New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-10

would place them in the guides and work like
fiends to get the log where the first stroke of
the hammer would start it into the sand. VII
brating like a fiddle string in the grip of the
current. the big stick would be forced into place
Work at night the pile drivers the trestle
was dangerous. for in the darkness. with the
structures swaying and shaking. nothing less
than the surefOotedness OF cat made the work
ers safe. A number Of men did fall off into the
raging. yellow food but only two were drowned.
Once the trestle was nearly completed. and
Colonel Randolph felt that he had the situation
under his control. But heavy rains in Cali
fornia delayed the trains that were bringing
necessary material. the river swooped down
upon mis- work of many days. and it went down
like a garden paling. Again the trestle was
ready for the dumping Of rock, when a cold
rain came on. and the men would not work.
Buster, persuasion, command were Of no avail.
They would not go out into that pelting cold
And the river sang its way and carried with
it track and trestIe and piling, and when the
rain ceased Colonel Randolph began once more
at the beginning. Once again, all that
necessary to win the battle was few hours Of
time in which to unload hundred so cars
of rock. which would crush down the drift lodged
against the piing and hold the structure safely
against rising current. But there had been
transforms in Arizona. and the ella River came
rushing down. higher and swifter and with more
drift than ever. And once more il was neces-
sary to begin again.
1t has been the ella River indeed. that has
made all this latest trouble. The winter rain
storms in Arizona have swollen that river to an
unusual height and carried down its turbulent
current vast masses Of drift But finally the
rock dumping began. and from that moment
success was assured
A writer in The Worlds Work for March
describes the risky work of dumping the rock
in the following graphic language:
The supreme moment OF the conflict had ar
rived The dam WAS constructed from both
banks, advancing to meet in the middle of the
river. a sidetrack had been put in opposite the
upstream side Of the gap, so that three or four
trains could be unloaded al the same time. As
the ends approached the water kept rising.
and its velocity ever Increased. Water weighs
slKty-tWO pounds cubic foot, and when run
ming at high speed its force becomes one of the
most formidable in nature.
The central gap was narrowed to a width
of 375 feet. The rage of the water had been
increasing for several days. and il had been
issuing low, subdued voices of anger, but on
this Saturday evening il began TO roar Every
man heard the OminOus sound. The electric
lights were turned on. lighting up the bronzed
faces Of the CaucaSians and the swaTthy feat
ures Of the Indians Of seven tribes. Not face
displayed a trace of fear although the danger
was real These men mad to mount 10 the tops
or cars loaded with loose rocks. many weigh
ing more than five tons each and go out on long
trains trestle to the middle of the river
directly over and not far above terrific roar
ing rapids struggling % crush the dam. None
knew but that the tTestle would give way and
bring certain death to all. The roar of tn. food
was enough to strike terror into strong minds
sut the features of the engineers were set; the
word OF command was given Instantly the
trains moved out to the gap. Co" was
shouted. and then began a hail of rocks, and
the battle on. The insulted river howled
and dashed itself into a fury of rage. The water
hurled scOrn at the locomotives in hoarse roar.
and the steam Kissed defiance and derision at
the rapid water. Then whole trainloads of
coarse gravel rained down into the very jaws
OF the flood. Entire trains were emptied at once.
for the gravel cars all had doors suspended
on hinges The sides OF the trains dareG out
dropping thousands OF tons at the same instant,
Tor had one carload been dumped slowly by
shoyelliuX tbs gravel would ali have been