Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 July 1889 — A DEADLY PLAYTHING. [ARTICLE]

A DEADLY PLAYTHING.

How « Pair of Slgr Bears Ones Fooled with a Can of Nitro-Glyc-erfna,. * ‘There was an explosion jjj§ nitro* glycerine in the oil regions onee that has always been looked upon as one ol the many mysterious happenings, ol that country.” said J, C. Henry, one of the early operators in Venaugs county, to the New York Sun correspondent, “because people would never believe what I told them about it and thC way iLcame to occur. My explanation of it was the truth, though, and I am the only person who actually knows that the explosion was not ol any mysterious orign. It was the result of one of the most curious incidents that ever came to pass in that curious country. “I think it was in ’Ol that Roberts, the torpedo man, first demontrated the utility of his nitro-glycerine torpedoes for shooting oil wells after they had been drilled. Soon after'they came into use I put down a well in one of the wildest parts of the region, and any one who was ever in that section of the state.at that, time has some idea of what that means. Nitro-glycerine. being a new thing, people hadn’t got) used to handling it yet. and but few safeguards had been thrown around the carrying and storing of the deadly stuff. We all knew that was apt to gooff on very slight pro vacation some-' times, and it was going off every day, here and there about the region, wiping folks off tbe face of the earth as completely as if they had never been on it. “We struck the sand in my well along toward the evening of July 3. There was a good showing for oil. and all it wanted was a good shot of nitroglycerine. I had ordered a supply of the stuff, and it was to have been at the well that day, but hadn’t come. The next day being the Fourth, and my men having made arrangements for celebrating somewhere along the creek, we concluded to suspend operations until the sth. I had no idea the nitro-glycerine would be delivered on the Fourth. I remained at the well that day. and to my surprise the teamster came in with a big can of the explosive. I didn’t care to have it around, and wanted him to take it back and come with it the next day, but ha wouidn’t do it, and placed it on the derrick floor. “I made up my mind to get away from there as soon as 1 could. The woods were full of wild animals still, and scarcely a day passed that bear and wild cats were not seen prowling around. 1 stepped into the derrick to get my coat, and while I was there I heard a noise in the brush, and looking out saw two big bears slouching along right toward the derrick. • I wasn’t posted on bear and without waiting to think much about it, being pretty well frightened, I sprang for the ladder and climbed up into the derrick and got on a beam twenty feet or so above the floor to wait for the unwelcome visitors to go on about their business. It seemed, though, that they had made up their mindsthat their business required them to make an investigation of the premises and they came right on and shambled in on the dome!#* floor. They nosed around among the machinery, dangled the ropes, and clattered about generally. They didn't appear to be in any hurry at all and I l>egart to get uneasy, "~HKrt"IT”I wasneasy over their fooling around among the machinery what do you suppose my feelings were when the bright tin can containing the nitro-glycerine caught the eyes of the bears and they began to push and roll it about on the floor? The perspiration rolled off of me in great beads and I actually believed that I could feel my hair turning white. I did not know what minute the bears would thump the can against something hard enough to explode it. What the result of such a catastrophe would have been it isn’t necessary to hint at. But all the while the bears wore having great fun with the can. By and by one of the bears lifted it in his p:tws and rose up on his hind feet, liplding the can at arm’s length, fully six feet from the floor. All he had to do was to drop it and all my men would have found when they came back next day would have been a big holo in the ground. As the bear stood there holding that can of death his companion rose up on his hind feet two three yards away and gazed at him iu an expectant sort of way. I hud often heard that bears amused themselves in melon patches in playing catch with each other by chucking a melon to and fro between them. I made up my mind that those two bears were about to have a little diversion of that kind with that can of nitro-glycerine. I shut my eyes and waited for the Climax that would surely follow. It didn't come and I looked down again and found that tbe bears had changed their minds about that game of catch and were rolliug the can about on the floor again. “By and by a new idea seemed to •trike the jolly pair. A hundred yard« or so from tho derrick there was a ravine. One of the bears rolled the can out of the derrick, and both of them began to scramble with it on the ground, competing with one another in giving It impetus over the rough surface in the direction of the rnvvne. At brery shove the can was tiabtt til be sent flying against some of the the ground but by some good fortune it

missed them every time, and at las) the bears had jostled it along almost to the ravine*. I wa? so weak and trembling from the fearful suspense I had Kaon tfl tKafc I VI keep hold on my perch. I regarded the danger as practically over now and was putting myself together to get down from there and take to the woods, when I saw one of the bears rear up on his haunches with the nitroglycerine can in his paws, He stood close to a big rock. He raisedthe cab above his head, and I saw at once that he had made upr his mind to_ find out what there was in that can, anyhow. I threw my arms and legs around the beam and hung on for dear Tife. Ths bear hurled Hie can against the rock. There was a sound as of twenty claps of thunder rolled into one. The earth shook and my derrick swayed and rattled. There was a shower of rock and trees and dirt for mites around, when that ceased everything was us still as tho tomb. Where the bears , stood there was a yawning gulf. 1 got down somehow from my perch on the derrick and made my way to the scene ol the explosion. Among all the debris it had scattered about there wasn’t any more trace of bear than if they had been soap bubbles that had burst. The explosion was heard for miles, but people laughed when I attempted to explain it, and to this day they persist in calling it a profound mystery.”