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About Corvallis gazette. (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 1904)
TOILERS OP the COLUMBIA J& By Paul De Laney Jfc . Jf., Author or "Lord of the Desert." " Oregon Sketches," LT feSs ond other Pacific Coast Stories CHAPTER XI. Dan Lapbam. Play, Nelee." No, it is Mark's play!' No. no one will play. It la every body's drink. Men we will drink to the memory of Dan Lapham!" "Then Dan is dead, Joe?" " Without any doubt" said a man who bad just entered the place, the rain dripping from his hat and clothing. "We scoured the bay and river about the rocks, but no tiace of the boy could be seen. We recovered his boat, which drifted under the wharf at the life sav ing station late in the afternoon, but narry a trace of Dan, poor Dan, the re liable." The fishermen had gathered at Hay den's place the night after the storm and were seated at the tables as uuai plying cards for the drinks. TIipv had been interrupted by Joe Golden, who had just arrived from the life saving station. Joe was a uumy man about the bay. He was town marshal when such an officer was need A Hp was an extra at the life sta tion, a fisherman, carpenter, bartender, ilerk, deliveryman, or whatever he was called upon to dc. He had been called to the life saving etation that day and had woiked ti. ., ri.rtut ilm storm. He had wit nessed all of the disasters and came in to rnort them. T)an Tmiliani was one of the most popular men in the village. He was j young, strong, even-tempered, could pull a boat with superior skill to any other man, talked but little and was as biave as a lion. He knew not the meaning of fear. He was a boon com panion on land or sea. He was a fav orite partner in the games and a good player. He was missed tonight for the first time in many weeks and the boys at Hayden's arose to a man at the invitation of Joe Golden to drink to his . memory. The men resumed their games, but they did not dtop the name of Dan Lapham from their conversation. Fir6t one would speak of some good trait, nf t h hov and then another would 11 ::,jf ;n -hih Dan was recall uu lutiuotu " concerned. All of the fishermen knew of something good and none spoke ill of the young man, who single handed bad rowed a boat and tended a trap for more than a yeai . "No one has ever been missed as we shall miss Dan," said old Hayden, who had broken his rule and called upon all present to drink at his ex pense. "Here's to Dan Lapham's health memory 1" said the veteran rum seller as the crowd arose and drank liv raundn. But old Hayden was wasting his far as pat-rifieinsr it to the memory of a dead man was concerned, And the fishermen, while growing gen eious over the memory of one they con sidered dead, were extolling the vir i.g r,f a man who was living at that i-orv l mi r. His life, however, was not at that time assured and his position was not one of ease, but Dan Lapham still lived and was planning to live a gieat deal longer. He was at that hour clinging to the rocks near the dead line at the lower end of the bay. His benumbed feet were set upon the slight shelving that, jetted out just above the wateis' edge at that very moment, while his fingers were deeply clinched m crevasses aDove. He had climbed to the highest point that could be reached, but he also re membered that the tide had reached its limit. . He had dragged himself ahead of it like a half-drowned serpent throughout the afternoon and he now welcomed the fact that it was time for the water to recede. When he reached his trap that morn ing he found that he had missed San kala and Ringwold on the way. He realized that the young girl would be helpless against the strong undertow and staited out to render such assist ant as micht be within his power. He beat back toward the shore dropping lowei and lower into the bay, for he !mt the receding waters would draw them that .way. Day had barely dawned when he. saw Hie boat of his companions being car- ried toward Disappointment rocks at a tani.l rate of speed. He cut acioss from the point of-discovery with all of. i.;a miulit to intercept mem. xjui even the strong and vigorous young man over estimated his skill. He was caught in the undertow like the grip of a cable car and carried as mercilessly toward the breakers as were his friends whom he would have rescued. But he was not even granted the privilege of following the course their boat had taken. He had crossed the dividing line ot the receding undercur rent and his boat was diagged away to .r Chinook rocks. He could no onr battle against the inevtiable. but he could influence the boat to some extent in the course it took to ram The bleak rocks were preferable to the white-capped bieakers and the ocean a And he steered the best he JV J J could for them. There was one chance in a thousand of reaping death there, by clinging to the rocks that would destrov him., but once in the breakers, no earthly h,ve was left. They had never ytt surrendered a victim alive in