White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1921-03-06
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~ NasO ottuth tAG DAnAs LII
car on the siding trembled.
Another wave like that and tina
CARL go over" cried Babcock, jumI
ing, mad. "Why don't you do some
thing? Why don't you hustle-ell o
your He would report this incompe
tency.
Down the stream came q mass o
debris, broken timbers, ravaged brush
a wrenched fence post, a chicken COOP
A red hen, clinging to its swayins
ship, took the rapids.
"Hustle-what?" murmured Es
trada.
Babcock glared at him. then at the
river. His eye caught the approach
ing wreckage. Men came running
with their poles. The caving bank was
too far gone. The instant the drift
ing mass struck it, there was n shud-
der of falling earth, the car TOPPED
toward the flood waters. the waves
breaking into clouds of spray.
Human responsibility fell to a cipher.
The rivers might was magnificent.
Even Babcock. come to carp. caught
the excitement. "Come. MacLean.'
he cried. Watch this. The stations
goingw He joined Estrada by the
adobe wall.
"Have a cigarette?" murmured
Eduardo.
His eyes glued to the lurching sta
~tion-house. Babcock took a brown
paper-rolled cigarette from the prof.
fered box.
"Look," he cried. There, she'll go.
See that"
There WAS a splash of spiintering
timber; a Niagara Of spray rs the
building fell into the flood. 4 minute
later, a wreekage of painted boards
was floating downstream
At table Babcock resumed his cam
paign. The trouble with you all,
you have cold feet. You're all scared
Off too soon."
Wooster, up from his nap, looked
across the table. Gold feet? So
you'd have If you had been np for
nights. wetting your feet on the levee,
as some of US have. as Hardin has.
Mine are cold all right" He lifted an
amazed foot. 'Cold. Look here,
boys, they're wet" The men looked
to find the water creeping in-Bab-
cock climbed on his chair.
This means the station" cried
Wooster. Every man jumped. If the
waters had got to them, it wouldn't
be long before they were reaching the
o. p. depot, The tracks would 60
They were pillng put OF the door
when the telephone caught them. II
was a message from Richard. A cal
was TO be rugged up, papers. tickets
and express matter taken from the
station. The river was cutting close
to the track. The car would be the
terminal. a half-mile from town.
The situation looked black. Coul
ter, Eggers. began to pack their stock
The levee. 1t was said. would not hole
half of Mexicali was gone. Calexict
would go next. Richards indiana
were kept stolidly piling brush ant
stuffed sacks on the levee. This. tn
word ran. would be the fierce night
no one expected to sleep.
They were preparing for the bi
battle, the final struggle. when tn
grade recession passed the town
Spectacular us was its coming. Their
was an anticlimax in Its retreat. TIL
water reached the platform OF tn
depot. and halted. The town held IL
breath. There was some sleep tina
night.
The next day, the nerves OF the va
! ley relaxed. The river was not Gu
! ting back. The men at the leve
dropped their shoveIs, and went bac
to the discussion OF their lawsuit
! Their crops were ruined; too muc
water, or too little. Whatever wa
! they had been hurt. the eompan
would have to pay for it!
: A small shift guarded the rive
Richard. in his room at the Desc
hotel. and Hardin up the river, slept
day and "A night without waking. IT
chair-tilters picked up their argumel
where they had left 1t: was the raI
road reaping "A harvest of damn,
: suits when they should be thank'
: instead7 Faraday. the newspape
reported. was trying to shift his 7
sponsibility; he had appealed to Il
president. Their correspondence W
: published. The government was In
hurry to take the burden. A tel
= graphic sermon, preaching duty, d
: tributing blame, was sent from Was
= ington. Perhaps not Faraday himst
was more disturbed than the debate
of the Desert hotel.
"The railroads no infant In arm
II wasn't asleep when 1t took ov
the affairs Of the ID. r." Here spoI
: the majority. "a benefactiont
. was self-interest! When the river
h~arnessed. who'll profit the most fro
the valley prosperity 1t can affo
to pay the obligations; that Is.
could. 1t will find a way" the rave
croaked, "of shaking the Desert r