The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-03-08

|
pals from houses kettles, anything
that'll hold and carry water.
"You. there: get me an ak and a
shovel. Shappy. now!"
His voice had bite to it and as he
tolled the men off for these explicit
errands, they went on the run.
"Bullerl Get upstairs and knock
a hole in the floor, to the left of the
saw. Couple of boards wide. So
lOng,"-measuring with his spread
hands. "We've got to get that flame
drawing straight up instead of mush,
Form the rest of your men into a
bucket brigade and pass water up the
slide. Fast as you can! Don't
anybody think about anything but
sending up full buckets and taking
down empty ones. You stand by the
hole, Butler, and knock her down as
she comes through. Not so fast. now.
that you spill water and drop pals
! Hold your heads and your feet. It's
our only chance to lick it. Hike.
| nowr'
Granting and cursing, four huskies
Ben. trying to still his excited breath
ing, snapped his fingers as he waited
| for their arrival.
"Gasoline!" he shouted to Able, see.
ing him for the first time. water
won't touch 1t We've got to smother
| it and we can't get sand handily and
salt should do, if Butler can hold her
when she sticks her head through the
! floor!
up here, boys! Close, now!" Ben
heaved on the heavy barrel of salt
himself. rolling it in to the doorway
which led directly into the fire. "All
right. Jake! Into the bucket
line. all of you'll" He swung his Ak on
q wire hoop and the barrel popped
open. He struck again to clear away
slaves and drove dozen quick blows
into the lumpy salt that spilled out, to
pulverize it.
Next he grabbed up his shovel,
scooped it full and disappeared into
| the smoke.
His eyes smarted but he took his
time, blinked and surveyed the fire.
Then he swung his shovel upward and
| sideways ano sent it's burden in plas-
| tering. scattering smear at the center
| of a particularly hot spot. The blue
| green-orange combination of living fire
gave up at once to saffron smudge.
Ben leap,d into the open again.
breathed deeply. filled his shovel and
doing his best to hold his breath,
| edged back into the smoke. He drove
| that shovel of salt hard upon flame.
too, and retreated at once. A dozen
| trips, and he had the flame down in an
area the size of blanket.
Faster and faster the buckets came
up. some big some small, now and then
one that leaked away its precious con-
tents. Fire found hold on the edges
| of the hole Butler had made in the
| floor Little tongues of flame ate into
the dry wood and curled upward. To
Buffers right finger of fire crept up
between two boards; beyond it an
| other appeared In dozen places fire
was coming through the floor and
| Butler, swaying on his feet as he
| coughed, turned to the next man In
dismay.
HE said :" he choked. Got to
have air! Move up"
Down below Ben Elliott had the
| heart of the burning litter writhing
mass of saffron smoke He started out.
fell and crawled to the entry, got his
| knees beneath him and retched again
and again. His eyes smarted madly
and streamed tears; he coughed as he
| vomited and it seemed as though he
never would find strength to rise. But
he did after moment and renewed his
| attack.
The gasoline soaked litter was blan-
keted by it's layer of salt, but over
head betting blazed and fire was find
ing hold in uprights and cross tim
bers. :.
"Here, you! Three men. Two
| buckets each" Ben croaked as he
ran out to the foot of the slide.
Throw 1t high, and hard. Sol" he
cried hoarsely and flung the first wa
ter himself with a wide, sweeping,
overhead swing. 1t knocked fire off
the niger, blotted out an orange panel
on heavy sill. Now. you'll" he cried
| to the next man.
They filled their own buckets and
that duty took them into the fresh air,
cleared their lungs, kept the nausea
| fnl hot r6 dS
With kissing splashes the water from
their pals went sloshing against the
overhead woodwork and gradually the
glare through the thick smoke sub
sided.
| Getting .her!" Ben painted as able
tried to say something to him. Get
ting heri" He coughed and his words
had come In a half strangle but, even
so, the exultation in his tone was un-
misrakable.
Smoke on the ground floor thinned
somewhat. Men ran further into the
building with their water. took BIZ
more time in. throwing It. Again salt
was used down below to cover hot
little islands in the lirter. Up above
more water was thrown across the
floor to kill flames in the cracks.
Living flame no longer leaped and
roared through the hole in the floor
Thick smoke swept upward but thai
was all and as Ben ran up the icy
slide for the first time and saw thi:
he cried our:
"Good work. Bnllerl Over there
ea'sAfi-I; look y 9s