The Irish standard., 1904-12-24
! A Torpedoed'r
Tornado 8 8 |
I By FRANZ L. POLLOCK A


Ohio, and he decided to drive over and
spend Sunday there. But Paul Mat
thews and his wagon were not a wei
come sight in that region. The town
would not allow him to drive within
it's limits, and he had to leave his
wagon mile outside.
This was due to no personal preJu-
dice. 1t was because he was by pro-
fession "wellshooter, and that red
painted spring wagon, with the red
flag, carried 80 or 10 pints of nitro
glycerin, in small tins pac!:ed snugly
in padded frames.
The business OF the well-shooter is
well understood in the oil regions, and
his wagon becomes a familiar though
always an alarming, sight When all
oil we'll ceases to flow, a charge OF
high explosive fired at the bottom OF
the tube will often stimulate it into
activity again. 1t is the business OF
the well-shooter to supply this slim
ulus, and he drives about from place
to place with a CARLOAD of nitro
Slycerin, and everybody allows him to
take the whole road when he passes.
Matthews had taken up the business
from the natural propensity OF youth
TO run big risks for the chance OF large
profits. HIe was growing accustomed
TO the risks, but the profits were not
what he had expected, and it had be-
come distinctly unpleasant to be ter
yifying object wherever he appeared.
Moreover, he found that the continual
presence and odor OF the nitroglycerin
tended to produce violent headaches
and nausea.
He had left his wagon in little
patch of woods to the west of the viii
lage. The horses were staked out by
long ropes, and every day he walked
out to feed and water them. There
vas no danger of anyones meddling
With that outfit Its red flag was pro-
lection enough.
A little after noon on Saturday he
went out to attend to his team,
through oppressive heat and dust. 1t
had been very hot for a week. A
little before noon a breeze had sprung
up, but with no cootness in it, and the
sky had clouded slightly with a cop
perry tint. The wind drove vast clouds
of dust in Matthews face as he walked
up the road, and before he reached his
autfit he was convinced that heavy
thunderstorm was coming up.
This made him hasten to get
through his duties, for lie had no de-
sire to remain near his wagon during
such a disturbance. A thunderstorm
II one of the terrors of the oil dyna-
inter, for, apart from the danger Of
lis wagon being struck, there is al
ways the possibility that heavy
shock of thunder may explode the
cargo by mere conclusion.
When Matthews came out from
among the trees 10 take another look
at the weather, however, he was
startled by the appearance of the
western Sky. A dense bank Of dark
Blue cloud was rolling up rapidly,
Blowing out in ragged streamers, as
tt torn by powerful gale. Already
it was reaching halfway to the zen
18th, and the sun shone dimly through
reddish haze. In a few minutes
more this was blotted cut, and a
strange and chilly dusk fell upon the
earth. The horses were snorting and
stamping with fright. The storm de-
veloped SO rapidly that Matthews al
hrst had hardly recognized it's nature
But now the indications We're only
TOO clear. Twice in his fife he hat
seen tornadoes. They are not so com
mon in the middle west as upon thu
the plains, but veritable "twsters" de
occasionally sweep across that region
and it appeared afterward, in fact
that this was sort of offshoot Of tn,
cyclone that almost wiped out tn
town of Pike Springs on the same day
It was coming apparently straight to
ward Fayette, and Paul's first an,
natural inclination was to run 70
sume shelter.
He was not much alarmed for hi
swn safety until the thought of hi
wagonload of explosives occurred t.
him. The shock of the cyclone woul
certainly explode it. Should it go OF
where it stood, the resulting damag
would be comparatively slight; but i
would almost certainly be lifted fro1
the ground by the suction, and tn
ins of nitroglycerin dropped and ex
ploded all over the neighborhoot
They would certainly be carried to
ward Fayette, and the tornado itse
Eould be a comparatively minor peri
Matthews stopped and tried to thin
of something to do A hole in til
ground, cellar, would be the onl
safe depository for the dangerous GU
1t; but it struck him that the rayin
If Jackson's Creek might furnish
substitute.
The creek was small one, but
sg3 lowed at the bottom of a deep, ma
row rayine which it had cut throue
hard clay. If the wagon could |
placed in that gorge, he thought.
would be pretty certain to stay Their
md do nothing worse than blow l
ne creek-bed. But the creek was
mile away, in the direction of the OF
coming tornado.
Matthews did not stop, however,
think of his fate il he were caugl
halfway, or of the impossibility
getting the wagon safely down Il
precipitous sides Of the ravine shou
he reach it. He was used to taki1
big chances, and this seemed the on
one, big or little. He began to hitt
ap the horses with haste.
The animals We're growing more ar