The Iron Boys in the Steel Mills; or, Beginning Anew in the Cinder Pits

  CHAPTER XX

  THE CHIEF EXPRESSES HIMSELF

  "Phillips, this is young Rush, Steve Rush."

  The chief engineer nodded, shooting a quick glance at the Iron Boy,after which he fixed his eyes on the face of the superintendent.

  "Rush and a friend of his, named Jarvis, have come down from the mines.They are learning the business with the intention of making it theirlife work. Is that not it, Rush?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Mr. Carrhart has recommended them very highly, and I am beginning tolearn that his recommendation was well within the facts. These boys haveheads on them, Phillips. You are wondering what I am getting at, I see.Rush is working on the blast furnaces. Let's see, what are you doingthere?" asked Mr. Keating, with a twinkle in his eyes.

  "I am the monkey-man on number four, sir, where there was a blow-outlast night."

  An amused smile flitted over the face of Mr. Phillips at theannouncement. He was not taking the interview very seriously, as Stevequickly observed.

  "The young man has had other blow-outs, but he bears a charmed life, Iam inclined to think. Let's see, you were blown to the roof in the pitexplosion in the open-hearth building, were you not!"

  "No, sir; that was Bob Jarvis."

  "Oh, yes; you were the man who was in the other pit. I remember now."

  Steve nodded. He did not particularly like the personal trend of theconversation. It embarrassed him. He wanted to change the subject, buthe knew Mr. Keating well enough to understand that the generalsuperintendent must first indulge in his little pleasantries beforegetting down to business.

  "And what is more, Phillips, they are both stockholders in the company.What do you think of that for a couple of youngsters working for adollar a day?" demanded Steve's torturer triumphantly.

  The chief engineer smiled more broadly now.

  "Very remarkable, Mr. Keating. Regular infant prodigies." He waswondering, by this time, what the superintendent was getting at, knowingthat there was some purpose behind Mr. Keating's good-natured raillery.

  "Did you wish me to make a place for them?"

  "I am afraid they would not accept if you did."

  "Oh!"

  "Rush has an idea that he can save us some money. He has told me whathis suggestion is, and now I want him to repeat it to you. Go ahead,Steve, and tell Mr. Phillips what you have said to me."

  This was different. It had been comparatively easy for the boy to tellhis story in the first place, because it was backed by his enthusiasm.That enthusiasm had in a measure been squeezed out of him by Mr.Keating's jesting remarks. Steve plucked up courage, gazing straight atthe now cold, inquiring eyes of the chief engineer.

  "My suggestion is for the utilization of the waste gases from the stovesat the blast furnaces across the river," announced the boy.

  "Indeed?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Let me hear your ideas on the subject."

  Rush began at first haltingly, then warming to his subject as he wenton, repeating very nearly in the same words, what he already had toldthe superintendent. As he progressed real interest began to dawn in theeyes of the chief engineer. Now and then he would halt the boy to ask aquestion, but the interruptions were of such a nature as not to disturbSteve. At last the Iron Boy came to a conclusion.

  "Beyond that, sir, I cannot go just now, not having the requisitetechnical knowledge. All that I have suggested may not amount to much,"he added with a smile.

  "It will do very well for an apprentice," nodded the engineer, with asignificant glance at Mr. Keating. "What do you think about it?"

  "Very remarkable."

  "You say you would convey this waste gas to the gas engines?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Do you know where they are?"

  "Yes, sir; on this side of the river."

  "How would you get it over here?"

  "Through pipes, of course. The gas would lose none of its virtue intransit. It is carried much further than that to the mills already. Itstrikes me that gas from other parts of the yards might be conveyed tothe leader pipe in the same way, and thus give you enough gas to runyour engines without having to draw further on the city supply."

  "How would you carry these pipes across the river--under water?" askedthe engineer.

  "No, sir; the pipes would rust through, would they not, and give you alot of trouble?"

  Mr. Phillips nodded.

  "Your idea is correct."

  "I should elevate them over the river."

  "If there are any other intricate problems that you are unable to workout, Phillips, just call on my boys," laughed Mr. Keating.

  "Yes; I am inclined to that belief myself. Have you an hour that you canspare, Mr. Keating?"

  "Certainly. There is nothing more to be done here this afternoon."

  "How about you, Rush?"

  "I have to report for duty within the hour."

  "What is it you want, Phillips?"

  "I was about to suggest that Rush accompany us over to the furnaces, butif he has to report for the night trick there will not be time."

  "We will attend to that part of it. You will want to return home, ofcourse, to change your clothes before going to work?"

  "Yes, sir," Steve nodded.

  The superintendent pushed a button and one of his clerks responded.

  "Send word to the head melter of number four blast that Mr. Rush willnot be on duty this evening, on the superintendent's order; that theyoung man is engaged on another matter for me," directed Mr. Keating.

  Steve's eyes glowed, not because he did not have to work, but becausethere seemed reason to believe that the plan he had so carefullythought out was going to be seriously considered both by thesuperintendent and the chief engineer of the great steel works.

