CHAPTER III
STEVE SHOWS THE IRON HAND
"TELL the mine captain that I wish to see him," said Steve Rush to oneof the men working in his shift.
"Where is he?"
"That is what I am sending you to find out," answered the young foreman,somewhat sharply.
The messenger hurried away, grumbling to himself. While the Iron Boyswere popular in the mines, there had been no little grumbling when itwas learned that they had been promoted over men who had spent manyyears in the mines. Steve knew and understood this, but he knew that hehad done no one an injustice. He had worked hard, and if his employersconsidered that he was entitled to promotion that was his own goodfortune.
"One seldom gets anything in this world unless he works for it and earnsit," was the lad's wise conclusion on this particular morning, as hiskeen eyes caught a disgruntled look on the face of more than one manworking under him.
Steve, true to his name, was pushing the work of his employers with hischaracteristic rushing tactics. Upon taking up the new work he had madea brief speech to each shift in his department.
"Men," he said, "I am younger than most of you, but you may depend uponone thing. I shall always treat you with absolute fairness and do youjustice. If at any time you think such is not the case, tell me so, orgo to the superintendent. If I fail in my duty toward you, at any time,it will be because I do not know better, and under such circumstances Ishall be glad to be enlightened. However, the business of the miningcompany comes first. Everything must give way before that. Our solebusiness in life, down here, is to get out iron ore. I am satisfied thatthis drift has not been getting out nearly as much as it should. I shallhereafter expect at least two more tons a day than you have been mining.If you find that you cannot do it, you will have to give me a goodexcuse. The ore is running soft. You'll never have easier work than whatis before you now. Take some pride in your work. See if you can't beatthem all. If you break records I shall see to it that those higher upare informed of it. That is all I have to say."
A similar speech was made by Rush to each of the dozen drift crews underhis command. Either his words, or the manner in which he spoke them tookhold of the men, for the output of the twelve drifts was increased bytwelve tons the first day.
Superintendent Penton rubbed his eyes when the report came in to himthat night. He wondered if a mistake had not been made. On the report ofthe ore mined in Bob Jarvis' department he found a substantial increasealso, though not within half a dozen tons of that shown by Steve Rush.
Mr. Penton said nothing, but decided to wait until the week was over,when, if the increase held up to the mark set, he would call theattention of the Duluth officials to the gain. He knew this would pleaseMr. Carrhart, for the president had great confidence in Rush, and in hisrough and ready companion, Jarvis.
Both boys were stationed on the twentieth level, far down in the earthin the Red Rock Mine, to which they had been transferred with theirpromotion. That morning Steve had been making an inspection of thevarious drifts. It was the first opportunity he had had to make athorough examination of them. In section twenty-four L he had made adiscovery that led him to send for the mine captain at once.
"Anything gone wrong?" demanded the mine captain, strolling in half anhour later.
"No, but there is likely to be. Come in here. I want to show yousomething."
Steve led the way into the drift, where the diamond drills were bangingaway in a deafening chorus. He motioned for the men to shut off thedrills; then, climbing up on the crumbling ore that was being shoveledinto the tram cars, he held his candle up to the peak of the dome-likedrift.
"Do you see that?" demanded Steve.
"I don't see anything very alarming."
"You don't?"
"I do not."
Rush pointed to a seam in the rocks overhead. The seam extended alongthrough some three feet of rock and ore. There was a narrow opening orcrack there into which the lad jabbed his sharp-pointed candlestick.
"Now do you see what I am trying to show you?"
"Pshaw! That's nothing. We always get those cracks in back-stoping."
"We are not back-stoping now; we're drifting," protested Steve. "Thatdrift is dangerous."
"No more so than any of them. This isn't a kid's job; it's a man's jobdown in these mines."
"I am simply pointing it out to you, sir. At the same time I want to askyour permission either to abandon the drift until it can be shored up,or to back-stope until we can get through to solid rock."
"Go on with your drifting. We can't stop for a little thing like that, Itell you," answered the mine captain, turning and starting away.
"Pull out your drills," commanded Rush.
The drill-men began to obey his command.
"Shovelers and trammers knock off. Hand in your time until I can see thesuperintendent and get you in a new place."
The mine captain came striding back. He had overheard the orders of theyoung foreman, and the captain's face reflected his anger.
