The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1916-06-09

anneaiing boxes ahd cauiorons vi mo.
ten metal. There gigantic track
cranes swung bowls of liquid fire from
cruciDles to mold beds.
And there the harried Lesar, 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 group OF
round-eyed Lithuanians, he swung.
catlike, up into the iron network OF
the cable bridges, with his pursuer
still close at his heels. And there,
midway across that smoke-stained
roof that echoed with the tuDult OF
thunderous hammers and directly over
a king cauldron of molten steel. the
two men came together
There Legar, with his metal claw
hooked securely into the iron network
faced his enemy. And there, on that
grimy bridge high above the equally
grimy workmen who left their FORCES
and lathes and cauldrons to 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 the 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
movement equally prompt, kicked
viciousIy at the fingers clustered about
the gun-butt before the weapon itself
could be brought into use. The next
moment that weapon fell with hiss
and splash into the lake OF molten
metal beneath them.
Then the struggle became one OF
tendon against tendon, of straining
muscle against muscle, OF empty
handed mortal strength pitted against
mortal strength. There, like animals
of the wild, high in some Amazonian
eyrie, the two strangely entangled
figures fought snd struggled and
clawed and struck.
In the matter of mere physical
strength Legar seemed to have the
advantage And what under ordinary
circumstances might have proved
disability could now be turned to his
advantage For the iron claw at the
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 it 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
Giles. His fingers became numb with
pain, threatening to lose their pre-
hensfle power, and even as he fought
he weakened to a realization that he
must change his hold.
1t 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
it's footing on the narrow ledge OF
metal where he stood, he pendulumed
towards his momentarily unstable OPP
ponent, throwing his feet forward and
upward, as he did so, with all the force
of a football player kicking double
punt.
The force of this unlooked-for i'm
pact was too much for the man in the
mask. He tottered back, caught fran
ticaIly at a soot-covered steel bar be-
side him, dropped the full length of its
diagonal course before he could make
sure of his clutch, and came into vio-
lent collision with the heavy iron
block of a crane ladle. There, halt
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 to
clutch that cable as he fell, but his
speed proved too great and his over
taxed fingers were too weak. AS he
fell along it's polished surface. how
ever, it 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 the cable loop to pile
of holding sand lying between cast
ing box and an empty spill trough, a
score of watching men gave utterance
to shout of relief and 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-
der1ike higher along the blackened
ironwork of the blackened roof. They
caught no glimpse of him as he scram-
bled, sooty and painting, through the
roof itself Nor did any eye follow
him as he crept, gorillalike, along the
perilous slope of that roof until he
came to the end of the building. Along
this end he found lightning rod, run
ming from the peak of it's roof to the
ground. He promptly tested the
strength of this wire, satisfying him.
self carefully, foot by foot, by means
of one hand and an iron hook which
struck and chung to the metal with the
vicious tenacity of an eagles claw.
When he reached the ground, still
breathing heavily, he looked cautious.
ly about Then, making sure he was
not observed, he slipped into the shad-
ow of pile of iron ingots, once more
waited and listened, and then, crouch
ing low. crossed the foundry yard and
climbed the high board fence sur
rounding it. And moment later the
darkness of the night had swallowed