all the story of d'.saalers at the mouth of the Columbia. But fortune had favored the man, as the reader already knows, though his escape was still by no means certain. As the boat had approached the rocks, Lapham watched like a pan ther preparing to leap. The white spray dashed upon the rocks with angry recoil, and the water seethed ana foamed about the piace like the boiling of a huge caldron. The piospect was as uninviting as death itself, but Lap- am stood straight in his boat, oai in hand his eyes piercing the precincts of the boulders and his muscles standing out in knots. It was a case of a power ful man looking death in the face, a man equal to the fearful emergency. The boat was heading stiaight for the base of the group of rocks. To the left of the center the boulders divided some six feet above the water line Lapham saw this at a glance and knew that if he could reach this point he would be safe for a time. Quicker than words he hurled his oars forward with all of his strength He blocked the way of his craft and spun it around like a top. Then he threw her sidewise to the rebounding waters wheh filled hei almost to the top. But the heavy undercurrent up on which he rode struck the rocks deep down toward the bed of the bay and rose up like a living thing. Lapham found himself opposite the coveted op enins in the rocks and leaped. He caught his footing and ciawled to a place of temporary safety. His boat was let down as rapidly ae it had been hoisted up by the swell and he saw it no more. His position was such that he could not see what was going on around him.' His vision only covered a narrow line of the water to the east and west but along this line he saw nothing but white caps and surging waters. Throughout the evening he had climbed inch by inch up the slick side of the smooth boulders, clinging here and there to bumps and slight - project ing bits like a lizzard, as the tide rose and drove him before it. The storm raged throughout the day and Uhe rain beat down upon him in tor rents, drenching him to the skin. The liie eaavers had seen him strike the rocks through the early morning mist and spray and had seen him no more. But at the hour when Joe Golden had reported his death and his friends were drinking to his memory, Dan Lapham was still clinging to the rocks. He had ascended as far as he could, however, and the water was biting at his uncertain footing, while his be numbed fingers clung, blood-stained, to the narrow crevies in the boulders. But the tide had leached its highest point and throughout the remainder of the night, the waters would return to the ocean's depths. If Dan Lapham's strength would hold out, there might be hope for him yet CHAPTER XII. Dan Lapham Makes a Discovery. The storm went out with the tide. The wind lulled with every receding wave. Inch by inch Dan Lapham de- scended the ro-ks. It would be a relief once more to secure good footing where he could stand or sit with eaee. He had clung to the side of the upright boulders until his fingers were worn to the quick. His toes ached under the continual strain and the bones of his bodv seemed torn from the flesh so long had he been in contact with the rocks. When once the tide was out he found himself upon a large nest of rocks This he knew would be the case for he was acquainted with the bay and river as one is acquainted with his home and the landmarks about the place. At high tide Chinook rocks were sub merged, save that one spur near the center of the group extended above the hicrh water mark. It was to this that c? . Dan had clung throughout the day. Finding himself again able to walk about he began to plan for escape. He had hopes that he might hail some early morning fisherman by picking a conspicuous place on the rocks irom which point he could view the river and bay. but he was anxious to leave his place of imprisonment earner u possible He peered into the water at tne loot of the rocks and examined every nook and corner, with the hope that he might find his boat or some other craft that might have drifted to the place and lodged. A few lights in the village to the north showed that some of the mhabi tanta were vet awake. He noticed one light with which he and all the fisher men were laminar, it was a ngni an isolated cabin far up the beach. This light tonight was a source of mjtery to Dan. It shone Irom the cabin of Rinsrwold and Sankala. He had seen them going to their doom that morning. He did not believe any earthly nower could save them. His final conclusion was that they had left the light burning in the early hour of morning when tby went out into the storm or that their bodies had been re covered by the life savers and neighbors who were sitting up with the dead. Toor Sankala! Dan sat down upon the rocks and reflected. - He thought of the frail girl whom he had so often as sisted in fishing her net while h?r aged companion sat helpless in the bat He thought of how cheerlrl the little one worked day after day to sustain