Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1904-07-14


'"rhls 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.
, 1.-THE dams gone out," replied Thorpe.
II don't understand it. Everything
Yas in good shape rs far as I could
bee. It didn't act like an ordinary
Reak. The water came too fast. Why.
u was as dry as bone until just as
that wave came along. An ordinary
break would have eaten through little
BY little before it burst, and Davis
should have been able to stop it. This
came all at once, as il 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 can
do?"
''You can head a hunt down the riv-
CkS SAASWC1S0 AAOApCs AAA4A0 ~ Al
useless until the water goes down.
Poor Jimmy! He was one Of the best
men had. I 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.
ogNS1 no 0piof uQ1,orloY1fIv
':There is something criminal about it
TO me! I'd rather lose every log in the
river!'
Thorpe looked at him curiously. ut
y one of the chances of war;" said
he.
sid better divide the crew and take
tu both banks Of the river" suggested
Wallace.
"See If you can't get volunteers from
this crowd" suggested Thorpe. Il can
let you have two men to show you
trails. I 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
to-day, before we have made the slight
est effort to recover the bodies!'
eff 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
sopcihi1i<ioc cfi11 c,rfPor;no
Thorpe smiled proudly. "You do not
know them"
"By Jovev cried the journalist tn
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, Us 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 a little time the eddy
caught up some of these logs, and inl-
mediately another jam threatened. The
y as though catastrophe had not
thrown the weight of its moral terror
against their stoicism, sprang, peavey
In hand, to the insistent work.
Thorpe's face lit with qualification.
He turned to the young man.
''You Sea-" he said in proud simplicity.
With the added danger Of freshet wa
$nNs tho v1,orEy 1y,op%
At this moment Tim Shearer ap-
preached from inland, his clothes drip
ping wet, but his face retaining its ha-
bttual expression of iron calmness.
"Anybody caught?' was his first ques-
ton as he drew near.
give men under the face" replied
Thorpe briefly.
Shearer cast a glance at the river.
He needed to be told no more.
II was afraid of it." said he. ''The
rollways must be all broken out. It's
saved US that much, but the freshet
water won't last long. It's going to be
q 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 came down to see
about the boys"
"Where were you?" asked Thorpe.
ION the pole trail 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 look"
he suggested. 1.-The boys has things
Dnino horo all ri0hf
The two men turned toward the
brush.
Hi Tiny called voice behind
them.
Red Jacket appeared, clambering up
the cliff.
"Jack told me to give this to you,"
he painted, holding out chunk Of
strangely twisted wood.
''Where'd be get this?" inquired
Thorpe quickly. Its piece of the
DAM" he expMined to Wallace, who
had drawn near.
''Picked it out of the current" re-
peied the man.