ker spots; and on top of all ton after ton of
railroad iron held the whole immovably. Nolan had enjoyed the advantage
of a "floating" jam; of convenient facilities incident to a large city;
and of an aroused public sentiment that proffered him all the help he
could use. Monrovia, little village that it was, had not grasped
the situation. Redding saw it clearly. The loss of the timber
alone--representing some millions of dollars' worth of the sawed
product--would mean failure of mill companies, of banks holding their
paper, and so of firms in other lines of business; and besides would
throw thousands of men out of employment. Furthermore, what was quite as
serious, should the iron bridge give way, the wooden bridges below
could hardly fail to go out. Railroad communication between eastern and
western Michigan would be entirely cut off. For a season industry of
every description would be practically paralysed. Therefore Nolan had
all the help he required. Every device known was employed to strengthen
the jam. For only a few hours was the result in doubt. Then as the
CLARION jubilantly expressed it, "It's a hundred dollars to an old hat
she holds!"

Orde received all this with satisfaction, but with a slight scepticism.

"It's a floating jam; and it gets a push from underneath," he pointed
out. "It's probably safe; but another flood might send it out."

"The floods are going down," said North.

"Good Lord; I hope so!" said Orde.

Newmark sent word that a sudden fit of sickness had confined him to the
house.

"Didn't think of a little thing like piles," said Orde to himself.
"Well, that's hardly fair. Joe couldn't have realised when he left here
just how bad things were."

For two days, as has been said, nothing happened. Then Orde decided
to break out a channel through the jam itself. This was a necessary
preliminary to getting the logs in shape for distribution. An opening
was made in the piles, and the rivermen, with pike-pole and peavy, began
cautiously to dig their way through the tangled timbers. The Government
pile-driver, which had finally been sent up from below, began placing
five extra booms at intervals down stream to capture the drift as fast
as it was turned loose. From the mills and private booms crews came to
assist in the labour. The troubles appeared to be quite over, when word
came from Redding that the waters were again rising. Ten minutes later
Leopold Lincoln Bunn, the local reporter, came flap