hei protector. He thought of the self denial, of the bravery and kind "heart of the girl and then he Eaw the inno cent confiding bine eyes as they had bo often thanked him when he rendered her assistance at the traps, and a big tear stole into the eyes of the young athlete. In the very darkness he was handsome. His black hair hung about his head in graceful wavy curls. His broad shoulders were erect and his arms and neck exhibited strength and beau ty. He had not a euperior in physiue, courage, self control or popularity in the village. "Poor Sankala! he murmured. "I neglected the child. I never really helped her as I should. She was de serving. She was frail. I am strong. But why did I not think of this in time?" He was . too active to remain a pris oner on tne rocKS our ng tne entire night and yet he did not feel wholly safe in attempting to swim. . He knew that a quarter of a mile in calm water was no task, but the waves might have doubled or even' trebled this distance between the rocks and the island. They cut the sand like a monster steam shovel on such occasions, and the dis tance was now a matter of speculation. Still the chances were as favorable for a fill-in and a reduction of the distance, and the hardy fisherman was inclined to make the attempt. There were many chances in his favor for escape when once upon Sand island, j Numerous fishermen left their boats there through the night, and even though these were ewept away by the storm there was a probability that oth ers had lodged upon the beach. There was always wreckage of all sorts found on Sand island after a storm, and usu ally there were many boats. The water was cold, it was true, but Dan was also cold. He had re mained cramped upon the rocks until any kind of action would be a relief to one so accustomed to exercise. He de scended to the waters' edge and peered out over the surface toward the stretch of sand. Selecting what he thought was the nearest point of the island, he took a mountain peak far to the southeast as a guide, and eassd himself into the water. There is no danger along this shore to a man in the water except the ele ments themselves. The man eating shark so much feared in southern wat ers never makes his appearance at this point. It is only the extreme low tem perature of the water that endangers the lives of those who are subjected to t and of this Dan was not ignorant He knew that he could swim an unlim ited distance should the water not cause his limbs to cramp. But the distance was made without incident. The shores of the island had not been materially changed, and when the young fisherman rose up in the shallow water at the approach of the island and waded ashore, he felt that his troubles were coming to an end. But he was destined to be surprised. He little suepected -what was to be en countered farther up the island. His first thought was to find a boat He started along Ihe north shore of the sand spit looking closely for boats, eithei on the beach or on the sands The island was a mile in length and a quarter to a half mile in width. He had reached the east point of the island without success and was about to round the point for the purpose of examining the south shore. But he suddenly stopped in astonishment. He saw a splash in the water to tLe south and then he heard a number of muffled oars. It was now after midnight and he did not understand such a proceed ing from that quarter. Jhe young fisherman immediately seci eted himself among the driftwood so abundant on this island and awaited developments It was too early for fishermen to begin to stir and the boats were not coming from the right direction anyway. He did not have long to wait. Dark objects soon appeared moving cautious ly on the water in every direction from the south. Small boats fairly dotted the river and there was a silence in the muffling of the oars and the upright figures in the craft that was ominous Every boat contained lour or more persons and as they heyan to land on the south shore of the island Dan dis covered that the men weie armed. The problem was now simple to Dan Lapham. It was the advance guard of the southside fishermen. The clash was now at hand. The war had long been threatened between the southside and northside fishermen and the southsiders had taken the initiatory steps. The men drew their boats upon the sand and waited, as it were, upon their guns. Dan's eyes and ears were open. He was not long in learning their loca tions. They formed a circle obscured from view by the diift wood, a few yards south of Dan's place of conceal ment. He gathered fiom their conversation, cariied on in low but distinct tones, that the northsiders would arrive about daylight, and that their purpose was to capture their opponents, take them back and land them on their own shoie; then hurry their boats to sea, scuttle them, destroying their traps during the day. "We will stop these men from de stroying the salmon run!" said the leader emphatically, which sentiment was