davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17

the hand of God. There was no more
room for engineering expedient. 1t
was chop and hew, break and pound,
dig and drive, carry and pile. Throw
ing off his coat, Vandeventer seized
spade and began to work like any
other laborer, and the rest Of the
higher men followed his example.
At six o'clock the blackness hanging
in the northwest began to turn their
way. 1t was coming down the noun
tain. 1t was headed for the valley.
Vandeventer saw it, every teamster,
every common laborer saw it. 1t was
coming. Unless heaven itself inter-
fered there would be more rain. They
had worked desperately before, but
now they applied themselves to their
tasks with kind Of wild fury. A
sort of insanity took possession of
them. They would not be beaten. They
cried, at first shrilly and then hOarsely
and raucously, encouraging words and
phrases from one to another; in words
vivid, profane, desperate. They stood
there and they heaved and dug and
piled and hammered and hurled and
drove fiercely. 1t was battle mad
ness that came into them. They saw
red like the berserker Of old. Yes, it
was not unlike battle in other ways,
for with the rush Of the northwest
storm came roaring mighty thunder
and vivid and terrifying lightning. 1t
was as If great darts Of light literally
were hurled by some gigantic hand be-
hind the black screen of sweeping
cloud down upon the granite noun
tains. They saw splinters Of fire where
the thunderbolts struck. The pealing
of thunder was appalling.
Their frail palisade backing was not
half completed. 1t must be raining
somewhere, for the water was still
slowly rising. 1t was five and half
feet now from the crest. 1t was hope
less if another rain fell, and the rain
was coming. There was an added chill
in the still air of the valley as the
storm drove down upon them. A few
of the fainter hearts flung down pick
and shovel and ak and stood craven.
Oaths, curses, blows even, from those
of the Drawer sort shamed them into
work again. These brave hearts and
true might be swept away with the
dam if it gave way, but they would
not give up, and no man working with
them should flee his task or shirk his
duty. By the living God, whose sport
and plaything they seemed to be, they
swore it; and so weak and strong,
bold and timid labored on-desper-
ate, resolved, godlike in their cour-
age and persistence.
The clouds were moving swiftly
now. To the east it had been clear,
but now it was also black, and then
with roar greater even than
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17


In the blackness overhead. They OBJ
served all this carefully and Vande-
venter turned away, shaking his head.
II don't know" he began-the three
Of them were over on the east side
the better to see up the valley-Tt
looks pretty bad, doesn't it?"
| 1T does" answered Meade, while
Stafford nodded his head.
"And, by the way, Stafford, have you
notified the town and the bridge people
of the danger and bid them prepare
for it?"
II 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 them" asked
Vandeventer little impatiently.
81 sent man down on horseback in
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.
'The men are doing splendidly, sir"
said Meade.
eyes," 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.
Its 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 house Of
cards."
Exactly. And look at that cloud
bank over there in the northwest. It's
spreading"
"What wind there u.s." said Meade,
moistening his finger and holding it
up to feel the direction, "is blowing
the opposite way down here, but you
can't tell what is happening up there.
Well, all we can do Is to fight on"
And fight they did. 1t was almost at
first sight like the hand of man against
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17
Just Enouuh.

Mandy, who was a housemaid and
black, arrived late to begin her duties
one morning and her mistress inquired
as to the cause Of delay.
"Ts sorry, Miss Clara; indeed is !"
stated Mandy. "But I jest natchelly
couldn't got here no sOOner'n whit is
got here. / been at the party give by
the Sistern Of the Mysterious Ten at
the Guild Odd Fellers' hall, right up
the street. They started In dancin'
and carryin' on last night and they's
still in full swing. You never seen so
many folks packed in one little hall in
all yore Dawn days; and right now, eff
you'll poke yore haid outen yore side
winder you kin hear them folks whoop-
in and laughin', and hear the orches-
ira playin'."
wasn't 1t rather tumultuous, Man
dy" asked the lady Of the house.
ooh, nomep said Mandy. Hit
wuzn't bit too mulchous-jest about
mulchous enough !'-Saturday Evening
Post.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
oLOW is MOST ANCIENT TOOL
Has Been Used by Man Since He First
Attempted to Make the Earth
His Servant.

