The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1922-01-06

which, In the nature of things. couldn't
be much bigger than an ordinary
street water nainf
/ The other possibility was even less
hopeful. It was the driving Of short
tunnel, which Daddy and might I'M
dertake without additional help, from
the level Of the high bench straight In
to an intersection with the mine shaft.
This, estimated, might tap the water
at point possibly twenty feet below
| its present level In the shaft. Its sue
cess, as saw at once, would depend
entirely upon the location and volume
Of the underground lake which was
supposed to be supplying the flood. II
this reservoir were shallow and high
In the mountain, the short tunnel
might drain II. IL 1t were deep and
low, nothing would be accomplished.
| The question was stu hanging hope
lessiy up In the air when / made my
way around to the mine buildings by
tine left-hai.d gulch path, sneaked in
and began 10 shucs myself into Dad
dy's extra pair ~ overalls; just for
what, hadn't the least idea; only ]
needed TO be dong something to keep
me from going completely dotty In the
| guessing contest.
BY this time, as knew, they would
be getting up from breakfast in the
cabin across the dump head, which
would most likely be Bullerton's cue
to come over and ride me some more.
When looked out in sour anticipa-
ton, here he came, smoking one Of his
high-priced cigars and staggering a
bit, as he always did in walking.
This Is your hirty-thousand-dolla
day, Broughton," he tossed at me as
soon as he stepped over the threshold
Of the shaft house door; but fancied
| could notice that, some way, he
didn't seem quite so clipper and care
less as he had the day before.
"See here" / ripped out; what's
the user You can't buy this mine at
any pricel It's not in the market and
It isn't going to be. Not In thousand
years!"
"But see here; what's the use of
butting your head against stone wall?
You're stuck, world without end, and
you know 1t. This flooded hole In the
ground is of no more use to you than
pair Of spectacles to a blind man 7"
Perhaps not; tbs poor thing, but
mine own / guess / can keep 1t as
souvenir If feel like 1t, can't II"
"Oh, h--lw he gritted, and turning
on his heel went away.
After he had gone / patted myself
on the back bit for not losing my
temper and then, Just to have an ex-
cuse for staying away from the cabin
and the Fullerton vicinity, made fires
under the boilers and got up steam. In
the former pumping spasm Daddy and
| had operated only the two big CEN
trifugals, ignoring the deep-well pumps
designed to lift the water from the
lower levels of the mine
Just to try something that we hadn't
tried before, / got steam on the deep
wellers, and soon found that the
machinery, which we hadn't taken
down In the general overhauling,
needed tinkering before 1t would be
safe to run 1t. Banking the boiler
fires, ] went at the Job single-handed
and managed to wear out the llvelong
day at 1t.
1t took me all the afternoon and
then some to get the machinery cleaned
and tinkered up and reassembled. In
paving over the supplies In the mine
storeroom--stuff left by the former op
erators--we had found an acetylene
flare torch and can of carbide and /
rugged the torch so that could go on
working after dark.
II was along about nine o'clock when
got the deep-wells ready to run and
freshened up the fires and turned the
steam on. In curious contrast 10 the
care which had been taken to provide
a discharge outlet for the centrifugals.
the Cornish pumps had merely an iron
trough which ran to ditch leading
down to the bench below the mine
buildings, After few minutes of the
clanking and banging, the water began
TO come. 1t was horribly smelling
stuff, thick and discolored evidences
sufficient that II was coming from the
bottom of the mine. The two pumps
together We're lifting abcrt an eight
inch stream, and ii occurred to me Mt
once that If could set che centrifu-
gals going at the same time. the mass
attack might accomplish what the
piece-meai assault couldn't.