The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-10-27

uraSOn-IleS as he pointed 10 a Tiny
button.
God, but I can't understand why
Thorne doesn't care to see this
he said again. Think of it, man
seven thousand five hundred
pounds Of powder and two hundred
of dynamite! A touch of this but
ton, flash along the wire, and the
fuse is struck. Then, four or five
minutes and up goes a mountain
that has stood here since the world
began. Isn't it glorious?" He
Strengthened himself and took off
his hat. Mr.. Rowland, will you
press the button?'
With strange thrill Rowland
bent over the battery, his eyes
turned to the mass of rock looming
sullen and black half a mile away,
as If bidding defiance in the face
Of impending fate. Tremblingly
his finger pressed on the little
white knob, and silence like that
of death fell on those who watched.
One minute-two - three-ffve
passed, while in the bowels of the
mountain the fuse was sizzling to
it's end. Then there came a puff,
something like cloud of dust ris-
ing skyward, but without sound;
and before It's upward belching had
ceased tongue of flame spurted
out of it's crest-and after that,
perhaps two seconds later, came
the explosion. There was a rum
bling and a Earring, as If the earth
were convulsed under foot; vol
umes Of dense black smoke shot
upward, shutting the mountain in
an impenetrable pail of gloom; and
in an instant these rolling, twist
ing volumes of black became luris,
and an explosion like that Of a
thousand great guns rent the air.
AS fast as the eye could follow,
sheets of flame shot out of the sea
of smoke, climbing higher and
higher, in lightning flashes, until
the lurid tongue licked the air a
quarter of mile above the star
tied wilderness. Explosion fol-
lowed explosion. some of them
coming in hollow, reverberating
booms, others sounding as II In
mid-air. The heavens were filled
with hurting rocks; solid masses
of granite ten feet square were
thrown a hundred feet away; rocks
weighing a ton were hurled still
farther, as II they were no more
than stones flung by the hand of
giant; chunks that would have
crashed from the roof to the base
ment of sky-scraper dropped q
third and nearly half mile
away. For three minutes the
frightful commissions continued
Then the lurid lights died out OF
the pail of smoke, and the pail it.
self began to settle. Rowland felt
a grip on his arm. Dumbly he
turned and looked into the white,
staring face of the superintendent
His ears tingled, every fiber in him
seemed unstrung. MacDOntld's
voice came to him strange and
weird.
What do you think of that, How
land?"
The two men gripped hands, and
when they looked again they saw
dimly through dust and smoke only
torn and shattered masses Of rock
where had been the giant ridge
that barred the path of the new
rode to the bay.
Rowland talked but little on their
way back to camp. The scene
that he had just witnessed affect
ed him strangely: 1t stirred once
more within him all of his old am
bition, all of his old enthusiasm,
and yet neither found voice In
words. He was glad when the din.
ner was over at Thorne's, and with
the going of the mail sledge and
the senior engineer there came
over him a still deeper sense OF
Joy. Now he was in charge; 1t was
his road from that hour on. He
crushed MacDonald's hand In
grip that meant more than words
when they parted. In his own cab
in he threw off his coat and hat,
lighted his pipe. and tried to real
ize Just what this all meant for
him. He was in charge--in charge
of the greatest railroad building
lob on earth--he, Jack Rowland,
who less than 20 years ago was q
barefotted, half-starved urchin
peddling papers in the streets
where he was now famous! And
now what was this black thing
that had come up to threaten his
chances just as he had about won
his great fight? He clenched MS
hands as he thought again OF what
had already happened-the cow
ardly attempt on his life, the warn
ings, and his blood boiled to fever
heat. That nIght--after he had
seen Meleese--he would know
what to do. But he would not De
driven away, as Gregson ana
Thorne had been driven. He was
determined on that.
Ito be eontinued)