The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-05-17
The Grunt
By BRUCE L SCHMUNk
e. Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
wNU Service


In the first place appearance beguiled
his age; secondly, he exhibited more
grace of culture than accoutrements
OF physical prowess.
I looked ar the fellow for a moment
the morning that ManseL the district
superintendent. brought him TO the
service desk, and decided in the same
moment that he would be complete
misft.
Smiling at Mansel I asked. ~Line
gang?"
Nothing else openT" he queried.
Nothing" l replied.
Then give him a chance there" he
instructed me. But" he hesitated
TO add. work him into Squint's crew"
On the following morning without
formality, Justin was installed in rhe
line crew Of Squint Makony. Squint
was foreman, a powerful man physi-
cally, and a congenial one socially.
To the hot stuff with which he had
worked for twenty years he was a
blood brother. Nike RuIlo, the other
veteran ineman Of the gang, was a
man in q very masculine sense. Nike
was careless. rough OF manner and
possessed OF the benign brutality OF
Utterance which is so often charac-
Ieristic Of men whose work demands
stamina and develops physical as
Cendancy. The third member, PETE
Bloom, a junior Ineman, ranked well
below the other two in moral stature.
Justin became, according 10 line
mems parlance, the Grunt." He was
10 run errands, help load the truck,
manipulate the ladders, handle the
solder pot and bear the brunt OF all
jokes. It's a hard road from grunr
10 linem9n.
One day soon after his Inauguration,
the Grunt was talking 10 Squint about
the period Of apprenticeship. He did
not say that he would be willing 10
pay any price for a chance TO climb,
but such admission would have been
superhuous; Squint knew it. Pete,
Overhearing the Grunt's remarks, seized
the opportunity they afforded
You want 10 be a uneman, huh,
boy?' he asked, binding sarcasm with
infection.
Justin colored. u was talking to
Squint, Jete," he answered.
Squint, one eye almost closed, turned
10 the junior lineman. The latter IN
derstood the tacit warning but he ven
Iured one more thrust.
''Okeh, BOSS; bur you ought TO be
orderin' a set o. rubber spurs for it
Them ones is made sharp"
The last consonant was still audible
when a huge hand struck the side Of
the speakers head. you know it's
time to lay off," snapped Squinr.
Now lay Off"
Although rain had fallen during the
afternoon, there were no indications
of an impending storm. The crews
had gone of duty. Carter was at the
service desk. He told me later he
didn't realize there was a disturbance
until one OF the conyerters kicked
over.
Within an hour four factories be-
came paralyzed. Every minute cost
the company money-penalty money.
Squint's crew was the first called.
When ! found them they were al
ready at work on a pole about two
hundred yards from the substarion.
The beam from the spot light on the
truck enysloped Squint and Nike who
were feverishly attempting temporary
spices on the lower bank. Peter, car
rying a searchlight, was walking the
lines extending 70 the mills. The
Grunt was making ready dry gloves
for the men in the safety belts.
The mitts were half way TO the ton
of the stick when it happened. A
binding flash Of green light a
terrible kissing sound a dull
sickening thud as limp body struck
the mud-then silence Mike sprawled
in the muck; Squint hung motionless
from his belt below the first cross-arm.
The Grunt looked at me and eoughed.
i tried 10 swallow TO relieve the nau-
sea. Pete, who had run TO Us, stood
shaking, inarticulate.
While | bent over Mike, the Grunt
removed spurs and safety belt Pete,
shaking violently, came nearer.
Lets get him into the car" 1 said.
Pete respected as well as he could :;
the Grunt had gone. We turned in
time TO see him buckle his safety belt
around the slippery pole. Pete's teeth
were chattering.
Boss" Pete managed to stutter,
''the Grunt amt never Skinned a pole.
He'll get burnt, sure as" The words
died in a crash of thunder.
The kid on the pole swayed in the
wind. We watched him dig in his
spurs and then with difficulty tie a
double hand line around SQuint direct
" under his arms. Through a cross
arm brace be worked the rope, then
called TO the ground for action. A
few inches at time we let Sduint
down while the Grunt guided his head
past bolt heads and projections. Thar
sight | shall never forget. The Grunt
fell the last ten feet
Back in the substation hours later
the crew foreman regained conscious
ness l couldn't describe the emo
tionaI reaction OF the younger man
when old Squint opened his eyes.
After the accident the complexion OF
the gang changed. Mansel transferred
the Grunt TO the main Office. He Is
short two fingers crushed that nighr
on the pole, but he is happy; Squint
is on the job again. The man who
thought Of the rubber spurs is Grunr
on one of the other crews now. Nike?
Well, Mike hasn't been with the COM