Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-05-10

They felt blindly through the rain in
the direction Of the lights on the tug
and pile driver. Shearer, the water
dripping from his fiaXen mustache
Joined them like a shadow. At the
river he announced his opinion. eve
can hold her all right" he assured
them. ut III take few more piles but
by morning the storm III be over, and
she'll begin to go down again."
The three picked their way over the
Z creaking, swaying timber. But when
they reached the pile driver they found
trouble afoot. The crew had mutinied
and refused longer to drive piles I'M
der the face Of the jam.
'If she breaks away she's going to
bury US" said they.
4 ''she won't break" snapped Shearer.
"Get to work"
tits dangerous" they objected sui
lenly.
s'You get off this driver!' shouted
:. Solly. go over and lie down in ten
acre lot and see if you feel safe therew
He drove them ashore with storm
Of profanity and a multitude of kicks,
MS steel blue eyes blazing.
There's nothing for it but to get
the boys out again." said Tim. II
kinder hate to do it."
But when the Fighting Forty, half
asleep but dauntless, took charge Of the
driver a catastrophe made itself
known. One of the elected men had
tripped the lifting chain Of the ham
mer after another had Knocked away
the heavy preventing block, and so
the hammer had fallen into the river
and was lost. None other was to be
had. The pile driver was useless.
A dozen men were at once dispatched
for cables, chains and wire ropes from
the supply at the warehouse.
It's part Of the same trick" said
Thorpe grimly. 'Those fellows have
their men everywhere among u.s. 1
don't know whom to trust
"You think it's Morrison & Daly?'
nuerfed Carpenter, astonished.
Think? I know it. They know as
well as you or that If we save these
logs we'll win out in the Stock Elk
change, and they're not such fools as
to let us save them If it can be, helped"
What are you going to do nowT'
The only thing there is to be done.
Well string heavy booms chained to-
gether between the cribs and then
trust to SVEN they hold. I think
We the 1am. The water will
Deeln ovek the bank before
halg, SO there won't be much increase
of pressure over what we have now,
and as there won't be any shock to
Withstand I think our heavy booms
will do the business
He turned to direct the boring of
some long boom logs in preparation for
the chains. Suddenly he whirled again
to Wallace with so strange an express
sion in his face that the young man al
most cried out The uncertain light of
the lanterns showed dimly the streaks
of rain across his countenance, and
his eye fared with look almost of
panic.
81 never thought of it." he said in
low voice. Fool that I am! 1 don't
see how missed it. Wallace, don't
you see what those devils will do
next?'
"No. What do you mean?" gasped
the younger man.
There are 100000 feet of logs up
river in Sadler & Smiths drive. Don't
you see what they'll DOR
mo. don't believe
Gust as soon as they find out that
the river is booming and that we are
going to have a hard time to hold our
jam, they'll let loose those 100000
on us. They'll break the jam or dy-
Mantle it, or something. And let me
tell you that very few logs hitting
fhe tail of our jam will start the whole
shooting match so that no power on
earth can stop it,"
II don't imagine they'd think of do
ing that" began Wallace by way of
assurance.
Think Of it! You don't know them.
They've thought of everything. You
don't know that man DAILY. Ask Tim.
He'll tell you.'
swell, the
give got to send a man up there
right away. Perhaps we can get there
Gil. time to head them off. They have
to send their man over He cast his
eye rapidly over the men.
81 don't know just who to send.
There isn't good enough woodsman
in the lot to make Siscoe Falls through
the woods night like this. The river
trail is too long, and cut through the
woods is blind"
With infinite difficulty and caution
they reached the shore. Across the
cleaning logs shone dimly the lanterns
at the scene of work, ghostly through
the rain. Beyond, on either side, lay
impenetrable, drenched darkness rack
ed by the wind.
IL wouldn't want to tackle it." pant.
ed Thorpe eff 1t wasn't for that
cursed tote road between Sadler &
Smiths wouldn't worry. It's just too
easy for them
Behind them the jam cracked and
shrieked and groaned. Occasionally
was heard beneath the sharper noises
a dull boom as one of the heavy tim
bers, forced by the pressure from its
resting place. shot into the air and fell