quietly applauded by his followers. Dan Lapham had no time to lose. While the men were completing their arrangemets for the early morning at tack, the young northsider silently stole from his hiding place, drew one of their boats which had been anchored at the north point of the island, ont into the deep water, and rowed away to the north without so much as creating the noise of a ripple upon the bay. He took theiight in Sankala's cabin for a guide, and he found it"a true one. JUDICIAL DECISIONS. A mutual benefit society Is held, In L'Union St. Jean Baptiste vs. Ostigny (R. I.), 64 L. R. A. 158, to have no right to sue a former member for dues for non-payment of which it ha3 ex pelled him from the society. . The insolvency of the debtor Is held. In Engbretson vs. Seiberling (Iowa), 64 L. R. A. 75, to be sufficient to create an exception to the rule that accept ance of part of an amount due cannot effect the satisfaction of the whole debt. That a particular use will be of ben efit to the public is held, in Healy Lumber Company vs. Morris (Wash.), 63 L. R. A. 820, not to be, alone, suffi cient to make it a public use, within the meaning of a constitutional pro vision that private property shall be taken only for public use. The condemnation of private proper ty for the erection of public mills and machinery generally without anything to show what is meant by a public mill, or anything to give the public any Interest in a mill after itMs erect ed, is held, in Gaylord vs. Sanitary District (III.), 63 L. R. A. 582, to be beyond the pewer of the Legislature. Transactions of a broker which be come the basis of a note given by his principal and which are performed in one State where the note is delivered uuder directions of the principal by telephone or letter from another State, are held, in Winward vs. Lincoln (it. I.). 64 L. R. A. 1G0, to be judged for the purpose of determining the validity of the consideration for the note by the law of the place where the broker per formed them. One assaulted by citizens of a town for the purpose of compelling him to leave it is held, in State vs. Evenson (Iowa), 64 L. R. A. 77, not to be bound to retreat to avoid a conflict in order to protect himself from liability to prosecution for assault, but to have the right to repel force with force so long as he uses only such force as is necessary, short of killing his assail ant, even though he provoked the at tack by drunkenness and disorderly conduct. A conductor of a train running be tween two points connected by differ ent routes is held, in Illinois C. R. Co. vs. Harper (Miss.), 64 L. R. A. 283, to be bound to listen to the explanation of a passenger holding a ticket which does not specifiy the route she is to take, that the agent selling the ticket had dire-cted her to take the route on which the conductor finds her and to have no right to eject her from the train because of regulations of the car rier, unknown to her, requiring her to take the other route. The ruddy, blue-eyed elderly man in the blue serge coat, who was address ed as "captain" by his two friends in the smoker, was commenting on a re cent newspaper account of the suffer ings of some shipwrecked men who were taken from an open boat -by a passing vessel. "Of course, on a well-traveled tract like that there's always the chance of being picked up," he said. "I'd sooner be in a shipwreck than a railroad wreck. There's nearly always an op portunity to launch a boat or lash some gratings before a ship goes down, or to grab a life belt, but if anything hits us now at the rate we're going what chance would we have? "I was cruising in the south seas about twenty years ago," he continued, reflectively. "We were clear out of any of the trading routes, after an un charted island that was said to be one part coral and ten parts guano. There came up a stiff gr.le one night and the seas rolled in on us mountain high. v had shortened sail as much as we dared, considering the seas, and we scudded along before the wind . all night. We were driven clear out of our course. At noon the sun came out a little and our skipper took an ob servation and made out that we were in the exact middle of nowhere, and 1,000- miles from any land. "Toward evening the wind dropped enough so the skipper thought It would be safe to carry sail and get back to where we belonged. While we were doing this a big sea broke over our quarter and washed a Nor wegian sailor overboard. He was a powerfully built fellow and a good seaman, and we were short handed, so as soon as the skipper saw him go he roared out to heave to and lower a boat. But as soon as he gave the or der he realized that no boat could live in that sea, so he regretfully counter manded it and we had to let the poor fellow go." The captain paused to relight his ci gar, but the first two match heads broke. "Was he rescued?" asked some one. The captain checked himself in the application of the third match. "What's that?" he asked. "WTas he rescued?" The captain looked reproachfully at the speaker. 