Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-07-14
ArI1nstrong S Pyramid.
By ALBERT w. TOLM!Al1.
ming by the end of the point in five
4. l-;l l.,

, ming by the end of the point in a five.
mile current, had drifted her away.
What was to be doneo Here were
four men, maroo1ed at three in the
afternoon on a sea-encircled bank
shrcuded in fog and with the water
rising rapidly about them. In one
hour. the shoal would be half GOV.
cred; in another the food would
have risen above the highest rocks;
in still another it would be swirlins
over them two feet deep. 1t required
no prophet to tell what the end would
be. That was the situation. How
could it be net?
Armstrong wasted no time in use
lessly reproaching the sentinel to
whose ca-elessness their perilous
plight was due, but he thought hard
There was little prospect of out.
side help. The fog prevented them
from being seen from land or from
any passing vessel. Still, it was
barely possible that by shouting to.
gether they might attract attention
and the lad determined to make the
effort before trying anything else
Explaining his plan to the others, he
grouped them cn the centre Of the
shoal.
Now all together!" ne cried; and
their blended voices blew westward
on the moisture-laden breeze
Again" And once more the loud
cry rang across the leaden water
"Again!" And for the third time
thei. voices pealed forth. They
waited few minutes, but there came
no answering shout, or welcome blast
from a fsherman's horn.
Its no use counting on help from
anybody else," said Armstrong.
We've got to depend on ourselves u
In a few words he outlined his
plan. A large part OF the shoal was
covered with small boulders, weigh
ing from twenty-five pounds upward.
1t was his idea to build Of these a
cairn high enough to give standing
room above the reach of the tide.
Was there time enough to do this?
They must make it euougn.
e "It's our only chance" said Arm
strong, as he threw off his coat and
vest and rolled up his sleeves. The
others followed his example
1t was necessary to give the pyra-
mid base sufficiently broad so that
its, top should allow them room to
stand on. There was not much more
than an hour for the collection OF
material, for after that only the sum-
NIT of the shoal would be- above
water. Here was problem in con-
struction that. called for no mean
skill on the part of the architect. II
too broad foundation were laid,
there would be neither time nor ma
terial to raise the pile high enough
to insure safety; on the other hand,
if the base were made too small, the
entire structure might topple over
before the strong tidal current that
secured tha. section of the bay. The
slightest miscalculation might prove
fatal.
The four toiled like beavers,
bringing boulder after boulder tc the
slowing increasing pile. It is safe
to say that not one of the city men
had ever worked harder in his life.
The boy made his assistants fetch
first the rocks lying at the edge OF
the water.
I'VE can't get these later, when
the tide is higher" he explained.
The outer wall he laid of heavy
stone, throwing the smaller frag-
ments into the middle. The pieces
were rough and slippery, covered
with barnacles and slime; and some
weighed so much that it took all four
to lift them.
why do we need such heavy
rocks?" said one of the laborers,
complainingly. You don't think
that our lives are really in danger
do you?"
"Wait and see." replied Sandy,
briefly.
All this time the tide had been
rising rapidly. At first it had been
impossible, because of the thick fog
to see the ends CT the shoal from its
summit; but now, SO diminished was
its size, the entire surface was easily
visible from the spot where they were
busy. A half-hour more passed and
the wavelets were tapping the base oi
the heap. Another thirty minutes
and the toilers splashed back and
forth, bearing their final burdens
through steadily increasing depth
OF water.
Drenched. slime-covered and pant
ing, with the skin worn off their fin,
geT-tips and their hands bleeding
from the sharp harnacles, they per
severed. until the last available rocA
had been secured. The pyramid wal
now more than six feet high, with q
summit something more than yard
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