Three very ancient implements have
been used In human industry-the
pillow, the sword and the pen. Of the
three, the oldest is the pillow. A his
tory of the development of this ag-
ricultural tool would take us back
through centuries to the time when
man began to subdue the earth and
make it his servant. Thousands Of
pillow models are now to be seen in the
patent Office at Washington. These
tell us what has been done by invent
ors in recent years, but there is long
story back of these plows.
From his study Of Babylon brick,
in the museum Of the University Of
Pennsylvania, Doctor Clay concluded
that he had found a true picture Of
the first pillow, which was invented by
Abraham. For his proof that Abra-
ham was the inventor of the pillow,
Doctor Clay refers us to the "Book Of
Jubilees," which was published in the
second century B. G. This book says
that the Babylonians were punished
because they had yielded o''satan,
and that the form Of their punishment
was that the ravens came and ate up
the grain they had sowed in the fields.
Abraham devised an instrument that
should SOW the seed in q furrow, in
order that it might be covered up so
that the birds of the air could not eat
it. The apparatus shown on the an
cient brick is a sort of combination
pillow, planter and harrow. 1t required
three men to operate it. When the
people sowed according to Abraham's
commands, they feared neither the ra-
vens nor the birds. Whatever the
value of the story in the Book OF
Jubilees," the brick, at least, gives q
picture Of perhaps the most ancient
tool used by man.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17

within 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 pail
sading and revetting had caused little
depressiOns. Now the water rose to
the level. Here and there it began to
trickle over!
The rain coming down from the
mountain tops was as cold as fee, yet
the men were In fever of excitement.
They had got their second wind. They
were too enthused, too desperate, to
feel their WEAKNESS. They had not
worked before as they did then. 1t
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17
CHAPTER XIV.
The Battle.

The Battle.
1t 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 1t. 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 it. 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; bank Of earth was piled
up behind 1t, 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 it unremittingly, although
it did not seem to be Of much use.
Vandeventer, Stafford and Meade gath
cred together 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
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17
When Novels Were Really Long.

Though William De Morgan wrote
some of the longest novels Of recent
times, his efforts were conciseness it.
self compared with the works Of some
of the seventeenth century romances
Mile. De Scudery's once famous story,
LIE Grand Cyrus" for instance, fills
five folio volumes of 500 pages each
in the English translation; and her
contemporary, La Calprenede, was
even more diffuse, his Cleopatra" run
ming into % volumes. The leisurely
methods of the early novelists is well
illustrated in "Parthenissa," by Roger
Boyle, earl of Orrery, in which the
eight hundredth page finds the two
chief characters still engaged in the
process of introducing themselves tt
each other, begun on page one.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17

ton. They could not establish It In the
public mind by any evidence at all II
Meade and Shurtliff remained silent.
If either one or the other of the two
conspirators could be brought to tell
the truth, Meade could be restored, at
least sufficiently so for the purpose of
argument; the argument that Helen
Illingworth sooner or later must make
to her father. 1t was that to which she
gave the most thought, it was for that
she planned and lOnged.
Two people cannot resolve, even by
mutual consent to dismiss from their
daily thought and conversation any
subject whatsoever without introduc-
ing in place of 1t certain constraint.
1t is as futile to attempt to dismiss
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17
Old Stuff.

"a scientist can take one bone ant
reconstruct dinOsaur."
"That's nothing. Our landlady ca
take one bone and reconstruct dir
charlottesville Courier-Jourpal.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17
Position.

"What is your old enemy's position
In this crisis?"
81 don't know exactly" replied Sena-
tor Sorghum. "But whatever his posi-
ton is, it pays good salary, or he
wouldn't accept t."-Washington Star.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17

History spends half It's time repeat
ing itself and the other half In get
ting itself revised.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17

Following collapse
the old mans sudden death
Meade takes the blame for the dis
disappears his home New
southwest job under the of Rob-
Meanwhile Helen
nngworth old friend quiet
his whereabouts
particularly hold of letter written by the
responsibility
had the old devoted private
This namen with the threat Of
through flood ing by cloudburst.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-17
University of NOtTe Damn

NoTRE DAME, INDIANA
Offers Complete Course In Agriculture
Full courses also in Letters, Journalism,
Library Science, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Medi-
cine, Architecture, Commerce and Law.
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-28
Vets OF BASKET
GAME TO TAKB0N
WARRIORS OF II
III. TEr'iUN '7 T' g
Alumni nj. and am a High School Team an
Clash at Gym Friday 40"
= Niuht.