'Now that's an awful foolish question to ask," he said. "Didn't I tell you that he was washed overboard 1,000 miles from anywhere and away from the track of any sort of vessels in a sea that no boat could have lived in? Why, how could he be rescued? That fellow couldn't even swim. Must have gone down like lead. "No, that incident only goes to show that sometimes it's about as danger ous at sea as on a railroad." Chicago Daily News. Crazy Quilts of the Past. "Sewing machines and a dislike for the tedious needlework of our grand mothers and great-grandmothers are making scarcer each year those cre ations of industrial needlework of our ancestors," declared me of the judges of needlework at the State Fair yes terday. "Strange to say, most of the best work is contributed by ladies more than 60 years old. The work of the later generation is put together in a more hurried manner and lacks the signs of years and years of tedious toil shown in the exhibits of our moth ers and grandmothers. Most of the work sent in by the old ladies is of the old type, in which both diligence and the utmost patience are called Into play. There are beautiful tidies, cen terpieces and handkerchiefs which rep resent weeks and weeks of toll." The evolution of needlework can be seen in a trip through the woman's building. Perhaps the most antique exhibit is an old sampler which In the early day was a delight to the young needlewoman. This sampler was made by a "Miss Louise Allen in the year of our Lord 1S18," in the little village of East Jefferson, Me. The sampler is made on a dark background ana con FAMOUS STATUE OF LIBERTY. Will Lons Perpetuate the Name of the Late Sculptor Bartholdi. Long afer his dust shall be indistin guishable from its mother earth the name of Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. the famous French sculptor, who died in Paris recently, shall be remembered and revered in this country. The colos sal Statue of Liberty on Bedlow's Island, New York, is the first object to greet the Incomer as he enters the chief portal of the new world, and as the satue is a commemoration of the traditional good feeling existing be tween France and the United States the ages will be many before Its sig nificance is lost sight of. With that statue the name and fame of Bar tholdi are inseparable. Bartholdi was born in 1834 and was Intended for the legal profession. He chose sculpture Instead, and at an early age entered upon what proved to be his lifework. His first statue was exhibited when he was 22 years old, and thereafter the greater part of his life was devoted to his chosen pursuit. lerent ways and each is executed in a different stitch. Underneath all is a long motto which savors strongly of Isaac Watts pointing out a homely truth in a homely manner. St. Paul Pioneer Press. Throughout his life he was an admirer of the United States, and it is prob able that his Statue of Liberty will do as much to perpetuate his name as any other, perhaps all, of his works. STOP DISORDER ON DIAMOND. During the Franco-Prussian war Bartholdi served with distinction and fought under Garibaldi. In the days of the Commune he visited the United States, being unable to pursue his studio work in Paris. The magnificent position presented by New York hair- tains the alphabet worked in five dif-1 fcor for a statue of colossal dimensions (To be continued) True friendship is like sound health, the value of it is seldom known until it be lost. Cottoa. Millions Are Not Claimed. The funds in offlclal custody in Eng land awaiting claimants amount to an enormous sum. During the recent par liamentary session questions were asked as to these unclaimed deposits, and several returns on the subject have been made. The total balances in the hands of the paymaster general were $273,612,305 on Feb. 28, 1903. In the chancery division a large por tion of this great fund Is dormant, but as a fund is not considered as un claimed until it has not been adjudi cated by the court for fifteen years, the proportion due to missing owners cannot be estimated, hut is an enor mous amount. Many persons are neg ligent in collecting government securi ties and dividends, or have died with out leaving heirs who have demanded the funds. The balance of government stock and dividends unclaimed for ten years in tne nanus oi me uauuuai debt commissioners on March 31, 1904, was 813,912,005. The government has taken over $5,000,000 of this fund for current expenses. Similar appropriations of these un claimed funds were made by the gov ernment in 1791 and 1S08, and in 1863 Gladstone canceled not less than $15, 000.000 of the unclaimed ..stock. A large estate, $720,000, that of Mrs. Helen Blake, reverted to the crown in 1S83 in default of claimants who were able to prove their right to estate. Electric Light in Egypt. Nearly every city in the interior of Egypt is now lighted by electricity. struck him. and when a body ot dis tinguished Frenchmen formed a soci