The Dolores star. [volume] (Dolores, Montezuma County, Colo.) 1901-current, 1917-10-12
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DID he hear the blind roar. did hs
zee the upbursting masses Of sodden
earth, was he conscious Of the fact
that the whole side Of the hillock had
been blown away. that the last explo-
sion had completed the shattering work
Of the frst-that they had succeededf
Did he mark the whiriing water. driv-
en- backward at FIRST BY the violence Of
the explosion. returning and rolling In
vast mass through the great opening.
did he go It plunging down the slope.
through the trees and bushes, and
pour thunderously into the bed of the
ravinef Did he see the tremendous
rush Of the water from the great lake
that man had created tear earth from
earth, and ever widen and deepen the
opening AZ It crashed in Q foaming, ter. I
rible. red cataract through the outlet.
striking down great trees. roaring. !
boiling wildly to the bottom of the
gorge far below3
No, he saw nothing. Broken. beaten
down by huge bowlder that had been
thrown upward by the explosion and
had struck him on the breast, ard
lying battered under rain Of smallH
stones and earth, he was as one dead
"By heavensm cried Winters In greS&
excitement on the crest of the hil0
'he's done 1t. He's saved the dauiy
that's mani" ]
"Don't You know himf' screamed
Helen Iliingworth in his ear.
"No." ..
'Meade!
Winters caught her BY the arm.
'He's dead" she cried high and
shrill, "but he saved the dam and the
bridge and the town. He's made atone
ment."
"Yes, yes; don't faint" cried Win
tiers. i sl
Faint! I'm going to him."
"How?"
'"The nearest way" screamed the
woman. letting herself down over the
cliff wall to the broken rocks, by which
only the hardy could reach the lower
level.
..
What of the dam below in the val
ley? ~.
'Hold 1t, men, hold It; for Gods
sake. hold it," shouted vandeventer.
rising from his crouching position
against the palisade to resume II
instantly he had spoken. "Keep 1t
up. IF 1t goes down. let's go down with
1t. HING on-hnng oni Well hold It
We aren't bent yet"
Broken words, nnths, protestations
curses, cheers. expletives in strange
languages from the polyglot mob Of
men burst forth. Even towards had
been turned into heroes because they
had fought by the side of men. Here
and there a man not weaker phys.
ically, perhaps. but less resolute, less
spiritually consecrated. less divinely
obsessed, dropped ont Of the rank that
pitted itself in furious, futile, but sub
lime fury against the wavering wall
Some Of them fell backward and lay
| still. Some had tainted and some OF
them were hnlf dead. A few here and
there sank down on the trampled, mud.
dy embankment and buried their heads
In their hands, sobbing Historically.
But most still blind, mad. sublime,
held on. And the palisade did not fall
It did not bend back any further.
The throb that told of the tremen-
dous pressure Of the waves, the culver
that experience could feel the prelude
to failure, began to die away, to stop.
What did 1t mean? The thunder grew
still, the rain diminished, 1t ceased, the
clouds broke. Some great hand, as Of
God, swiftly tore the black vault Of
the heavens apart. Faint light began
to glow over the sodden land. Through
the rift they saw dimly one great peak
OF mighty range. What had happenedi
"Here," said Vandeventer.
How white he looked, how haggard,
streaks Of gray in his black hair that
had not been there before, but his eyes
were blazing. He was still the indom
liable chief Of the Spartan band. The
nearest men gave him a hand. He
clambered up to his former vantage
point on top Of the highest log of the
stockade and stared down. The rise
OF the water had stoppedl He could
not believe 1t, yet 1t was true. The
rain had ceased again, but by every
natural law the drainage from the hills
would continue for some time In full
volume. Yes, by all rights the dam
was doomed. The water still trickled
through the palisades in many small
streams. That had been a gallant ef.
fort they had made, even If a vain one 7
For ten minutes he stood silent 4
hausted. Then he saw. The water
WINS not rising. No, 1t was falling;
only tribe. but enough. Presently II
had stopped altering through the re-
vetment. He looked back. Not a drop
ran on the other side Of the palisade.
Vandeventer knew that the water must
be discharging somewhere. The lake
must have broken through somewhere.
He only needed that hint to recall the