Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-01-28


waters
BY o'clock in the afternoon Jimmy
Powers reported a rise since morning
of six inches
Tom" said Orde to the old river
man. I'm going to send Marsh down
for the pile drivers and some cable"
What in blazes do you expect to do
with rhat?' he inquired
1--WE may need them Orde stated.
with conviction. IF those logs ever
break through they'll go on out 10
Lake Michigan and wouldn't be worth
the salvage"
That's mighty long chance" North
commented.
If this drive goes out it surely busts
me-" replied Orde. land I'm not taking
even long chances"
A cloudburst I'm the China creek dis
trict followed by continued heavy
rains was responsible for the increased
water. The evening papers mentioned
this only Incidentally. Their columns
were filed with an account of the big
log jam that had formed above the iron
railroad bridge. The planning mills
booms had given "; : under pressure.
stream against the buttreSses.
Orde slept that night at the booms.
The water by morning had crept so far
up the piles that there began to be
danger that it would overflow their
tops. In that case. of course, the logs
in the booms would also run out.
Orde set crew of men to raising the
height OF the piling by tying logs firm
ly TO the bolted timbers atop. This
would take care of an extra two feet
Of water. two feet beyond all previ-
GUS records. Another crew stretched
the fifteen inch manila cables across
the field OF logs in order TO segregate
them into several units of mass.
About two hours later the pile driv
er moved up. The swing was opened.
and the men began TO drive clumps of
piles in such position as to strength
en- the swing when the latter should
be shut 1t was a slow job. Each pile
had to be taken from the raft at the
stern of the scow, erected in the car
rier." and pounded into place by the
heavy hammer raised and let drop in
the derrick at the bow.
Long before the task vas finished
the logs in the temporary booms had
begun to slide atop one another. 70
cross and tangle. until at last the river
bed inside the bOoms was filed with Il
Jam OF formidable dimensions. From
beneath II the water boiled in eddicS.
Orde. looking at it, reused himself to
sudden activity.
Get Il move on" he advised Cap
tain AspinwaH of the driver. If that
jam breaks OH us we want to be ready,
and if it don't break before you get
this swing strengthened maybe we can
hold her where she is. There's no
earthly doubt that those boom piles
will never stand up when they get the
full pressure of the freshet-"
The drivers crew labored desperate
ly. hosting the piles into the carriage,
tripping the heavy hammer. binding
feverishly the Clumps Of piles together
by means of cables.
Two Of the clumps had been placed
and bound when suddenly. with a roar.
the upper booms gave way. projecting
their logs upon the opening and the
driver
The half dozen members Of the crew
were scattered by the winds of panic
Two or three flung themselves on their
faces; one leaped into the river. Immi-
nent destruction seemed upon them.
Tom North, at the winch that oper-
ated the arm of the swing. however.
retained his presence of mind. At the
first sag outward of the boom piles he
set in operation the machinery that
closed the gate. Clumsy and slow as
was his mechanism. he nevertheless
succeeded in getting the long arm
started. The logs, rushing in back of
it. hurried il shut. Immediately they
damned again and hcaped up in a for
midable tangle behind the barrier.
Tom North. his little black pipe be
tween his teeth. stood calm. the lever
of his winch in his hand. A short
three feet from the spot on which he
stood the first saw log of the many
that might have overwhelmed him
thrust forward ITS ugly head. The
wash of the water lifted the huge pile
driver bodily and deposited it with a
crash half on the bank and half in the
water.
Instantly after the first break OrClc