"See here, what are you doing?" he demanded sternly.
"I am closing this drift for the present."
"I order your men back to work. What do you mean by interfering with thework of this shift?"
"I already have told you what I mean, sir. I decline to risk the livesof the men in section twenty-four L until it has been made safe."
"Get back to work, every man of you, unless you want to be fired out ofthis mine!" commanded the captain.
Steve raised a warning hand.
"Men, I am your foreman. You will obey me. Mr. Mine Captain, you have noright to give these men orders over my head. I have asked you forprotection for them. You refuse to give it. I am responsible for theirsafety, so all work will stop in this drift, so far as I am concerned,until you have made the drift safe."
"I'll report you; I'll put another crew to work. I'll----"
"And I'll report you if you do. I have no intention of beingdisrespectful, and I am willing to take the responsibility for my act."
With this Steve urged his men out of the drift. The captain fumed, buthe knew full well that Steve was right in saying that he had no right toorder the men back to work.
No sooner had the men of the regular shift withdrawn and gone up to thesurface, than the mine captain gathered another crew and set them towork in section twenty-four L, Steve in the meantime having gone toanother part of the works. The captain did not want the daily output tofall behind, for that would reflect on him. The captain set the newshift at work, then went away about his business, muttering his threatsagainst the young foreman.
When Steve passed that way again his attention was attracted by a lightin the drift. Somewhat surprised, he turned into section twenty-four Lto learn what was going on in there. He found a new crew at work.
"Who sent you in here?" he demanded.
"The captain did," was the answer.
"Very well; so long as he has done so it is not for me to order you out.You do not belong to my crew. But let me warn you, men. This drift isnot safe. Some or all of you are likely to get hurt. I should adviseagainst your working here. I have sent my crew away and they will notcome into the drift until something has been done to make it safe."
The miners laughed and went on with their work. The drill-men wereboring in, making openings for the dynamite sticks, while the trammerswere loading, taking their time at the work.
Steve turned away when he saw that the men did not take his warningseriously. He made his way to the telephone, where he called upSuperintendent Penton, acquainting him with conditions in sectiontwenty-four L.
The superintendent said he would be down as soon as he could get intohis mine clothes. He directed Steve to leave matters as they were untilhe could look into the affair. At the same time Mr. Penton warned Stevethat these disagreements between mine captain and foremen were very badfor the discipline of the mine.
"I am willing to assume the full r
esponsibility for my act, sir," wasthe answer of the young foreman, as he hung up the receiver and startedaway, his lips shut tightly together, a look of stubborn determinationon his face. Steve was ready to give or take.
Shortly after that Mr. Penton arrived. He looked up the mine captainfirst, and heard what the latter had to say. Then the two men sought outSteve Rush, whom they found directing the work of one of his crews.
"Rush, this is a bad piece of business. What have you to say foryourself?"
"There is nothing more to say, sir, so far as I am concerned. It is foryou to decide whether I am in the right or the wrong."
"You say the drift is not safe for the men to work in?"
"I do."
"The mine captain disagrees with you, and you have had an argument withhim before the men. Rush, I am surprised at you."
Steve's face flushed a dull red, but he held his head erect, looking thesuperintendent squarely in the eyes.
"I am willing to assume all the responsibility for my act. One of thefirst lessons I learned from you, sir, was to guard the lives of the menas I would my own. I do not think there was need for me to learn thelesson. I should have done it anyway. The drift is in a dangerouscondition. No men under my charge shall work there in its presentcondition. If you say they are to do so I shall step down and out. I donot want to feel, after an accident has occurred, that I am responsiblefor the maiming of a lot of men, not to mention the possible loss oflife."
"That's what comes from giving a kid authority," nodded the minecaptain.
The superintendent raised a restraining hand.
"I will have a look at the drift. You may come with us, Rush."
The three started away, Steve walking on ahead, the superintendent andmine captain bringing up the rear. They had gone something more thanhalf way through the cross-cut when they saw a miner approaching them onthe run. Steve saw at once that something had gone wrong.
"What's the matter?" he cried before the man got up to him.
"Twenty-four L has caved in, burying the whole crew!" panted themessenger. "There's tons of red ore and rock on them. They're wipedclean off the slate!"