Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1908-02-05

Leaning short ladder against
one boiler, climbed the rounds, UNI
til l could see over lis top. A rafter
lay directly across the safety-valves;
they wouldn't have blown of .at a
thousand pounds!
Perhaps my knees didn't wabble
as backed down that ladder, yelling
for Joe! In he ran from the engine.
, room.
Haul your fires, quick!' shouted.
pointing to the cages. He gave one
look, and his copper face turned a
notified gray. He jumped for the
lever which turns the CRATE over and
pulled It toward him. The two-foot
bed of hot Goals clattered into the
ash-pan.
Il hurried out through the engine.
room. Everybody must get away
from the factory at once. shouted
at the top of my lungs:
! ".The boiler may burst any min.
ute! Out of this for your lives!
"You can believe there was SIAM
pede. The workers dropped every
thing, and scuttled from the shop and
sheds, some SO badly frightened that
they screamed, others so much worse
frightened that they couldn't.
Il limped back into the boiler-room.
Boys and men in the second story
We're rushing helter-skelter for the
stairs. Crack! went a floor board.
For minute thought the whole
crowd was coming through on our
heads. Then heard them shutting
down the steps outside.
Gust as thought that all were out
I heard heavy feet running above. I'm
Gle Duke had at first thought OF jump
ing from a window, but had changed
his mind on seeing the way to the
stairs clear at last. He came on the
jump, landed on the cracked board,
and smashed through. The floor
caught him under the armpits, and
there he hung, kicking and yelling:
+ 90 boys, get me out! Take me
down before the boiler busts!'
"If 1t hadn't been for him. Joe and
I would have run that minute, for we
held our lives in our hands, But we
couldn't leave him hanging there
helpless, SO we began to rake out the
fires on the bricks. ] had forgotten
all about my sprained ankle.
"The ceiling was ten feet high, and
Uncle Duke dangled right over the
hearth, his heels on a level with our
heads. We worked like beavers, dodg-
ing his kicking legs. and paying no
attention to his yells for help. 1t
would have taken several minutes to
extricate him, and by that time prob.
ably either the boilers would have
burst or the danger would be over.
The needles climbed one hundred
and six-seven-e ight-would they
never stop! A boiler, like chain,
is no stronger than its weakest spot,
and at any second some rusted plate
might give way. All this time Uncle
Duke was yelling the bluest kind of
murder, and kicking his striped legs
back and forth.
I'VE hoed out the ash-pans until the
hearth was piled with glowing Goals.
The heat and gas came up round I'm
|-cle Duke. frightening him half out of
his wits He began to kick and yen
worse than ever:
Help! Murder!! Help! I'm roast.
Ing to DEATH
Keep quiet, Uncle Duke, keep
Quiet! I shouted. Well get you
down in little while
But that didn't comfort him. The
embers were too hot. No, NOT he
screamed Don't wait! I'm afire al
ready. I'll be burned to crisp in
Ave minutes!' ST
1T was no use trying to console
him; SO I gave 1t up. BY this time
we had the asn-pans clear. We grab
bed shovels. and began to carry the
Goals out into the yard. / looked at
one of the cages; it had dropped 70 a
hundred and seven! The boilers
were beginning to cool OF. But the
danger was by no means over.
"As Joe backed away from tho
hearth with a heaping shovel, ona
OF Uncle Dukes shoes caught him un-
der the ear just hard enough to stir
his temper and spill the Goals over
the wood floor. We had lively lime
getting them OF the dry boards.
aJoe's head was twinging from the
kick, and the Indian in him fared up.
He slapped Uncle Duke two or three
times With the fiat of his shovel.
" P'r'aps you like to put mother
tin in the fire-box now, said he Then
he dropped his shovel and started for
the door.
"'Joe! Joe!' i cried; but he would
not stop.
II began to work harder than ever.
Only a small heap of embers was
left. when suddenly the flames burst
out through crack in the floor. One
of the red-hot Goals had started FIRE
under the building.
The old shop was dry as finder,
could never put that fire out alone.
Uncle Duke would surely be burned
to death, for he was wedged SO tight
" that the factory would be blazing
before could cut him clear with my
pocket knife. What should do? 1
felt angry and bitter against Joe for
DESERVING me just when needed him
most.
"a figure darkened the door. Joe
had come back. In his hand was a
chisel. He had not intended to aban-
don Uncle Duke, but had simply gone
after something to cut away the floor
to get him down. He was white
Indian.
Together we fought out the fire.
Soon the Goals were all in the yard,
and the cages began to drop rapidly.
We went upstairs. cut through the
boards. and freed Uncle Duke. Then
the three of us made tracks for the
road
1t was half an hour before 1 came
back. BY that time the cages stood
4. z1z n