above.
This will go down in few hours"
After a time the tug pulled up to the
booms, escorting the pile driver. The
latter towed little raft Of long. sharp.
ened piles, which it at once began tc
drive in such positions as would mos
effectually strengthen the booms. In
the meantime the thunder heads had
slyly climbed the heavens, SO that 8
sudden deluge of rain surprised the
workmen. For an hour it poured down
in torrents, then settled to steady
| gray beat. Immediately the aspect
had changed.
Solly, the tug captain, looked at his
mooring hawsers and then at the near
est crib.
"She's rlz two inches in TIL last two
hours" he announced, "and she's run
min like mill race" Solly was 6
typical north country tug captain, shor
and broad, with brown, clear face
and the steadiest and calmest Of stee
blue eyes. when she begins to fee
TIL pressure behind" he went on
there's goin' to be trouble"
Toward dusk she began to feel thai
pressure. Through the rainy twilight
the logs could be seen raising theil
ghostly arms of protest. Slowly, with
out tumult, the jam formed. In the
rear they pressed in, were sucked I'm
der in the swift water and came tt
rest at the bottom of the river. The
current of the river began to protest
pressing its hydraulics through the mar
rowing crevices. The situation demand
ed attention.
A breeze began to pull offshore IL
tho hodv of ro;n TittIo hy little If ir,