The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-07-29
Poor Mans Gold
Courtney RyIey Cooper ''" ~s1 sss Cooper

strove to find break in the blanket
OF invisibility beneath them. Then
lower it came, searching desperate
ly; at last it showed family through
the deep-brown haze as the aviator
spotted the RATS and made certain
OF clear stretches of water where
landing would not endanger life.
Again the ship banked Then il
seemed to drop fiat to the surface
OF the lake, splashing water in great
waves as it bounced eerily along,
settled in long surging leaps, and
finally TAXED toward the shadows.
1t halted, motor idling. The cabin
door opened. A forester swung out
to a slippery pontoon.
Where's Jack Hammond" he
shouted to the dripping miners, who,
wet hands to their nostrils, had half
risen from the bar. Jack waved.
Then, hands to his pulled face, he
rose and splashed forward, the pi-
lot and forest ranger, each with nos
trils shielded, shouting for him to
hurry.
He reached the plane and clam
bered from the pontoon into the
cabin, the ranger slamming the
door as he followed. The motor
snarled with acceleration; quickly
the pilot swung about and abruptly
sent the ship into the air. Ham
mond leaned close to the ranger.
whats up?" he shouted.
TERRY sent me after you. Wants
you to take charge of one of the
airplane shifts; splitting up the work
so we can all get little rest. Ter
rvs busy below. We're going to
head in up here somewhere to try
to block off the blaze. Terry says
you know the country"
Hammond nodded and was silent,
looking out the side of the cabin.
They were moving swiftly down the
lake; dimly, very dimly beneath,
were revealed the life RATS. Ham
mond's eyes searched every one
there was time when he would
have looked thus for only one per-
son, Kay Joyce. But now he found
himself wondering which of the hud-
died patches of gray down there on
those giant squares was Jeanne
Towers, and if she were safe from
fumes or suffocation.
SCOT fire fighting equipment"
"Plenty."
"HoSe and tankage?"
"Yeh-and dynamite. Been bring.
ing up lot of Indians from around
Takla lake-they know their bust
ness. Ought to; they set enough
fires down in that region so they
can get paid for putting them out. "
They were at quite an altitude,
but still in fog.
"This smoke goes up plenty high, I"
Hammond said. Even as he men,
toned it, he became aware that the
air had cleared, that he was breath
ing deeply for the first time that
day. The ranger leaned closer.
''Not smoke; Clouds" he shouted.
''The visibility's hell. Getting cold
er-freeze-up probably"
'Hope So"
The forester grimaced. No one
hoped that more than he. Then:
'Know any place we could get in
up here, to start cutting off this
blaze? If we can back-fire down be-
low and cut 'er off here, it'll save
a half billion feet of timber" That
was the job now, to save timber.
But in saving it, Hammond knew,
lives must be risked, perhaps lives
given. He pointed toward Whoopee.
"We can work through the inlet, !"
he said. 'The fire missed that. The
smoke raised for a few minutes, and
1 got look. It's clear"
Thus the grueling task began, air.
planes which banked and SKINNED
the surface of the lake, which took
desperate chances, which dropped
recklessly downward through the
smoke pail to discharge their car
goes, then took off as desperately
with no clear knowledge of shore or
tree-top line. Wading whites and
sloshing Indians stopped off the pom
toons to splash ashore and there
stand waiting until other chance
taking pilots, Jimmy Moon among
them, should bring up the long lines
of small-bored, lightly-woven hose,
the collapsible tanks and portable
pumps which would allow water to
be sent thousands of feet into the
forest. Boxes of dynamite were un-
loaded. Sacks were carried out by
the bale.
Hour after hour, into the deep
night and again to daylight, the
logged task continued with short
respites for rest as the shifts
changed. Dynamite doomed and
trees crashed to earth. Long, rag
ged lines of men, gasping for clean
air, waving wet sacks monotonous-
ly, attacked the smoldering earth.
The air grew hotter, more horri-
BILE. But suddenly Hammond paused
in his commands and looked up,
blinking. He put out his hand,
swiftly retrieving it, close to his
eyes.
"Snow!" he shouted. ''It's started
to snow! Keep going, fellows! We've
got help from upstairs"
ITO BE CONTINUED