The states-graphic. (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984, 1917-05-18
CIVIL ENGINEER

the fountains of the great deep were
broken open. What had befallen them
before was nothing to this. The hard
rain of the night seemed trifiing com.
pared to this avalanche of water. This
was cloudburst indeed. And to
make it worse, to make their task
harder, to render their efforts useless
the high wind roaring down the valley
piled the water up and drove it In
thunderous assaulting waves against
the great mound of earth on which the
men struggled and labored frantically
Vandeventer, shovel in hand-he did
not dare to throw 1t down, lest his &C.
ton be misconstrued-went from gang
to gang, from man to man, talking to
them, appealing to them, pointing out
weaknesses here and there, inspiring
them, holding them up as a man might
hold stricken line against the on.
slaught Of a victorious and overwhelm.
ing force. And against wind and rain
In that thick darkness, blinded by the
flashing lightning, stunned by the peal.
ing thunder, with zeal superhuman
they toiled on and on and on.
Back and forth went the chief, show.
ing himself a leader of leaders, and
wherever he stopped the fury and DIES.
peration of the effort to stem the tide
Increased. When he came plodding
along the muddy roadway to the part
committed to Meade he did not find
the engineer.
where's Roberts?" he yelled above
the noise of the storm.
Gle and two men have gone, SIR
"Gone?" cried Vandeventer, cut to
the heart at what he thought was q
desertion. SWELL" he shouted, reallz
ing there was nothing he could do then
and that he had neither breath nor
time to waste, there's more need for
the rest of US to take their places
He drew a man or two from the
other gangs to reinforce this danger
point and himself directed their work.
Now it takes time for water to rise
five feet, even in a cloudburst or q
succession of them. The rain constant.
ly seemed to increase as the wind
drove 1t on. Vandeventer knew that
the dam was doomed, that the sluice
and the half-finished spillway com.
bined could discharge only small part
of the flow, but he knew that he would
have two hours at least to work be-
fore the water could pass the crest,
undermine, and batter down the pail
side and begin to trlckle over. Just
as soon as 1t did roll over the top,
unless they could stop 1t, the whole
thing was gone. For those two hours
the supermen labored unremittingly In
the downpour with persistent and he
roic courage that should have been re-
corded in song and story but which
was not. 1t was remembered after
a while by none save a few. To the
many it was only "all in the days
work |"
The undersluice In the side of the
dam which would later serve as head
gate for the canal had been intended
to pass the smaller floods which might
occur during the construction and had
been open since the rain began. 1t
carried off q great volume of water,
but hopelessly little in comparison with
the flood. Foot by foot In the t0rren-
tlal downpour the water rose. At half
after eight 1t reached the level of the
splllway and commenced to rush
through in ever-increasing volume, but
the flow into the reservoir was far
greater than the spillway's capacity.
Still the sight of the rushing water
encouraged the men. Every one Of
them felt that If the palisade held the
discharge would be increased enough
to stop the rise, but at present the eff
feet was small. By nine o'clock 1t was
within a foot Of the top. They began
to measure its rise by inches. Although
the dam had been carefully kept level
as 1t was built, the trample of horses
and men, the present digging and palf-
sadlng and revetting had caused little
depressions. Now the water rose to
the level. Here and there it began to
trickle over
The raiE coming down from che
mountain tops was as cold as ice, yet
the men were in fever Of excitement
They had got their second wind. They
were too enthused, too desperate, 10
feel their WEAKNESS. They had not
worked before as they did Them II
was the last possible nervous outburst
with most of them. They could keep
II I'D q little longer-till they dropped
dead. AS the mad thoroughbred talis
in his stride on the track, pushed De-
You'd his power of endurance, as even
the common carthorse can be made u
go until he drops, so these men, whlte,
haggard, nervous, drawn-faced, swear
mineling with the rain on their soduen
bodies would 60 till they broke. They
had not quite reached that point yet
There were some five hundred heavy
cement bags which had been filled win
sand and piled up on the roadway al
convenient points. AS forlorn nope
as a last try. tandeyenter called al
the diggers and dilchers, and hewerS
and drivers. and babe them Tickle the
sandbags. The timber wall that rose
to four or five feet was now packed tC
a height of three with an unequal wal