Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1922-03-16

steamine even on the outside of its
thick insulating jacket of asbestos I'M
der the wetting from the water Jet,
that had set me thinking.
A spinning twirl of the engine
throttle valve set our machinery in
motion, and when l had thrown the
pump clutch In, we crouched again in
the least-wet corner to watch the index
Of the tell-tale steamgauge connected
Into the supply pipe.
We knew that the centrifugals were
voracious steam-eaters; we had proved
that when we were running them in
the week-long test. I had a notion
that maybe Fullerton had fred only
one of the battery Of three boilers to
run his shower-bath machine, and the
result speedily confirmed this assump-
ton. In few minutes the steam
pressure had dropped to a point at
which it would no longer drive any Of
the pumps, either ours or the one out
side, and the window cataract stopped.
'SThis will be only breathing
space" prophesied, getting up to
squeeze some Of the superfuous water
out Of my clothes. Fullerton will do
one Of two things: fire the other two
boilers, or disconnect this steam pipe
of ours" r
Reckon so7"' said Daddy.
"YOu'll see In minute or so"
The attack began even while we
were speaking, sundry hammerings
and twistings that shook the pipe over
head proving that the besiegers were
going to stop the leak by cutting us
OF from the boilers.
Take your whirl at the inventions,
this time, Daddy!" I urged. "When
they get this supply pipe cut out, we'll
be In. for another duckinR-and one
that we can't STOP"
Daddy was shaking his head and
wringlng the moisture-and mud-out
Of his beard.
"Jerusalem-to-gosh, Stannie, we got
to take a chance!" he muttered. ANY
ways. I'd about as lief die as be
drowned to death. Wen have to muss
that blacksmith shop up and get 1t out
O. the way, somehow. Gimme match
out O. that tin box o yourn-if they
amt all soaked to a jis-whizzlin' sop"
found the matches. which, luckily,
were still dry, and handed him one.
Before fairly realized what he was
going to do, he had taken one Of the
dynamite cartridges out Of Its bucket
hiding place and was splitting the fuse
with his pocketknife.
'Open that there door into the shop"
he commanded; and when obeyed
mechanically, out went the bomb; hz-
zing and sputtering. to land In a heap
Of scrap iron piled on the farther side
Of the stone-bullt forge. The sight OF
1t smoking and splitting sparks In the
heap Of scrap half hypnotized me, I
guess. for l stood gaping at 1t, with
the door held open, until Daddy Hiram
jerked me away, slammed the door and
yelled to me to help him bar 1t.
We had barely time to get the door
closed and fastened with the heavy
wooden bar and to throw ourselves
fiat on the floor behind the; hosting
machinery before the crash came, As
have previously said, the blacksmith
snOp was rather flimsy. shed-like
affair, rooted with corrugated iron,
and 1t seemed to US as If broken tim
bers and pieces Of sheet metal were
raining down for a full minute after
the blast went OF.
The shock to everything In the vicin-
ity was, Of course, tremendous and
the stout old shaft house itself rocked
and swayed Ikea tree Ia. a hurricane.
But the walls still stood intact, and