White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-17
ITO be shown at Rex Theatre Friday
EPISODE No. ~
THE Desert of Torture

A pull on the rope. and down the
airshaft slid a compact bundle which
Gwynn lifted clear Of the water. The
dynamite he placed on a dry ledge
above. and then with drill and ham,
mer attacked the face of the rock
As he worked, supported uncertain
~ on a sloping foothold, his strength,
already sorely tried. drained swiftly
away. He had chosen a SPOT 10 drill
as far up as he could reach. but even
80 it seemed that the water must
reach it first.
Watch the hole. Nan. he said.
If the water gets there first The dy-
Mantle will not explode and we shall
all be drowned.
His fingers worked frantieally
while the water rose higher and high
er continually.
Casey. with features drawn tense.
strained his ears al the entrance TO
he main shaft for the sound of the
explosion which should already have
come. The seconds went by: they
grew to minutes. Still the blast did
not come. There was no sound from
Gwynn. The distance down the
shaft to the flooded tunnel below
was too great for Casey to hear
whether or not the drill was work.
ing. He became worried and MAS
about % attempt 10 have himself
lowered below when. with a mighty
bias. the earth shook beneath his
fee. He Strengthened, relieved;
cwlnn must have succeeded in blow
iDg out the side wall Of the mine.
AS GWynn and Nan we're nearest
10 the rent in the vail, through
which the water was flowing madly.
they were also the first 10 be swept
out. Immediately they realized the
impending danger Tut a snort dis
lance ahead Of them was the preei-
nioe over which the flood waters
we're pouring into the river. hundreds
u feet below. towards this elm
they we're being carried helplessly
with a speed mat made them despair
n the face Of their apparently in
evitable doom Even now as they
peered before them. they could see
ne water falling over the brink Of
the ehas1n and plainly hear il dash
ing down and into TIE river.
Suddenly. just as it seemed as
though they must 90 over. and when
they we're almost close enough 10
he edge 70 see the river below.
Gyms body struck a huge boulder
projecting upward beneath the sur
face. His body. striking this on the
side as il did. was thrown 10 within
almost arms reach Of the shore.
Nan. who had been clinging desper-
ately 10 him. was turned toward the
land also. Gwyn. grasping his
slender hope with the frensy Of a
mar facing death. exerted all
strength in one superhuman effort,
and managed to grasp the limbs Of
a bush growing near the waters
edge. Clinging % this tightly. be
pulled Nan TO safety and together
hey clambered safely to the land
Just as they reached the shore the
struggling forms OF the men Who had
been Imprisoned within the mine
emerged through the hole in the
shaft, being swept toward the river
on the crest Of the sRirling waters
Gwyn caught the arst as he Was
raising near the shore. horror writ
ten on his face. By holding aim
firmly By the hand. he. in turn. was
able 10 catch another further on il
he stream. Thus. By forming q
chain. all the miners except twe,
we're saved and pulled ashore. These
Two ~unfortunates passed far out in
he water before the chain had been
formed sufficiently long to reach
them. and we're dashed owe the
rocks 70 the death that would have
been shared by both Nan and Gwyn
had fortune not been so kind TO them
A few minutes later the wet and
bedraggled little crowd walked slow
IL up 10 the entrance OF the shaft and
found Casey and Sheriff Hogan ex-
eitedly making preparations to 20
down into the mine in search OF
them
Heavens. man Casey cried joy
ously TO Gwyn as he saw them ap-
preaching. you certainly threw a
seare into Us. We thought you'd
been blown to bits in the explosion.
What's happened to sou. anyway
You look as il you'd been in a fist
nght with Niagara Falls.
I'VE almost didn't get here TO tell
you about il. Cwyn answered. We
q errou+ ont nv the flood and