The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1916-07-08

/ boiler room. then on through q dimly
| lighted and lowloofed structure or
pulleys and lathes. and from there to
the brighter lighted and higher rooted
metal room of the foundry itself.
There, beside glowing furnaces half
naked men toiled over incandescent
annealing boxes and cauldrons OF mol
ten metal, There gigantic track
4 cranes swung bowls OF liquid fire from
crucibles TO mold beds.
And there the harried Legar, be-
! wildered by the sudden bright light.
ran like a pelted hound down the
sandy paths between forge and coke
oven and cauldron crane There. see
ing his way blocked by q group or
round-eyed Lithuanians. he swung.
catlike. up into the iron network or
the cable bridges. with his pursuer
! still close at his heels. And there,
midway across that smoke-stained
roof, that echoed with the tumult OF
thunderous hammers and directly over
king cauldron OF molten steel. the
two men came together.
There Legar with his metal claw
hooked securely into the iron network
above his head. swung about and
faced HIS enemy And there, on that
grimy bridge high above the equally
grlmy workmen who left their FORCES
and lathes and cauldrons 10 witness
! the struggle, the two enemies. who
had so long and bitterly opposed each
other. found themselves face to face
for their final struggle.
Yet the man in tho yellow mask
seemed the cooler headed OF the two.
for as Legar struck snarling at his
face he ducked low on his narrow
perch and at the same moment
whipped his revolver from the side
pocket OF his coat Yet Legar. with
a movement equally prompt. kicked
viciously at the fingers clustered about
the gun-butt before the, weapon itself
could be brought into use. The next
moment that weapon fell with a hiss
and splash into tho lake OF molten
metal beneath them.
Then the struggle became one or
tendon against tendon. of straining
muscle against muscle. OF empty
handed mortal strength pitted against
mortal strength. There. like animals
OF the wild, high I'm some Amazonian
eyrie. the two strangely entangled
figures fought and struggled and
clawed and struck.
In the matter OF mere physical
strength Legar seemed TO have the
advantage. And what under ordinary
A
disability could now be turned to his
advantage For the iron claw at tho
end OF his right arm. hooked securely
into the network OF steel behind him.
held him there without EFFORT and
without strain. His opponent, on the
other hand. found Il no easy task TO
make sure OF his perch above that
ever.intimidating cauldron OF molten
metal His arm shook with the ten
sion imposed on his overtaxed mus
cles. His fingers became numb with
pain. threatening to lose their pre-
hensile power, and even as he fought
he weakened to realization that he
must change his hold.
IL was as he Unanswered TO bring
about this shift OF position that the
ever-watchful Legar. alert for the most
trivial advantage. saw his chance
Swinging his body suddenly free from
its footing on the narrow ledge or
metal where he stood, he pendulumed
towards his momentarily unstable OPP
ponent throwing his feet forward and
upward, as no did so. with all the force
OF a football player kicking double
punt.
The force OF this unlooked.for inn
pact was too much for the man in the
mask He tottered back, caught fran
tically at a soot-covered steel bar boz
side him, dropped the full length OF It's
diagonal course before he could make
sure OF his clutch, and came into VIC.
lent collision with the heavy iron
block OF crane ladle There. hall.
stunned by the blow, he fell sprawling
across a polished steel cable which
dropped fioorward between the block
and it's empty metal pot. He tried 10
clutch that cable as he fell but his
speed proved too great and his over
taxed fingers were too weak. As he
oiOhb III pOlAoupu INV
ever, II offered sufficient resistance to
carry his limp body beyond the peril
OF that open lake OF molten metal.
which, his frantic brain kept telling
him. meant death. And as he dropped
weakly from tho cable loop to a pile
Of molding sand lying between q cast
ing box and an empty spill trough. q
score OF watching mon gave utterance
TO a shout OF relief and a score OF
waiting hands were there to help him
to his feet
So intent were those astounded iron
workers on watching that perilous fall.
however, that they paid scant atten-
ton TO the second figure climbing spi-
derllke higher along the blackened
ironwork OF the blackened roof. They