  "That disposes of all your objections, doesn't it, Rush?" asked Mr.Keating.

  "It disposes of the obstacles. I had no objections," smiled the IronBoy.

  "I stand corrected, sir," said Mr. Keating. "We will start if you areready, Phillips."

  "As soon as I get my hat. I will join you on the outside."

  A few moments later they were walking briskly along toward the yards,Mr. Keating and the engineer together, Steve a little in advance ofthem.

  "What do you think of my young man?" asked Mr. Keating.

  "Rush? He is a very bright young fellow. You say he came down from theiron range?"

  "Yes, he and his friend Jarvis, I am told, were forging rapidly towardthe front there. They shipped on an ore boat to learn that part of thebusiness and then came down here to enter the mills. From a salary ofmore than a hundred dollars a month the boys are now receiving themunificent wage of a dollar a day. You do not need to know anything morethan that about them, do you?"

  "No; that should be sufficient to establish their sincerity of purpose."

  "I should say so," emphasized the superintendent. "What do you think ofRush's proposal?"

  "I can answer that question better after I have looked over the groundand figured on the proposal a little."

  "It is a wonder we never thought of it before."

  "It is. Still, many important discoveries have been made by personsunfamiliar with the subject, as against the experiments of years by mentrained to that particular profession."

  "See here, Phillips, don't you try to throw cold water on theachievements of my boys. I won't have it."

  "Not at all, not at all. When I am convinced that the boy has suggesteda good thing I shall be just as enthusiastic as you are over it."

  "You professional men are a cold-blooded lot, aren't you?"

  "Do you wish to cross the metal bridge, or to go around the long way?"interrupted Steve halting to permit them to catch up with him.

  "We will take the bridge," answered the superintendent. "The hour isgetting late and we have quite a little to look over before dark."

  Steve had already turned and was striding toward the bridge. As theyreached it a metal train was just approaching. The Iron Boy
halted towait for the two men to come up, whereupon he fell in behind them, notfor any particular reason, but because some instinct told him to do so.

  Mr. Keating and Mr. Phillips were engaged in earnest conversationdiscussing the plan proposed by Steve, so that they did not takeparticular notice of what was going on about them. They were used towalking along the narrow footpath by the side of the tracks on thebridge that hung high over the river, so that neither man was timid.They raised their voices to make themselves heard above the thunder ofthe hot metal train, as with its load of red hot pig-iron, it hurriedon.

  The middle of the train was just abreast of them when Rush's quick eyessaw one of the big red molds swaying dangerously. This he could notunderstand, for the molds were supposed to be bolted to the cars, whichwas the case with all of the molds used in the transit of the pig-ironto the refining open-hearth furnaces.

  Steve watched the swaying mold as the train rolled along. Suddenly theflat car bearing this particular mold, lurched sideways. For onebreathless instant the red hot pig of iron hung motionless then plungedfrom the car. Steve Rush was no longer inactive. The indecision that hadsuddenly taken possession of him, left him on the second.

  "Look out!" shouted the boy.

  Mr. Keating turned sharply to see what the lad wanted. He knew that somedanger menaced them, but he did not know the nature of that danger.

  There was no time for explanations. A second would mean serious, if notfatal, injury to the two men.

  The Iron Boy darted forward. Both hands were thrust forward, and with amighty push he sent the chief engineer and the general superintendent ofthe mills staggering forward. They fell flat on the narrow footpath. Atthe same time Steve lost his balance and fell, right in the path of thefive-ton mold of red hot iron. Yet the Iron Boy's presence of mind didnot leave him for a second.

  The bar of pig struck the planking of the footpath, went through it asif the planking had been paper and a few seconds later, hit the watersof the Monongahela, with a mighty splash from which a cloud of steamrose in the air.

  The two men picked themselves up quickly.

  "What is it? What does it mean?" demanded Mr. Phillips angrily. "Whopushed me? Who pushed _us_?"

  "The boy who saved our lives," answered the superintendent. "Don't yousee what happened?"

  "No; I will confess that I do not. Something happened to the train, didit not?"

  "A pig fell off, mold and all. It is down at the bottom of the river,now, as you can see by glancing down there at the cloud of steam."

  Mr. Phillip's face paled. He was used to narrow escapes, but this wasthe narrowest of all in his wide experience.

  "Is--is it possible?" he gasped.

  "It is a wonder that it didn't derail the whole train. We certainlyshould have met our finish if that had been the case."

  "It was a rare exhibition of presence of mind. I never saw anything likeit in my life."

  "It was, indeed."

  "But where is the boy Rush?"

  "Whe--where--where----" breathed the superintendent, his face slowlyblanching. "I declare, Phillips, he must have been caught under the pigand carried down to his death!"

  The chief engineer shook his head sadly, leaning over the rail without aword as he gazed down into the river with averted face, that hiscompanion might not see his emotion.