Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-26
By
REX
BEACH
THE IRON TRAIL

Mellen and Parker They've begun
clearing away the ice on the upstream
side and driving new anchor piles
above They're going to fit tackle to
chem and yank the whole thing up
stream. l never heard of such thing.
but there's no time to do anything
else" He cast worried look at the
smiling sky. Il wonder what will
happen next This is getting on my
nerves"
Out on the river swift work was go
ing on. Steam from every available
boiler was carried across the ice IN
feed pipes, the night shift had been
reused from sleep. and every available
man was busted in relieving the pres
sure. Pile drivers hammered long tim
bers into the river bed above the
threatened point, hydraulic jacks were
put in place, and steel cables were run
to drum and pulley. The men worked
sometimes knee deep in ice water, but
they did not walk; they ran. In an
incredibly short time the prepa rations
were completed. strain was put upon
the tackle. and when night came the
massive false work had been pulled
back into line and the traveller was
once more swinging steel into place.
1t was a magnificent feat, yet not one
Of those concerned in it could feel con-
fident that the work had not been done
in vain. for the time was growing ter
ribly short, and, although the ice seem
ed solid, it was rotting fast.
After the southern half OF the span
had been completed the warmth in
creased rapidly. Therefore the steel
crew heightened its hours. The men
worked from o'clock in the morning
until IL o'clock at night.
On the 18th, without warning of any
sort, Garfield glacier began moving for
ward. 1t had lain inactive even during
the midwinter thaw which had started
its smaller brother, but that warm
spell had evidently had its effect upon
the giant. for now he shook off his
Iethargy and awoke. He stirred, grad
ually at first and without sound, as if
bent upon surprising the interiopers;
then his speed increased. AS the gla-
cier advanced it thrust the nine foot
blanket Of lake ice ahead of it, and
this in turn crowded the river ice
at the camp site on the first day was
only two inches. but that was suffi-
GENTLY serious.
The onset of Garfield at this time
was. Of course. unexpected, for no for
ward motion had ever been reported
prior TO the spring breakup. The &C
ton OF the ice heretofore had been
alarming. but now CONSERVATION
spread A panic swept the ranks of
the builders. for this was no short
lived phenomenon. This was the an
nuaI march of the glacier itself, which
promised to continue indefinitely A
tremendous cutting edge. nine feet in
thickness. like the blade Of a carpen-
ter's plane. was being driven against
the bridge by an irresistible force.
Once again the endless thawing and
chopping and gouging Of ice began. but
the more rapidly the encroaching edge
was cut away the more swiftly did it
bear down. The huge mass began to
rumble; it 'calved,' it split. 1t detonat-
ed, and, having finally loosened itself
from its bed. it acquired increased mo
mentum. AS the men with chisels and
steampoints became exhausted others
took their places, but the structural
gang chung to its perch above. aug
menting the din of riyeters and the
groaning of blocks and tackle. Among
the ablebodied men sleep now was out
of the question. for the ice gained In
spite Of every effort. 1t was too late
to remove the steel in the uncou3plet-
ed span to a place of safety. for that
would have required more time than
TO bridge the remaining gap.
PiIing began TO buckle and bend be
fore that irresistible push The whole
nicely balanced mass of metal was in
danger Of being unseated. Mellen
cursed the heavens in a black fury;
Parker smiled through white lips;
O'Neu ground his teeth and spurred
his men on.
This feverish haste brought its pen
atty. On the evening of the 14th.
when the span was more than three