New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1910-04-20
6be
Riyerrl man
By STEWART
EDWARD WHITE
Copyright. 1908. by the Mcclure Conn
pany. Copyright. 1907. 1908. by
Stewart Edward White
[coNTINUED.1


out. tits probably safe, but another
food might send it OUT
''The floods are going down." said
North.
''Good Lord, hope SOP said Orde.
NeWmark sent word that a sudden
at of sickness had confined him to the
house.
Now Orde decided to break out
channel through the jam ITSELF This
was necessary preliminary to getting
the logs in shape for distribution. An
opening was made in the piles, and the
rivermen, with pike poles and peavies,
began cautiously to dig their way
through the tangled timbers. The gov
eminent pile driver, which had finally
been sent up from below, began pac.
ing five extra booms at intervals down
stream to capture the drift as fast as
it was turned loose. The troubles ap-
peared to be quite over when word
came from Redding that the waters
were again rising. Ten minutes later
Leopold Lincoln Bum, the local re-.
porter, came tapping in on Randall's
old white horse, like a second Paul Re-
we're, crying that the iron bridge had
gone an6 the logs were racing idown
river toward the booms. "
''It just went out" he answered the
eager EXPLANATIONS of the men who
crowded around him. That's all
know. 1t went out! And the other
bridges! Sure! All but the Lake Shore!
Don't know why that didn't go out.
No; the logs didn't jam there-just slid
right underv'
THAT settles it," said Welton.
"You won't quit?" cried Orde
Certainly. You're crazyv' said Wei
ton, with some asperity. "1f they can't
stop a little jam with iron, what are
your wooden defenses going to amount
to against the whole accumulation?
When those logs hit the tail Of this
jam she'll go out before you can wink
It's sure death, and I'm not going to
sacrifice my men,"
Already the news was spreading
among the workers on the jams. Orde
saw the government driver below cast
ing loose from her moorings. A mo-
AAASAI fALS1 ACA Tug Lo"Su uSl away "
a side bayou Of safety out of the ex-
s'pected rush to the lake.
But we can hold herp' cried Orde
in desperation.
''It's no use, boy" said old Carlin;
'it's sure DEATH"
"Sure deathv Orde laughed bitterly.
"All right; sure death. then. Isn't
-,
tackle this sort of sure death with
me-"
I'm with you, And me-" said
North and the Rough Red in a breath.
''Goodw cried Orde. You, too,
Johnny Sims and Purdy and Jimmy
Powers? Bully boysv'
II reckon you'll need the tug" said
Marsh.
A dozen more of Orde's personal fol-
lowing volunteered.
We've got to close that opening first
thing" said he. Marsh, tow the pile
driver up there"
The opening was to be closed by
piles driven in groups of sixteen bound
together by chains. The clumps were
connected one to the other by a system
of boom logs and ropes to interpose a
continuous barrier. The pile driver
placed the clumps. while the tug at
tended to the connecting defenses
"Now, boys,' said Orde as his last
word. ''if she starts to go save your
selves the best way you can. Never
mind the driver. Stay on top"
Slowly the tug and her consort nosed
up through the boiling water.
"Work fasty' Orde called to the
men on the pile driver. If we can
close the opening before those Redding
logs hit US we may be able to turn
them into our new channel"
He did not add that if the opening
were not closed before the jam broke,
as break it would in a very few mo-
ments, the probabilities were that both
pile driver and tug would be destroy
ed Every man knew that already.
Tom North ordered a pile placed in
the carriage. The hammer descended.
The work went forward as rapidly as
possible. Four times the jam shrugged
and settled, but four times it paused
on the brink OF discharge. Three of
the c1umps had been placed and bound
and fifteen piles Of the last clump had
been driven.
zone more pilep' breathed Orde.
The hammer ran smoothly to the top
and fell A half dozen times more it
ripped. Then heavy chains were
thrown around the winch, and the
steam power began to draw the clumps
together.
'sDoner' cried Tom North.
North unmoored, and the driver
dropped back with the current. The
tug churned forward to accomplish the
last duty Of binding the defenses to-
gether by means of chains and cables
Two men leaped to the floating booms.
Orde and the Rough Red set about the
task They worked from either end to-
ward the middle. When they met Orde
- - L = L 1, - L.