Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-04-13

be broken open and the violence of the
fall and the quantity of it, and sudden
ness of it, would be such that the West
erners would graphically call it a
'cloudburst," which, indeed, it seemed |
to be.
Outside the rainy season cloudbursts |
were unheard of, and even in that sea-
son extremely rare. For the valley |
of the Picket Wire and in the plain |
beneath carefully tabulated reports of
the rainfall for years had been consid-
cred by the engineers. They had cho-
sen the right season for the building
of the dam, but when its crest began
TO rise above the designed level of the
spillway the delay in opening the chan
mel gave cause for some alarm. It is
not the probable or certain that is
feared. An old version that, of "omne
ignotum pro magnificent is only the
unknown of which men are afraid, or
only the unknown to be feared! Still
there was nothing Vandeventer could
do but obey orders and go ahead. The
danger, after all, was trifling. Another
consequence of the waiting was that
In his inability to work on the spill
way, he had more hands to devote to
the dam and it rose the quicker.
The shape of the country behind II
was such that when the Picket Wire
flowed with sufficient Volume to fill 1t,
a long lake going back through the val
ley, or canyon, and twisting among the
hills for some miles would result. In
other words, the dam would make a
beautiful artificial sheet of water bor-
dered on one side by a high range of
hills, on the other by the dam, and on
the third by the hills and the low hog
back above Spanish mesa, which sepa-
rated the Picket Wire valley from the
Kicking Horse gorge up which the rail-
road ran.
Buried in his own thoughts, COM
muning with himself considering cease
lessly his position. dreaming Of the
woman he loved, planning a new ca
reer, Meade yet explored every foot of
the valley and ravine. He climbed to
the top Of Spanish mesa, and from its
height the whole country clear up the
valley to the main range was visible
to him. He could look down into the
deep ravine of the Kicking Horse, and
note the marvellous beauty and airiness
Of the arch bridge for all it so solidly
carried the heavy freight trains of the
railway.
He could see far up and around the
crooked course of the Picket Wire. The
big grass-covered, but otherwise bare
and treeless hogback, that ran from
the upper end of the stone island of
the mesa was equally visible to him.
AS it was the low tide of the new res
ervoir, he descended to it and studied
it carefully. On another occasion, hay
ing said nothing to anyone about his
excursion, he took advantage of a half
holiday to go out and inspect the hog
back and ascertain it's elevation with
relation to the dam. Of course the en-
gineers who planned the great irriga-
ton works had done that, but he want
ed to do it for himself. At one place,
where the distance between what
might be called the edge of the valley
and the bead of the ravine was narrow
est-indeed, he estimated after pacing
it that it measured not over twenty
feet acrosS-he discovered that the
rounded earth crest was slightly lower
than the intended level of the top of
the dam.
When he returned to the office, he
found on examining the construction
drawings that an earth dixie was
planned to run along the hogback so
that the top level should be higher
than that of the dam. This dixie would
be only a hundred and fifty feet long
and few feet high, and could be built
in a few days time. Work on the main
dam being more important, nothing
had as yet been done on the dixie
Meade had been promoted toward
the end of the fall and in a rather
unusual way. One of the transit men,
young engineer, got a better job
and left his instrument. Vandeventer
called Meade before him.
Roberts," he said, there's a va.
|
such good work so far and shown such
| familiarity with fieldwork, that I'd
give it to you if 1 had any idea that
you knew anything about handling in
struments."
81 think 1 may be trusted with one
sir" answered Meade, his eyes bright
ening.
"Yes, perhaps; but 1 have watched
you in odd hours. The young men
around here are constantly practicfne
with the transits. I've never seen YOU
put hand to one. How about it?"
''Im not exactly a youngster, Mr.
Vandeventer," returned Meade, "an(
1 really didn't think it necessary tc
practice, but if you trust me with one
I believe l can manage it"
Old Vandeventer leaned back in hi.
chair in the Office and looked care
lessly away from Meade to all appear
ances. He clasped his hands back O.
his head and seemed lost in thought
Suddenly he began humming a little
scrap of verse about another college
which Cambridge men sing with zest
I'm a physical wreck,
From the grand old Tech
But a h of an engineer!
He stopped abruptly, whirled abou
in his swingchair, and shot a quicl
glance at Meade. 1t was trap. Ant
as he sprang it Vandeventer surprised
the ghost of smile, repressed quickl,
but there, on Meade's lips. The chic
engineer was satisfied. Before this
little things had betrayed a fellow
:lumnus, or at least q fellow studen
of the old Lawrence Scientific school
Vandeventer was pleased at his adroit
ness. He did not, however, refer t.
1t.
"There's a new transit in that bo
, on the floor there" he said, resumin
, his Indifferent manner. "Tve had tn
T case opened, but haven't taken it ou
J Get it, and we'll go outside and Sc
what you can do with it."
Now a transit, for all it is used
l rough fieldwork, is one of the mos
= onH doIioafa of