Veterans of past years of glorious
basketball conquest for the Bismarck
high school will seek tonight at
the high school gym to prove to the
youngsters of the 1917 team that there
are some things they do not know
about the game. The annual alumni
high school game always is looked
forward to with interest. Tonight's
contest promises to be exceptionally
exciting, because of the high standard
established by the 1917 team and for
the reason that the alumni includes
many veterans who have not been out
of the game long enough to lose their
cunning, and who, in their high school
days, we're among North Dakota's star
players.
The alumni will line up as follows:
Peck, member of Shattuck's first
team in 1916, right forward; Reuter-, a
star on st. Johns team this year, left
guard; Webb, also one of the strong
men in St. Johns current basketball
lineup, center, playing the same posi-
ton which he holds on the college
quint; Walsh, who plays with Creton
high at Minneapolis, sub; Berwman,
now on The Tribune force, and an old
Co. A star, left forward; Clifford a
mighty man in his high school days,
right guard.
A big crowd is looked for.
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-28

the Burleigh county board Of COM
missioners and by Director Cooper.
Burleigh is fortunate in having quick
action on it's request, as frequently
year or more is required, SO general
has become the demand in North Da-
kota for better farming agents and so
limited the supply. Mr.. Brander prob
ably will have an office in the county
building. He intends to spend the
next few weeks getting acquainted
with the county, and it's people and its
soil. 4, His, first, official acts will con-
sist of aiding the Missouri Valley
Poultry association with its big annu-
al. corn, alfalfa and poultry exposi'
tion," to be held in the basement Of
the Northwest hotel, January 9 10 and
II. Indications point to this as the
best exhibit ever held in the state.
Conditions this year have been fav-
orable to poultry, and more farmers
every year are engaging in the in
dustry. Mandan and Morton county
have promised unusually large exhib-
its, and the Morton county commits.
sion has appropriated literally for
prizes
Mr.. Erander also expects to immed'
lately interest himself in Burleigh
countys seed and feed" problems,
which, while not SO pressing as in
other parts of the state, neverthe.
less require some prompt attention.
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-28
BISMARCK BOY TELISH0W IT
FEELS TO Be T0RPED0EDBY
+ GERMAN SUB IN MID-0CEAN
Fred Varney one of the 80 Men Saved from American Steamer
Relates OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Escapes but Black Tom
Cat-Patro| Boat Scared Germans Away

any event, the German lost interest in
US, submerged, and we saw no more
of him.
1.-THE patrol boat, French craft,
came up and took us off, and later
chaser We were only eight miles off
the coast, and were Immediately land
ed at Cape Tenes. There we were ia
ken in charge by the French COM
mander and his wife, who looked af
ter the immediate needs of members
of the crew who had left the boat
with insufficient clothing and saw that
we were fed and comfortably housed.
They showed US fine hospitality, and
plainly were glad to do everything
they could for Americans.
1.-THE following day we went across
country in bus to Orleansville, a rail-
road point, and thence by rail to Al
gers, where we reported to the Amer.
lean consul, A. l.. frost. He supplied
us with more clothing. We almost
felt, when we saw the American flag
flying over his office, that we were
on home soil again.
Az AISClIS VIC CllDdl NCN III q
French transport for Marscillcs. We
had about 700 Arab soldiers on board,
and majority of them, because of the
cdowded condition of the transport,
were required to sleep on deck. A
hurricane came up during the night;
the decks were almost constantly
awash. We had to stand off the
breakwatcr at Marseilles all day No.
vember &c, the sea being too heavy to
permit us to enter. | remember that
day especially because it was my
birthday At 'Marseilles we again Wis
tied the American consulate, where we
we're promptly fixed up, and the
next day we left for Bordeaux, arriv-
ing just in time for Thanksgiving day.
We sailed from there on the La Tour
ainc, a French liner, Dec. 3, and
reached New York, without incident,
Dec. A.
After the first of the year Mr.. Var
ncy returns to Duluth to resume his
position with the Lake Superior Elcc-
trio Co., in whose employ he sailed
with the Schulkyll, formerly great
lakes steamer, which was equipped
with the company's patented electrical
steering device. Whether he will
again go to sea he does not know. He
is unmarried, and anticipates an early
call for service in t:le national army.
He has seen enough of the results of
war to thoroughly agree with Sher-
man, but he is ready to do his bit,
and his nerve is not shaken in the
least. .. -..,a.
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-28

