The Iron Boys as Foremen; or, Heading the Diamond Drill Shift

by Mrs. Molesworth

  CHAPTER II

  AN UNEXPECTED PROMOTION

  THE hours dragged wearily along, the cage resting motionless, save foran occasional jolt, in the dark shaft. Long ago Steve Rush's candle hadburned out, the hot grease dripping down over his hat brim.

  All at once, without the usual jarring warning, the cage began to moveslowly upward. Being off the track, it bumped along not unlike a handcarrunning on the ties of a railroad, banging from side to side of theshaft, threatening every instant to precipitate the three men to thebottom.

  "Hang on, fellows!" cried Steve. "Watch out that those guard rails donot jar loose. Keep your hands on the ends, and at the first sign oftrouble get over on the iron rod."

  The others did as he directed.

  "You've got the only real head in the mines," grumbled Jarvis.

  Rush did not answer. He was too busy looking out for their safety toindulge in further conversation. It was the longest and roughest ridethat any one of those three men ever had experienced, and the way upthrough the shaft seemed many miles. At last a faint light filtered downabout the cage.

  "We are getting near the top," announced Bob.

  Steve nodded, but did not reply. The light grew stronger.

  "Sit steady," warned Rush. "Do not attempt to leave the cage until Itell you, unless you want to get a dandy tumble."

  Just then the cage was drawn out into the full daylight, where itstopped. They heard excited voices about them, then a face peered upunder the edge of the cage.

  "Hello, out there!" called Steve.

  "There are men in the cage. They're alive!" cried a voice.

  "Yes; help us out," ordered Rush in a matter-of-fact tone. "Our quartersare somewhat cramped."

  "Shove some planking over the shaft," commanded a voice that the boysrecognized as belonging to Superintendent Penton. "Be quick about it.Hello, in there!"

  "Hello, sir," replied Steve.

  "Who are you?"

  "I am Steve Rush."

  "Are you alone?"

  "No; Bob Jarvis and Dominick are with me."

  "I might have known it. Heaven be praised that you are safe. How manymen were on the car?"

  "Four besides ourselves."

  "Did they fall?"

  "Yes; you will find them at the bottom of the shaft," answered the boysadly.

  The shouting without quickly died away. Planks were cast over the shaftopening, forming a platform on which the men might drop.

  "Lower the cage a little," ordered the superintendent.

  This was done. Steve was the first to leap down to the platform,followed quickly by Bob Jarvis, then by the Italian. The moment Dominickfelt the solid planking underneath his feet, he uttered a yell andstarted on a run for home. Mr. Penton shouted to him to halt, butDominick seemed deaf to all outward sounds. He was hurrying home to tellhis wife of his hairbreadth escape from death.

  In the meantime Mr. Penton had sprung forward, grasping the hands of theIron Boys, which he wrung heartily, the tears almost blinding his sight,for he had grown to be very fond of these two manly young fellows.

  "I beg your pardon, sir," said Steve, "but have you had those poorfellows who fell in looked up?"

  "I have just sent a rescue party to the lower level to look for them. Ihad not been here ten minutes when you came up. Nothing was being done.Everyone seemed to have lost his head----"

  "One man didn't," interrupted Bob Jarvis grimly. "Steve Rush didn't, orthree of us would have been down there now, smashed flat."

  Mr. Penton nodded.

  "You two may go home, if you wish."

  "For what, sir?" asked Rush.

  "Your nerves no doubt are a little shaken, and----"

  "Our nerves are all right, sir. Besides, we may be needed here. I thinkwe had better go down on one of the skips and see if we can be of anyservice to the men who fell----"

  Just then the superintendent was called to the telephone by the side ofthe shaft. He returned after giving some brief directions.

  "It's all over, boys," he said.

  "Have they found them?"

  "Yes. The men are dead. It could not have been otherwise after thatterrible fall. They are sending the bodies up on a skip. I shall be busyhere for the next hour. If you will meet me at my office, at the end ofthe hour, I shall be there. I want to say something to you both. I hadintended seeing you some time to-day."

  "Very well, sir," replied Steve. "I don't know that I want to stay here,unless there is something that I can do to help you."

  "There is nothing," replied Mr. Penton.

  The boys walked away, thoughtful and silent. They had taken part in agrim tragedy, such as was likely to happen at any time in the busymines. To-morrow it would be forgotten and the work of burrowing underthe earth would go on just as though nothing out of the ordinary hadoccurred.

  "It was a close call," said Bob, glancing into the thoughtful face ofhis companion.

  Steve nodded.

  "Poor fellows," he murmured. "Did they leave families?"

  "I don't know."

  "We will find out. Perhaps we may be able to do something for them."

