New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1919-05-30

was standing. Silent. it was supposed
"A bringing In his train.
Above the distant jagged line OF
mountains rose a red ball. A new day
began. And again the Dragon rose; a
mountain of water came rolling dam
ward.
Three trains ran steaming on the
rails.
Don't stop now to blast the big
ones. Pour EN- on :" ordered Richard.
There was a long wait before any
rock fell. Marshall and Richard wait
ed for the pour. The whistles blew
again. Then they saw what was
wrong. The morning light showed a
rock weighing several tons which was
resisting the efforts of the pressing
crew.. Out of the gloom sprang other
figures with crOwbars. The rock tot
tered, fell. The river tossed 1t as
though it were a tennis ball, sent 1t
hurting down the lower face of the
dam.
Things began to go wild. The men
WV SA'"ilS itthitNS. ihts WV
sagging toward exhaustion mistakes
were made. Another rock, as heavy as
the last, was worked toward the edge.
Men were thick about it with crow
bars. They hurried. One concerted
effort, drawing back as the rock top
pied over the edge. One man was too
slow, or too tired. He slipped. The
watchers on the bank saw a flash of
waving arms, heard Il cry they had a
glimpse of a b|lackened face as the
foam caught 1t. The waters closed
over him.
There was "A hush of horror a halt.
God himself couldn't a V that poor
devil" cried Marshall. Have the
work go on :"
Pour rocks on that wretch down
there? Pin him down? Never had II
seemed more like war. "A man
down? Ride over him to %victory!'
Soberly Richard signaled for the work
to go on.
The rock-pour suffered as If In nor
ror. The ONE turned sick with fear.
%N' bii' hHtN w II nho' III pooi
Mexican, probably.
"Who was it?' demanded Richard,
running down to the track.
"The young Mexican, Hestrada. 'E
tried to 'elp. Il wasn't fit"
"Who was it," Marshall had run
down to see why the work paused.
Richard turned shocked eyes on his
chief. Estrada :" The beautiful
m%ournful eyes of Eduardo were on
him, not Marshall's. Mortified. Now he
knew why Estrada had said. II cant
see 1t finished"
"Rickard :" The engineer did o
recognize the quenched voice. The
work has got to 90 on"
II came to Richard as he gave the
orders that Eduardo was closer to Mar
shall than to him. AS neal a son as
he'll ever have" He turned a minute
later to see his chief standing bare
headed. His own cap came off.
Were burying the lad" said Mar
shall.
The minute of funeral had to be
pushed aside. The river would not
wait. Train after train was rushed on |
To the trestles; wave after wave hit
them. But perceptibly the dam was
steadying. The rapid fire Of rock was
telling.
Another ridge of yellow waters rose.
The roll Of water came slowly, dwin-
ding rs 1t came; it broke against the
trestle weakly. For the first time the
trestle never ~shuddered. Workers and
watchers breathed as a unit the first
deep breath that night. There was a
change. Every eye was on the river
where II touched the rim of the dam.
Suddenly a chorused cry rose. The
had stopped rising. The whistles
screamed themselves hoarse.
And then II girl, sitting on the bank,
two men grab each other by the
hand. She was o far away to hear