Middletown transcript., 1909-11-06
) SAVING THE DAM
BY ALBERT ". ToLMAN

mAHtE0 HOOK CatStuA tU0A ~ e1G A0y L
log 80 that he might know is when he
came behind il. Then he leRI ed hur-
riedly down the bank. There was good
two feet between the falling water and
the Shiny wood. CAREFUL not to get his
caught in the smooth, iFEesls-
tible food, he reached under as fer ss be
dared, and struck one Of the pork-hooks
deep into g horizontal log in the dam.
Then BIZ ldlng fast TO its handle. he swung |
himself into the tunnel, sticking the |
spikes OF his shoes into another log hte |
feet below. II
The front wall Of the dam was formed |
Of horizontal logs, about foot thick, aud |
from twenty to twenty-five feet long, their |
faces hewn fat. Between them ran
spaces about fourteen inches high, broken |
every four or five feet by the butts OF |
cross logs, projecting slightly beyond the
face of the wall. Slime, moss, tufts Of |
dead grass, and occasional jets Of water
appeared along the surface Of the wood.
From butt to butt Martin made his
way as fast as he could. Without the
sharp iron hooks and spiked shoes he
could not have gone a yard along tue
slippery logs.
Il was damp, chilly place, filled with
sudden blasts. The Water-arch, only a
few inches from Mart's head, seemed
made of amber-colored glass, so unvaFy.
ingly did it preserve itsshape. Although
the sun was shining brightly against it,
only q subdned yellow dimness filtered
through.
Now a leaning stick broke the smooth.
ness of the fall. Here Mart had TO pass
through q sheet of water. As he
ducked it, he narrowly escaped beng
swept down. Once on the farther eida,
gasping at the chill immersion, he stop-
ped 30 regain his breath, sinking his
sharp steel fingers deep into the rot
ting wood.
Several yards ahead black trunk
leaned almost upright agains, the dam.
The lad felt sure it was the key log.
As he hooked himself along once more,
he realized bis peril strongly. The
whole mass was viberating. II it went,
it would 60 all at ouce. Could he do
his work in time to avert the catastrophe?
Very carefully he crept on until he reached
the log, directly in tile center OF the dam.
1t was comparatively light there. De-
hected BY the raft above, the wa:er-cur-
tain had thinDed aud whitened, Mart
Il IAkAlb VIC lbbO . BtONiGC VI thC
| dam; he planted his left shoe on 9 slip
perry crest Of ledge foot under water.
Then unslinging his tools from his neck,
he set TO work with saw and hatchet on
the obstructinR trunk.
There was no time to waste. The dam
would hold just SO long, perhaps hours,
perhaps minutet-hoW many Mart did not
know. It would AXE jnst SO long to cut
the log through. Ii was question which
would hold out longer, tine log or the dam.
Mart hacked and sawed with all his
might. II was hard place to work in.
He could not use his full strer 9Th for fear
that he might loose his footing.
Suddenly, above the roar of the river,
Mart's straining ears detected q slight
cracking. Slowly at first the top of the
spruce bent ont. Dropping his hatUhet,
Mart sprang in toward the dam. and
Aattened himself against the cobwork.
The next few seconds would decide
whether or not be was to have chance
/ TO fight for his life.
Then, pressed straight by the tremen-
i dous mass pushing against it, the trunk
broke short off.
With the rumble OF q hundred freight
trains the river began pouring a solid
mass Of water and logs over the dam. 1t
was deafening. At first Mart could do
nothing, think of nothing but of clinging
/ where he was. His reason seemed to be
beaten down by the tremendous avalanche
sweeping over his head.
At last his senses came back, Delay
was useless. He was no safer there than
he would be at any other spot. It would
take hours for the logs to pass down; and
long before that bis strength would fail.
At any second, too, come sharply drop
ping trunk m ght brush him of like q
/ spider or crush his skull.
He now felt the reaction from his in
tense effort. Bathed in perspiration
from bis choppiDg, he shivered at the
chill. A long end just grazed his shoulder.
He had done all in his power to save the
dam; now he must look out for himself
He began to swing himself back.
The water curtain was no longer smoo b
and yellow. Thick, turbid, broken by
log after log, it was far more dangerous
than before. Mart hugged the dam
close, fatteniDg himself against its lace.
This was the only thing that saved him.
He was drenched again. Time after time
he felt the wind from the falling trunks.
It seemed almost impossible that he could
escape.
Brighter and larger in the dimness
ahead grew the triangular patch that
marked the tunnel end. At last it was
only twenty feet of. Mart felt that his
perils were almost over.
Then, without warning, down came a
small log, and struck him glancing blow
on the back. The shock tore his left
hand from it's hook. But a little more,
and his right would have been torn away
also, and he would have dropped into the
deep water boiling under him.
For two or three seconds, throbbing
| with pain and weak from fright, Mart
hung by one hand, clawing with the other
for the handle of the pork.hook. At
last he regained it. He looked Iongingly
at the sunlight beyond the tunnel end.
1t was hard to fail now, with safety al
most in his grasp. Summoning every
grain OF his resolution, be moved slowly
] onward, crawling snail-like over the rotten
logs.
A red sweater glimmered before his
eyes. One Of the drivers had come down
to peer under the water.curtain. He
4 SAOuSS01 ao uO COW bLO piuCAJ UOy Clll0Us
ing toward him. The cry put fresh vigor
in Mart's wearied limbs. Foot by foot be
crept along the dam toward the growing
light.
The man disappeared. A minute later
he was back with rope. Mart's tired fn-
gers refused to cling longer to the hooks.
Five feet from the end be stopped, swayed
back, dropped.
With a cry Of encouragement the man
flung him the line. Mart caught its end
just as his body felt the clutch Of the
current; and his rescuer drew him in to
safety. Soon he was leaning back in a
chair in Tom Marks chamber, with
Doctor Wedderburn working over him. y.
Below on the river bank, John Marks
| fdgeted about, now looking at his logs
passing smoothly over the dam, now
stealing glance at his brothers. gaunt
figure in the window. He wanted to 20
up to see Tom, but pride held him back.
Presently the door opened, and his
sister Sarah and Doctor Wedderburn
came straight down toward him.
"John, said Sarah, awon't you come in
and speak to Tom? know he'd be glad
to see you.
With very red face John awkwardly
followed the two up to the house.
Here, sick man." cried the doctor,
1--WE brought caller for you r.
sn4t = 49,