  Not long after the youths had reached the office of the superintendent,Mr. Penton came in. He shook hands with the boys again, after which hecalled in the claim adjuster.

  "This affair will cost us something in damages," Mr. Penton said. "Butthe company will pay willingly. Will you two boys make a statement,giving the adjuster all the facts?"

  "Certainly, sir," answered Steve.

  "Dominick will not get over his fright before to-morrow, and even atthat, his testimony would not be of much value to us."

  After a stenographer had been summoned, Steve related in a concisemanner the story of the accident to the cage, not neglecting to mentionthe speed at which the car was traveling when the cage turned turtle.

  "Have you anything to add to that, Jarvis?" asked Mr. Penton after Stevehad concluded.

  "Not a word. I couldn't have told it better."

  Mr. Penton did not smile. He regarded Rush thoughtfully.

  "That is the clearest and most comprehensive statement of an accidentthat I have ever listened to, Steve. After it has been transcribed Ishall ask both of you to sign it."

  This the boys did, swearing to the truth of the statement they had made.The claim adjuster then thanked them and left the room. It was a clearcase against the company, for there had been neglect on the part of someemploye. The accident would cost the company thousands of dollars, butto the credit of the company there was to be no effort to evaderesponsibility.

  The Iron Boys rose to leave.

  "Sit down," said Mr. Penton, motioning them back to their chairs. "As Itold you over at the shaft, I desire to talk with you. How long have youbeen in the mines?"

  "I have been here a year. Jarvis has been here a little longer thanthat," answered Steve.

  "Just so. In that time you two have proved yourselves out. You have donewell all that has been given to you to do, and you have gone somewhatbeyond that, I may add," said Mr. Penton, with a smile. "I want to askyou a personal question."

  "Yes, sir."

  "Is it your intention to remain in the mines permanently?"

  Steve thought a moment before replying.

  "I have thought that I should like to familiarize myself with the entireiron and steel business. After I have learned all I can in the mines, Ithink I should like to go on--to go further----"

  "The mills, for instance----"

  "Yes, sir."

  Bob Jarvis nodded his approval of what Steve had said.

  "I rather thought so. While I shall not want to lose you, you may restassured that I shall leave nothing undone to push you along. You have acareer before you, each of you. The keynote of success in the industrialworld is patriotism. There is patriotism for flag and country and thereis another kind as well--patriotism of achievement. It is thispatriotism which accomplishes great works in the industrial w
orld.Without it our great industries could not exist."

  "Yes, sir; I feel it, sir," said Steve brightly.

  "I know that. I have known it for a long time. It is such patriotism asyours that accomplishes results in the world. The president of thecompany is aware that you possess it. I had a letter from him yesterdayregarding you boys."

  Mr. Penton turned over the papers on his desk. Selecting the letter hewas in search of, he read it, then laid the paper back on his desk.

  "Mr. Carrhart, the president, is deeply interested in you. This letteris in reference to you, making certain suggestions. Have you any ideawhat they are?" laughed the superintendent.

  "No, sir."

  "I hope he isn't going to discharge us," interjected Bob Jarviswhimsically.

  "Not quite so bad as that," answered Mr. Penton, laughing softly. "Hedoes, however, request me to relieve you of your present duties."

  Bob's face fell.

  "But this is in order to give you something better. I am ordered topromote you to the grade of foremen. How does that strike you?"

  "Knocks me clear over," answered Jarvis promptly.

  "Promoted to the grade of foremen?" repeated Steve, scarcely able tobelieve that what he had heard was not a mistake.

  "Yes. Something more than that. You are to be general foremen--shiftbosses. The ordinary foreman, as you know, has charge of the shift inone drift only. You boys will have several drifts under your charge. Youhave had sufficient experience so that I think you will have nodifficulty in handling the work. The more ore you get out the better thecompany will be satisfied. What the company wants is results. The manwho can give them results is the man that the company wants to promoteto higher positions. You have done well in this direction already. Ishall expect you to continue to advance."

  "You are very kind. We shall do the best we can, but it is a responsibleposition for a boy," replied Steve thoughtfully.

  "For a mere boy, yes. I look upon you two lads as men. You have provedup to the mark, and you have done the work, assuming theresponsibilities of full-grown men."

  "What pay do we get?" questioned Bob Jarvis, with an eye to business.

  Mr. Penton laughed.

  "That is a business-like question. I was wondering if you were going toask that."

  "Of course I am, sir. I wish to know."

  "I will tell you. You will receive, beginning with the first of thecoming week, one hundred and twenty-five dollars each per month. Youshould be able to lay up some money out of that."

  "Indeed we shall," answered Steve. "It is a fine salary, but I shall domy best to earn it, as I know Bob will."

  Jarvis nodded more emphatically than ever.