Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1926-10-21

that rIveted her attention. A touch
on-his elbow distracted him from the
incident. Burns the superintendent
of cement construction. whispered
anxiously
Freely has just come through Mum
Der One flow conduit" he said IRE.
ports a crack In the roof,
Caleb slid out Of his seat and drew
the superintendent to one side. This
was startling news. Caleb had pre-
pared all the specifications for the
tunnels. The responsibility for their
efficiency was all his If the weight
of the fifty feet OF gravel threatened
the roof Of the conduit any disaster.
even a temporary delay for repair.
would mar the demonstration. It
might be kept private but the stigma
would rest on Caleb professionally.
"I1l look at II myself" he said 1T
may be only superficial. If It seems
dangerous. wen shore with timber I'm
mediately and close the conduit
Number Two wifi have to supply the
intake. Where's Feely now7r
"GoOd Wait for my report, Burns.
Feely may be an alarmlst, though he
was perfectly right to report. Go
back to your seat I'll be here again
as soon as can"
He hurried down the road TO the
gatehouse as fast as he could go afoOt.
The cars werr rarked and he did not
want TO draw attention to his sudden
disappearance. by taking one. If his
absence was marked he wished 10
make It as inconsplcuous as possible
Rinckley was talking as ne left the
bower.
Anxiety deepened as he went. i'm
agination widening the flaw while he
rapidly went over the details OF rein
forcement and the building OF the
forms, the mixing of the cement. He
had followed Hinckley's ancient exam
ole and had practically inspected
every wheeIbarrow load OF the stun.
ImpressiDg rigidly on all hands the
necessity for prime materials and ab-
solute following of the formula. He
felt certain his figures. his cOmputa-
tions of stress and thrust and resist
ance were correct, allowing ample
margin. Yet-If the tunnel gave way.
the glory OF his achievement was tar
nished.
He did not wait for sIlcker or rup-
Der boots but went swiftly down the
ladders. an electric torch in his
pocket Burns had told him the crack
was midway between the tilter-gaIlery
gate and the forebay pit With the
beam of tie torch boring into the
black tunnel he fairly ran through
the film of water underfoot. his
splashIng footballs resounding In the
confined space. bis head bowed to
avoid the roof counting his strides |
to calculate the distance. Three hun
dred yards In he began TO spray. the |
roof with light, going more slowly
Eighty yards further the light be- |
frayed the crack. II extended haff- /
way across the level summit OF the
top of the conduit and little way
down one of tile slopes. At firsr |
glimpse 1t yawned ominously. a black
spit across the gray circle iilumined
on the cement
Caleb thrust the tips OF his fingers
into 1t, probing. And sighed with sud
den relief II was shallow and there
was no sign of any bulge about II.
1t was a superficial crack to which
any cement face is subject. In the
curry OF final preparation. when the
form boards had been stripped. It had
not been noticed. might not have ac-
tually developed until later The In
terror surface of the tunnel had not
been faced, the grain OF the form
boards still showed. A board INSULT
riently soaked before pouring. or with
knOtted fibers that bad resisted the
water might have chung to the ce-
ment. There might have happened TO
be a small streak with too much sand.
In that one spot the tamping might
have been insufficient II amounted |
@ nothing as regards the stability OF
he structure.
But he stayed to make certain,
wanting to be satisfied that the rush
Il water would not enlarge the fissure.
.ater he would have It filled but. for {
oday, he needed both conduits to {
make an efficient display. 4
Suddenly. while he probed. ne be- q
anne aware of water swiriing about 2
lis ankles. OF kissing noise that rose 9
witty to a roar. re-echoing from wall
o roof as the water swiftly tieepened.
ddying above his. shoes in a savage c
ush that tngged and lifted. that h
his purchase on the slip
cry floor. '
Some one had opened the watergate c
rom the filter-gaIIeryl Against ali c
rders- And he was trapped. BY the |,
v1ders, a quarter Of q mile away. -flae- &
i'm light sitting down the SHAFT Il
bowed the gray leap Of the ten-foot r.
ascade foamIng into the conduit, the 81
nsh Of half-a-mile of solid water O.
cid In the six-foot gallery back Of IT.
The floor was slightly Inclined 10 d
lciIitate the how. with the gate n
lily open the food would sweep down T
le conduit with velocity and power 81
4 A.