The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1904-04-07
IN ais sesfsrv-sGvGs.


half As much In width, the elevator rose
hundred AID nfiy feet 10 air Through tee
large doors IN the suda ran rsilroad-irscks
lrsding through the base Of The huiicing
Near the wooden onc-story cfioe, snass
lisg close 10 Ia immerse neiahbof, disas
ladder Of steel rouads, riyetsd TO the eide
Of The elevator, I'D sirsish. up TO the roof
To the north stretched the business pof
tion Of the city, 10 The south the gliiiciinx
hsrbor utroll,d its broad srpsnse. Hun
df.ds Of cars 80, a 10 the adloining freight
yard; AID At the docks below three long,
blsek ocean lin.rs. with tunnels bardtd red
AID white, snorod drowsIly through their
steam piper, while Into their yswning holds
the gram was pound by the exhsusil,ss
spouts.
Archie Braiihwait was student at .
business college 10 the city. His spare
time was largely spent 10 getting an idea
OF the d n rent industries Of the place.
| oa Wednesday ard Saturday afternoons
be had no recitatlons, aud TO these half.dsys
be looked forward with much pleasure. He
had sIr, ady glsi,,d d the electric.light plants,
he potteries, shoe factory and the roll
ing-nills.
The elevator came next on his schedule.
Every morning, when he went down to his
work, he saw across hslf-mile Of lower
roofs the colossal structure sgainst the
eastern tky.
Suggestive Of great transactions. II fssci
| mated the young man, aud II was with con
siderable satisfaction that at last, one Satur
day afternoon, he found himself In the
shadow Of the building, with pass from
its superinter dent giving him the freedom
Of the plant.
Before entering the elevator he stood for
few minutes, taking 10 the details out
side The huge steel ships, stretching
their ponderous length so peacefully In the
muddy docks, the high, sharp bows, with
their columns Of white draft. the
sailors swung on dangling stages, painting
the iron sides the shouts Of the steyedores
all combined to make the scene fascinat
Ing.
But time was passing Braithwalt turn
ed reluctantly from the whsrves, and pass
Ing through fearless 4 lcks Of English spar
rows, plump from fessting on the spilled
kernels, entered The door Of the elevator.
The n, xt two hours were Of absorbing in
terest. He explored the place from top to
bottom, until he Understood what was done
TO the grain from the time 1t was taken
from the cars until 1t was loaded on the
steamers,
Few men were Ia sight, ard no one asked
him for bis pass. Everybody was too busy
to be curious, and apparently took 1t for
granted that any stranger 10 the building
had good reason for being there.
It was cold in the building. Sudden
drafts swoopsd down from unexpected
quarters. The air was iIld with fine
powder, which strewed the floors. Duty
electric bulks lighted the semi dai kness.
Speaking ubes ran here and there.
There was a sound Of rushing grain; the
floors shook with the rumble Of machinery.
BY pressing Of button or lever all those 81
gsntic processes could be med II d or check.
ed.
Ia the course Of bis explorations Braith-
wait came to the "spout-noor, pierced with
numerous large holes. Here great movable
spouts OF iron conveyed the grain from the
gamers above into the bins beneath these
holes, which were fitted with hinged iron
covers. Some OF the covers were thrown !
entirely back, others, lifted to an angle Of |
more than sixty degees, were held up by
sticks. The student moved gingerly among /
Ihtm, for he had no inclination to test the i
black cavities. Far down the long, dusty
room, more than hundred and fity feet \
iistant, two men we're busy shifting the i
'pouts, but they paid no attention to him |
At the veiy end Of the fl)or was an open
pg, with stick propped cover, and painted :
IN the boards beside it, in black, dustcover- n
figures, Its number, ~. Il
Bfaith wait wondered II this bin was full Il
,nt ugh to allow him to see the top Of the 4
.rsin 1t contair ed He stopped down to i
,eer within. Utter blsckness met his gaze. h
How II happened he cannot tell to this day
,ut as be rose again hIa foot slid along the h
ippery 4 )or, and he shot downward into a
he pit. e
Az he passed through the opening he made b
N 10, n ctual grasp at its edge, but instead Fl
truck the stick that held the cover up II
DOWN II came, and while be still hung sus
ended 10 mid mir all light from above was v
olted out, and he was left In total dark h
ess. e,
The terrible sensalion OF falling that un
nown distance be never will forget. How h
ar beneath lin was the grains IL might cl
e ten, twenty, thirty, forty feet. Perhaps
be bin contained NO grain at all, In which h,
vent he would fall sixty feet before bis et
ones were shattered ON the hard timbers. In
'hese ideas passed like lightning through ~
is brain. Then with a shock the motion III
eased. He had fallen head hrtt, but turn
a half -somerssult on his way down, g. ec
ghtipg up to hi, knees 10 a yielding cub q
lance ihst br, Ike the shock OF the fall. He n
,und sfi.rsaid hat the distance could not i,
ave been more than twenty feet, but the Al
b al stisngeness Of the place, and the ter W
bile uncertainty as to when aud where be et
'ould brig up, made 1t seem three times
! great. 81
Brsl .bwsit's hrst feeling WAS one OF IN
that none OF his bones were n,
roken. With his thumb and for fioger be =,
lied the substance Into which be had fall :.
d. The kernels were small aud elliptical,
ID he knew that be was 10 bin Of wheat. n
vas absolutely dark; not the fsiniest n,
INNER from any source relieved the .
.spissn blsckness. The air WAS dry and :,
-. s,o,,, 6usf ard fhA odor Of the grain /,