Putnam patriot., 1916-11-03

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 cier went out. at least in part. and the | ice began to fall. Down it settled.
 smoothly, swiftly until it rested once
 more upon the shores. It was still as firm as in midwinter and showed no sign of breaking: nor had it moved downstream a hairs breadth. 0'Nefl gathered his forces for the final un. slaught.
 On April the last of the steel for span No. 1 reached the front and cree ton was begun. The men fell to with vim and an enthusiasm impossible to describe. With incredible rapidity the heavy sections were laid in place. The riveters began their metallic song. The towering three bent traveller ran smoothly on is track. and under ii
 grew a webwor,1 of metal braced and re-enforced to witt tand. ia addition to ordinary strains. tl,a pressure of a hun
 lrel mile an hour wind. To those who looked on tae stru ture appeared to build itself. like some dream eliliee. It seemed q mi .raele thnt human hands could wori. that stubborn metal so swiftly and with SD little effort. But every piece had been cut and fitted carefully, then checked and placed where it was accessible.
 Now that winter had broken spring came with rush. The snows began to shrink and the drifts to settle. The air grew balmier with every day; the drip from caves was answered by the gurgling laughter of hidden waters. Here and there the boldest mountain sides began to show. and the tops of alder thickets thrust themselves into sight. Where wood or metal caught the sun rays the snow retreated. Pools of ice water began to form at noon.
 The days were long. too, and no frozen winds charged out of the north. As the daylight heightened so did the working hours of the toilers.
 On April IS the span was completed. In thirteen days Mellen's crew had laid 400 feet of the heaviest steel ever used in q bridge of this type. But there was no halt. The material for the second section had been assembled meanwhile. and the traveller began to swing 1t into place.
 The din was unceasing. The clash of riveters. the creak and rattle of hoists. the shouts of men, mingled in a per Sistent ear splitting clamor, and foot by foot the girders reached out toward the second monelith which rose from the river bed The well adjusted hu- man machine was running smoothly Every man lhew his place and the du- ties that went with it; the hands of each worker were capable and skilled But now the hillsides were growing bare. rills gashed the sloping snow fields. the upper gullies began to rum ble to avalanches-forerun of the process that would strip the earth of snow and ice and free the river in all it's fury. In six days 300 feet more of steel had been bolted fast to the com Plete section, and span No. ? was in place. But the surface of the Salmon was no longer white and pure; it was dirty and discolored now. for the de briS which had collected during the past winter was exposing itself. The icy covering was partially inundated also. Shallow ponds formed upon il and were rippled by the south breeze. Running waters on every side sang q menace to the workers.
 Then progress ceased abruptly. It became known that part of the mate rial for the third span had gone astray in its long journey across the eonti- nent. There had been a delay at the Pittsburgh mills, then a blockade i'll the Sierras; 0'Neil was in Omar at the end of the cable straining every nerve to have the shipment rushed through. Mellen brooded over his uncompleted work; Parker studied the dripping hills and measured the melting snows. He still smiled, but he showed his anxiety in a constant nervous unrest, and he could not sleep.
 At length news came that Johnny Brennan had the steel aboard his ship and had sailed. A record run was pre- dicted, but meanwhile the south wind brought havoc on its breath. The sun shone hotly into the valley of the Sal mon. and instead of warmth 1t brought chill to the hearts of those who watched and waited
 Twelve endless, idle days crawled by. Winter no longer gave battle; she was routed and in her mad retreat she threatened to overwhelm O'Neifs Aor- tunes.
 On May 6 the needed bridge mem bers were assembled, and the erection of span boAan. The original plan had been to build this section on the cantilever principle, so as to gain in- dependence of the river ice, but to do so would have meant slow work and much delay-an expenditure Of time which the terms of the option made impossible Arrangements had been made. therefore. to lay 1t on false work. as the other spans had been laid, risking everything upon the weather.
 As A matter of precaution the south ern half of the span was connected to the completed portion, but before the connection could be fully made the re mainder of the jam in front of Jack son glacier. which had caused so much trouble heretofore. went out suddenly, and the river ice moved downstream about a foot, carrying with 1t the whole intricate system of supporting timbers beneath the uncompleted span. Nasty measurements showed that the north end of the steel then on the false work was thirteen inches out of line.
 Ii was Mir. Blaine who brought the tidings of this last calamity to Eliza Appleton. From his evident anxiety