The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-09-14

scribed as sandy and the cold blue eye
that goes With courage. He was hold
ing a half-stick of dynamite with
primer attached, and addressing John
Martin-Big Jack, as he was affection
ately called by the twelve hundred
metal workers who had been on strike
for better conditions in the shops and
foundries Of Rockport during weary
five months. Martin was a member of
the Executive or Strike Committee,
and Orrick was spy. Each day he
worked as strike-breaker in the
Rockport Foundry. and to play his
part endured the doggings Of the pick
cts to whom, of course, he was com
plote stranger, and who pursued him
TO end from mig boarding place with
arguments and spersuasions which
sometimes in their impetuosity cul-
minated IN gatling fire Of boisterous
bricks. At the same time Orrick faced
the chance that some fellow-workman
suspecting mis- genuineness, might try
the acid test Of a ladle Of molten metal
spilled down the back of his neck as
he worked. He was, therefore, man
who dared each day a double dole of
whose daily hazard was his daily
DIOhI- IlcIC6 IL was LHdL
President Bolan Of the Moiders' Local,
having an especially delicate and dan
gerous duty to be discharged, should
commit it to the iron-nerVed Orrick.
Just now Bolan, Martin and the rest
we're in a desperately savage mood
over the discovery of spy upon their
Executive Committee, a man to whom
the most private counsels Of the union
may ~ xuhA on
had mailed each twenty-four hours
since the strike began a detailed re-
port of all his ken to the Employers
Association. 1t was while the Presi-
dent of the holders Local was still
seething with anger and dismay over
this that, an hour before in this very
room, he had pressed into the hand of
Orrick the dynamite cartridge which
he had held up before the astonished
eyes of Martin as he entered the room
to keep an appointment with Bolan.
For two months the Rockport Ma
chine and Foundry Company had been
Iaboriously preparing for the casting
of huge low pressure cylinder, one Of
the most difficult and complicated
pieces of work ever undertaken in the
foundry. Twice before they had COM
pleted such a contract successfully.
But that was in the days of industrial
peace when John Martin, molder of
the highest skill and the most unfag-
ging ZEAL was the right-hand man of
the foreman and really more than any
other guaranteed the perfect cast
Bolan, with his spies IN every shop,
keeping all his information ducts wide
open and running freely, knew about
the big casting and its importance to
the foundry, knew that the mold was
finished all but the last touches, and
that tomorrow at two the cast would
take place. He knew that the Assist
ant Superintendent of the works had
almost slept with the mold night and
day, seeing to every detail, watching
the laying of every brick and the ram
ming Of every handful of sand, the
forming Of. the several gates through
which the metal would be poured from
the great ladies and the judicious ar
rangement of vents for the escape of
gases liberated during the casting, the
temporary confinement and subsequent
explosion of which would make waste
of the hundreds of hours of patient and
expensive labor to say nothing Of the
blow to prestige and consequent loss
of business which would come from
failure to make the time delivery
called for by the contract. Bolan knew
all this, and knowing 1t, had pressed
the small charge of dynamite into Or
rick's hand, saying:
Drop this down a riser in the mold
Just before the pour. Then stay SO
close when it breaks they can't suspect
you Of knowing"
The placing of the cartridge as d.
L. - IL al g.. a..
rick as he worked about the mold. But
beyond that complexities hurried in.
Some one would be suspected.
"of course" explained Bolan, you
could spoil the mold with just a-hand-
look ike an accident. / want them to
know we did it, but not to find out who
Ito set them crazy with suspicion Of
the whole shop. That'n make 'em close
down, more than likely. | don't care
how much they suspect the rest of the
gang. hope they suspect them all;
but ] want you to stick around so
close they'll never think you knew
there was a little stick of nitro in
there"
"And get my skin burnt as full of
holes as a bushel of doughnuts?"
queried Orrick, drily.
Likely" assented Bolan.
Pretty blamed likely!" declared Or
rick, emphatically.
"Oh, you'll get away with il" as
sured Bolan, casually. and then, know
ing how unwise it is to waste words
with subordinate when once an order
Il clear, he went out.
But Orrick was a thoughtful man,
and he was still bordering the scheme
when Martin entered, only Orriek had
moved to the window, and standing
with his hands in his coat pockets. one
of them grasping the smooth, round
stick of giant powder, gazed absently
out over the housetops, his mind busy
with a problem of conscience-for a
spy may have a conscience. 1t was
from the window that he turned and
asked the question with which this
narrative begins.
For what?" Martin asked sharply
his eyes blazing up with apprehension
and hatred as he saw the dynamite.
For destroying the big pressure cyl
inder at the Rockport Foundry an