we'll as facilities will be pooled this
system can be pursued to an extreme
limit, officials pointed out today, with.
out endangering the revenue of any
line Earnings will be pooled and paid
out on the basis of pre-war returns.
regardless Of how much freight a
railroad actually moves.
Loss Of Efficiency.
Railroad experts admit that there is
a great loss of efficiency in competi
ton. Freight often is billed over a
particular line when it might be han
died much more expeditiously over an
other. A shipper has had right tc
ship his freight as he pleases. but un
der government operation and traffic
pooling it matters not which road get:
his freight it will move over the line
or lines best able to handle it. .
Two railroads running between
New York and Chicago. for instance
might cross at some point between.
Under the ordinary system frenght
given to one road in New York would
proceed all the way over that line
Under the new plan 1t might be divert
ed to the other road at the crossing
point, if the other road from the cross
ing on to Chicago offered. at the time
better facilities for moving.
As to Competition. .
While admitting that competition
slows up traffic in a situation such
as exists at present. railroad lnel
point to the fact that competition hal
brought all the improvements in rail
road facilities, such as the airbrakt
and other devices. But during the wa
even they admit. the invention of ne>
appliances is far less important than
the moving Of freight.
Under the government pooling plan
a railroad with it's lines congested
will not beSgiven more freight than
it can handle that it appears may add
to the congestion. ...
The Interstate Commerce commits.
sion officials will work closely with
Secretary. McAdoo on comprehensive
operating plan. They believe a sys.
TEN will not be hard to devise. and
that with skeleton plan outlined rail.
road officials themselves can carry
out the details without great deal of
trouble. @'
Ls, W place you on our regular Sun.
tuy service Circulation Depart.
mapi ~
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-28

"How does it feel to be torpedoed?
Well, it's sensation not easily de-
scribed," said Fred Varney, one Of AZ
men saved from the American steam
err Schulkyll when it was sunk by a
German submarine eight miles off the
Algerian coast, Nov. 21st.
Mr.. Varney reached home Christ
mas morning to spend the holidays
with his parents, Mr.. and Mrs. j. O..
Varney. He came fresh from SER
les of experiences only possible in
this great conflict, with it's new ter
rors of sea and air and land.
Our steward" said Mr.. Varney, to
an interviewer, had been torpedoed
on former trip, and he told us about
it, but we never had any idea of what
it was really like until our turn
came.
I'VE had been attacked about 8
o'clock the night before, the torpedo
passing us about five feet astern. 1t
was Z o'clock in the morning when
the submarine again attacked, lOdg-
ing torpedo square amidships. There
was a deafening explosion; the force
of the shock listed the boat to star
board, and then she rig.lted herself
and began slowly to sink Everyone
on the boat was aw" "-"ept the
watch which came off duty 1t 4
o'clock. We dlun taAo lil.4u 70 salfl.
er up any valuables, but just made a
rush for the life-boats. One of the
boats had been crushed by the ex-
plOsiOn, and another was swamped in
attempting to lower it. This left us
two life-boats for AZ men and our
black tom cat. The cat at the last
moment refused to leave the sinking
boat and clambered back on board,
going down with the ship like the
brave sailor he was.
1--WE pulled rapidly away from the
boat, and were probably 300 yards dis
tant when she finally stood on her
head and Owed. Then we saw the
pGrisC0pe OF the submarine emerge
from the water and turn toward US.
Only two feet of the periscope showed,
and we had rather a creepy feeling as
it bore down on us, looking much
like the head of big snake. The sub
marine commander evidently intended
to hail us and take off our captain,
that being favorite plan with the
Germans, who hold the commanders
as prizes and as positive evidence that
they got the boatuthey claim. About
this time, though, the sub must have
sighted parole boat which had been
standing off about 20 miles from us
and which headed in our direction
Immediately after we were struck. In
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-28
BURLEIGH COUNTY
HAS BETTER FARM
AGENT ON THE JOB
J. N. Brander, Son Of Bottneau
County Pioneer, Begins
Work.

Burleigh county's better farming
agent is on the job. He is a tall, slim,
capable-looking young gentleman
named ]. NJ. Erander, born and reared
on a North Dakota farm, a son Of
Robert Brander of Souris, one of Bot
tineau county's first farmers. The
elder, Brander moved down from Can
ada into Bottineau in 1882, and he has
lived there ever since, making a
North Dakota farm pay good diyi-
dends. The son helped around the
farm, went to school, and absorbed
enough practical agriculture to give
him a desire for some of the theoret-
ical side of the game. That he obtain
ed in four years course at the North
Dakota agricultural college, supple
mented with special work in animal
husbandry at the University of Mime
sofa, and he comes to Burleigh coun
ty, as it's first better farming agent
with high recommendations from his
college and from Thomas Cooper, di
rector of the United States department
OF agriculture's extension work In
North Dakota. - b
Mr.. Brandcr is selected jointly by
The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-28

l.s, W place you on our regular Sun.
tay service Circulation Depart.
mepi ~ H#.