The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-09-18

to the facC Inal SoIhelilihS III
was afoot.
Soon a faint roar lifted the night
silence. They crossed FAIRBANKS
street, and moment after STOOD at
one end of the tower dam.
The long, smooth water shot over,
like fluid steel, tsilent and inevitable,
mirroring distorted flashes that We're
the stars Below. it broke in Whlte
turmoil, shouting defiance at the calm
velvet rush above. Ten second later
| the current was broken. A man, MS
heels caught against the conn lils'
midleg in water, was braced back at
the exact angle to withstand the rush.
Two other men passed down TO MIN
a short heavy timber. A third, plung-
ing his arms and shoulders into the
LIQUID nailed it home with heavy, IN
audible strokes. AS though by magic
q second timber braced the first. bolt
ed solidly through sockets already cut
for il. The workers moved on elgnl
feet. then another eight, then another
More men entered the water to pass
the timberS. A row of heavy slanted
supports grew out from the shoulder
Of the DAM dividing the waters into
long, arroW-Shaped burrows of light
At 1890 o'clock Tom Cute was swept
over the danny into the eddy. He
swan ashore. Purdy took his place.
When the supports had reached out
over half of the rivers span, and the
water was dotted with the shoulders
of men gracefully sIanted against the
current, Jimmy gave orders to begin
placing the fash-boards. Heavy
planks were at once slid across the
supports, where the weight OF the
racing water at once lcpmaergucgr,W
racing water at once clamDed them
fast. The smooth. quiet river. inter-
rupted at last. murmured and Snarled
and eddied back, only to rush with
increased vehemence around the end
of the rapidly growing obstruction.
The policeman DasSin back and
forth on Canal street heard no sound
of the labor going on. If he had been
an observant policeman he would
have noted an ever changing tone in
the volume of sound roaring up from
the eddy below the dam. After a
time even he remarked on a certain
obvious phenomenon.
Sure" said he, NOW that's fun
n.y.
He listened a moment, then passed
on. The vagarieS of the river We're,
after al nothing to him. He belong
ed on Canal street. East Side: and
Canal street, East Side, seemed peace
full
The river had fallen abruptly silent.
The last of Jimmy's tlash-boards was
in place. Back in the sleeping town
the clock in Pierce's Tower struck
two.
Jimmy and his men. having thus
raised the level of the dam n good
three feet, emerged dripping from the
west side canal and cheerfully took
their way northWard to where, in
the chilly dawn. their comrades were
sleeping. AS they passed the rifles
they paused. A heavy grumbling is
sued from the logs damned there,
grumbling british and su!len. as
though the reluctant animals were
beginning to stir. The water had al
ready banked up from the raised
dam.
OF course the affair. from q river
drivers standpoint. at once became
exceedingly simple. The slumbering
twenty were aroused to astounded
drowsiness. By three, just as the
dawn Was beginning to streak the
east, the regular clank, clank. click of
the peevish proclaimed that due adj
vantage of the high water has being
seized. From then until six was
matter of three hours more.
- A great deal can be accomplished
in three hours with flood water. The
last little jam pulled just about the
time the first citizen of the West Side
discovered that his cellar was full! of
water. When that startled freeman
opened uD the front door to see what
was up he uttered p tremendous ejac-
ulation; and so, shortly, came to the
construction of a raft.
Well, the newspapers got out extras
with scare head about "Outrages" and
High Handed Lawlessness'': and fac
tory owners by the canals raised up
their voices in bitterness over flooded
firerooms; and property owners of
perisnable cellar goods howled of
damage suits; and the ordinary citi-
zen took to bailing out the hollow
places of his domain. Toward 9
o'clock-after the first excitement
had died and the flash-boards had
been indignantly yanked from their
illegal DlaceS-a squad of police went
out TO hunt uo the malefactor. The
latter they discovered on boom pole
directing the sluicing. From this po
sition he declined to stir. One fat
policeman ventured a topping yard
or so on the floating timber. threw
his shaky hands aloft, and with a
mighty effort regained the shore,
where he sat down painting.
To the appeals of the squad to come
and be arrested Jimmy paid not the
slightest attention. He puffed peri
odically on his "meerSchaum"
and directed the sluicihg. Through
the twenty-four-foot gate about a
million an hour passed. Thus it came
about that little after noon Jimmy
stepped peaceably ashore and deliv-
cred himself uD.
"You won't have no more trouble
below he observed to Mccain. his
lieutenant, watching refectively the
last log as it shot through the gate.
Just tie right into her and keep her
a-hustling." Then he refilled his
pipe, lit it and approached the expect
ant SQUAD.
At the station house he was inter-
viewed bys reporters. That is they
asked questions. To only one of them
did they elicit q reply.
Didn't you know you were break
ing the law" inquired the Eagle man.
Didn't you know you'd be arrested 2"
Sure! replied Jimmy with obvi-
Gus contempt.
The next morning the court room
was crowded. Jimmy pleaded guilty,
and was sentenced to a fine of $500
or ninety days in Jail. To the sur
prise of everybody he fished out a
tremendous roll and paid the fine.