ety to carry out the project his design w as approved. In five years France sub scribed the $250,000 necessary for that purpose. Bartholdi spent on the statue nearly ten years. Levi P. Morton, then United States minister to France, received the gift July 4, 1884; It wa3 brought over on a ship of state, erect ed on Bedloe's Island and dedicated with imposing ceremonies October 28, 1886, President Cleveland making the speech of acceptance ana uarmo.ai himself unveiling the statue. For this work Bartholdi made deep study of colossal figures in Egypt, Greece and eastern lands. The statue is the largest bronze figure in the world, being 151 feet from the pedestal to the extremity of the torch, the figure being 111 feet MrVi oni thA torch being 306 feet above the tide level. The masterpiece of his creation, however, is The Lion of Belfort, To commemorate the defense of that place the Franco-Prussian war he sculptured the Immense lion,, a figure SO feet long and 30 feet high, partly rent in .the rock and partly built up with stone, which stands against tLe face of the citadel's plateau. As a tes timonial of gratitude to Americans for their sympathy and service in that war the statue of Lafayette, in Union Square, was given to New York. It came from Bartholdl'a chisel, as also Rubseouently did one of the pubil fountains of Washington and the four bas-reliefs around the steeple of the Brattle Square Church, Boston. Ju the last named the faces of his friend and well-known public men are repro duced. The sculptures by Bartholdi are nu merous. In 1865 he was decorated by th proas of the Legion of Honor. Hooting at Umpires and Similar Out breaks a Menace to Game. It requires no stretch of the imagina tion to predict that some time or an other, somewhere and somehow, some thing is going to happen to that im portant American functionary, the base ball umpire, and if we do not misin terpret the steady drift toward vio lence on the diamond the happening will be a trifle more serious than a profane bombardment of the eardrum, more serious than any of the disgrace ful things yet noted in connection with this feature of the great American game. What happened in Jackson, Miss., to Umpire Harlow, when It be came necessary for Mayor Heming way to visit him at his hotel and-as-sure him of protection, and what hap pened to Umpire Gifford at Monroe, La., during a game there, are but straws showing the drift of the wind. Baseball is a great game. It has a splendid recreative value. It-sweeps i tne citizen away from the dull cares, i the sweat and grime of life's routine and often tints the sunset of existence with somewhat of the glow of yester day, for though we have slipped into the slim groove of age and may be hurrying to a hole n the ground, we may yet be boys again, and thrill with the remembered passions and excite ments of the schoolground. But base ball is too often robbed of its poetic color and the fine exhilarating value of the game by just suca disturbances aa noted at Jackson and Monroe. Um pires, like other men, are made out of clay. Being clay, they must err. Bias may now and then dominate them and shape their judgments. Con sciously wrong sometimes, uncon sciously wrong at others, in the de cisions they make, they are no better and no worse than the common run of partisans, whether they are of the dia mond or not. The presumption of hon esty should run in every man's behalf, whether he be baseball umpire or what not, until there is good proof to the contrary. In any aspect of the case the dis orders which now so often mark the progress of ball games cannot do oth er than injure the sport. Aside from the strictly baseball Interest of the question, there is an issue of greater significance and of deeper public con cern. Baseball Is a passion with the young American. No other form of amusement, no other kind of contest will so stir the blood of the American boy. No other game has ever been able to take Its place in his affections. He generally sees the game, staking all his youthful enthusiasm on one side or the other, though frequently put to the stress of pouring his soul through a knothole in the fence. But no matter how, he sees the game and its excitements and passions find lodg ment in his nature. If for no other reason, the game should be kept clean and on the square for the good It may do to the American boy. Assaults on umpires, the profanity, the grumbling and other violences in word and deed can do the young American no good and should not be countenanced. Base ball managers should put a stop to all this disorder and vulgar byplay on the diamond. San Francisco Call. Travel In Japan. The railway traveler in Japan buya a first, second or third class ticket; or, if he wishes to go cheaper still, ha can get a ticket entitling him simply to stand on the platform! Many of the cars can be entered either from th side or the end. 'After all, there isn't a much worse sensation than discovering that a con temporary looks suddenly old.