The states-graphic. (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984, 1917-05-11
pViL thoIhEER
CHAPTER. XIV.
The Battle.

IL was now three O'clock In the
morning. In about half an hour the
men, naturally grumbling and protest
Ing at being deprived of any of their
sleep, were out and at work. Lanterns
were lighted everywhere. The rain
had fortunately not resumed, and the
air was soon filed with noise and con-
fusion. Men with axes were busy on
the hillside cutting the young pines.
Horses were hitched to the dump wag-
ons, the steam shovel began tearing
away the hillside. Some of the men
were detailed to knock down some
of the galvanized iron houses and the
battering of the hammers on the metal
added to the din.
Under Vandeventer's personal direc-
ton row of stakes was driven into
the top of the dam about three feet
from the front of ii. Big sheets of
overlapping galvanized iron were
nailed roughly to the fronts of the
firmly bedded stakes and the small
branches and brushwood were thrown
down before 1t. Bowlders and big
stones were carried out on the dam in
the wagons and thrown down on the
brushwood; spare timbers, broken
wagon beds, old wheels, joists of dis
membered houses were driven into the
earth to serve as braces behind the
palisade; a bank of earth was piled
up behind it, on which every man who
could be spared from other tasks, even
the chiefs themselves, labored with
breathless energy. The water was still
rising, although the rain had stopped |;
the natural drainage would cause that,
but the rise was slower.
At dawn Vandeventer personally
carefully measured the depth of the
water and gagged it again. 1t was a
scant six and half feet below the ton
Of the dam. If the water rose above
the top it was gravely questionable
whether the palisade would hold it at
all, yet there was no other way of in
creasing the depth of the spillway
enough to discharge the flood volume.
Working as hard as they could, they
had barely succeeded in raising the
earth bank back of it foot high.
They kept at 1t unremittingly, although
1t did not seem to be of much use.
Vandeventer, Stafford and Meade gath
seffifs t6geti1er and scanned the sky.
seeking to discern the signs of the
time, the purpose of the heavens. 1t
was clearer in the east. The clouds to
the northwestward were in violent ac-
ton apparently. Lightning flashed
through them and over the great range
itself; low, muttered peals of thunder
came down from the peaks lost to sight
in the blackness overhead They OBJ
served all this carefully and Vande-
venter turned away, shaking his head.
Il don't know" he began-the three
of them were over on the east side
the better to see up the valley-"it
looks pretty bad, doesn't it?"
~ uOCo, ulSWCIeu htuut, Whilc
Stafford nodded his head.
Sand, by the way, Stafford, have you
notified the town and the bridge people
of the danger and bid them prepare
for it?"
Il tried to telephone them a while
ago, but the connection has been bro
ken; the storm has played havoc with
the line probably" answered the as
sistant engineer.
swell, what did you do then?" asked
Vandeventer little impatiently.
II sent man down on horseback in
a hurry to warn them that If it rains
again the dam might go, and If it did
1t would go with a rush that the water
was now only six feet below the level,
and that they had better get up on the
hills. Of course, last nights rain must
have made the road almost impossible,
but he ought to get there by nine
O'Clock. told him to tell the Martlet
people to take whatever steps they
could devise to hold their viaduct and
their machinery" answered Stafford,
as he turned and walked toward his
own part Of the dam.
Good" exclaimed Vandeventer.
"There's nothing left for us to do but
keep on"
The resident engineer looked white
and haggard. Although it was cold
and raw in the wet air, he wiped the
sweat from his forehead.
"TlR men are doing splendidly, sir"
said Meade.
"Yes," said Vandeventer, "many of
them have their wives and children
back In the town. Some of the Ital-
ians have bought land on the prairie
and are going to settle here. They're
fighting for everything they've got on
earth. What do you think of the
chances of this palisade of ours?"
Meade shook his head.
cts all we can do, sir, but If the
water rises more than seven or eight
feet"
"Say it," said vandeventer.
"The dam. would go like a house Of
cards."
Exactly. And look at that cloud