The Dermott news., 1917-08-30

paiiSaUe, DuUk oi edFth "ds ptleu | up behind 1t. on which every man who | could be spared from other tasks, even | the chiefs themselves, labored with | energy. The water was still l 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 gauged 1t again. It was a scant six and half feet below the top | of the dam. If the water rose above the top 1t was gravely questionable whether the palisade would hold 1t at all, yet there was no other way of in- 1 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 1t foot high. They kept at it unremittingly, although 1t 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. It was clearer in the east. The clouds to the northwestward were in violent ac- tion apparently. Lightning flashed through them and oyer the great range itself: low. muttered peals of thunder came down from the peaks lost to sight in the blackness overhead. They ob- served all this carefully and Nande- venter turned away, shaking his head.
 "I 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 tt?''
 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?"
 "I tried to telephone them while ago, but the connection hns been bro ken: the storm has played havoc with the line probably" answered the as sistant engineer.
 Well. what did you do then?" asked Vandeyenter little impatiently.
 "I sent man down on horseback in a hurry to warn them that if 1t rains again the dam might go. and If 1t did 1t would go with Il 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. I 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. "Theres 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.
 "Yes." said yandeventer. many of them have their wives and children back in the town. Some of the ltal- fans 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 is." said Meade. moistening his finger and holding 1t up to feel the direction, Ifs blowing the opposite way down here. but you cant tell what Is happening up there. Well, all we can do Is to fight on
 And fight they did. IL was almost at first sight like the hand of man against the hand of God. There was no more room for engineering expedient. IL was chop and hew, break and pound.