The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1905-01-25

efectually strengthen the booms. In
the meantime the thunder heads had
slyly climbed the heavens. SO that a
sudden deluge of rain surprised the
workmen. For an hour it poured down
in torrents. then settled to steady
gray beat. Immediately the aspect
had changed.
Solly, the tug captain, looked at his
mooring hawsers and then at the near
est crib.
"She's riz two inches in tn last two
hours" he announced, "and she's rum
MIN like a mill race" Solly was a
typical north country tug captain, short
and broad, with brown. clear face
and the steadiest and calmest of steel
blue eyes. when she begins to feel
tn pressure behind" he went on.
there's goin' to be trouble"
Toward dusk she began to feel that
pressure. Through the rainy twilight
the logs could be seen raising their
ghostly arms of protest. Slowly, with
out tumult, the jam formed. In the
rear they pressed in. were sucked I'M
der in the swift water and came to
rest at the bottom of the river. The
current of the river began to protest
pressing it's hydraulics through the mar
rowing crevices. The situation demand
ed attention.
A breeze began to. pull offshore in
the body of rain. Little by little it in
creased, sending the water by in gusts.
ruffiing the already hurrying river into
greater haste, raising far from the
shore dimly perceived whitecaps. Be
tween the roaring of the wind, the
dash of rain and the rush of the stream
men had to shout to make themselves
heard.
Guess you'd better rout out the
boss" screamed Solly to Wallace Car
penter. 'This waters comm up an
inch an hour right along. When she
backs up once she'll push this jam out
sure"
Wallace ran to the boarding house
and reused his partner from heavy
sleep. The latter understood the situa-
ton at word. While dressing he ex-
planned to the younger man wherein
lay the danger.
IF the jam breaks once" said he,
nothing top of earth can prevent it
from going out into the lake, and there
1t II scatter heaven knows where. Once
scattered it is practically a total loss"
They felt blindly through the rain in
the direction of the lights on the tug
and pile driver. Shearer, the water
dripping from his faxen mustache,
joined them like a shadow. At the
river he announced his opinion. 1--WE
can hold her all right" he assured
them. at II take few more piles. but
BY morning the storm ii be over, and
she'll begin to go down again."
The three picked their way over the
creaking, swaying timber. But when
hey reached the pile driver they found
.rouble afoot. The crew had mutinied
md refused longer to drive piles un-
Ter the face of the jam.
IF she breaks away she's going to
bury u.s." said they.
"She won't break" snapped Shearer.
Get to work"
Its dangerous" they objected sui
emily.
"You get off this driver!' shouted
Solly. go over and lie down in a ten
lcre lot and see if you feel safe therep'
He drove them ashore with storm
# profanity and multitude of kicks.
lis steel blue eyes blazing.
There's nothing for it but to get
he boys out again." said Tim. 81
kinder hate to do it,
But when the Fighting Forty, half
sleep but dauntless, took charge of the
iriver catastrophe made itself
lnown. One of the elected men had
ripped the lifting chain of the ham
ner after another had knocked away
he heavy preventing block, and so
he hammer had fallen into the river
md was lost. None other was to be
lad. The pile driver was useless.
A dozen men were at once dispatched |
or cables, chains and wire ropes from
he supply at the warehouse
ITS part of the same trick" said |
thorpe grimly. "Those fellows have
heir men everywhere among us. l
ont know whom to trust.'
"You think it's Morrison & Daly?"
ueried Carpenter. astonished.
Think? | know it. They know as
7ell as you or l that if we save these
ogs Well win out in the Stock Elk
hange.s and they're not such fools as
D let us save them If it can be helped"
"What are you going to do nowP'
"The only thing there is to be done.
Ven string heavy booms chained to-
ether between the cribs and then
'ust to heaven they'll hold l think
-e can hold the jam. The water will
egin to flow over the bank before
ing, so there won't be much increase
pressure over what we have now,
nd as there won't be any shock to
ithstand | think our heavy booms
ill do the business
He turned to direct the boring of
'me long boom logs in preparation for
lie chains. Suddenly he whirled again
Wallace with so strange an express