The Iron Boys in the Steel Mills

sistence seemed to indicate the nervous hast

he receiver to his ear. "What's that? What building? Pity they couldn't pick out a h

dent department. The sun beat down on the building with relentless energy, and there was scarcely a breath of

the telephone bell ring. It was their duty, immediately upon an accident being reported in any of the mills, to proceed to the scene at once and gathe

ing?" questi

tone that led one to believe that the

he

e building bearing that number.

rvis g

hot enough here, but excuse me from going into th

y to work to-day. You would only be a handic

shook his h

ng dimly at the peak of one of the long row of soot-blackened mills that made up the plant of the Steelburgh mills, a signal indicating that a disaster of some sort had oc

ere were some, such as the plate mills, where the armor plate was made for the ships of the Navy, which he had never entered.

by the guar

you going?" dem

nt depa

rd!" demanded the o

a hurry?" answered the lad, running past

running, began shouting at him from all sides to halt. Perhaps they had seen him passing in and out, daily, for several weeks. But this made no difference. He was running, and all persons goin

eir questions. He kept on running. So did some of the policemen, but they were no match in sp

ut from behind a pile of steel bars, their attention having

ld

ed Steve, continu

p, if ye know wh

. I can't stop. I'm from th

l sto

ll teach them a lesson, even if I lose my job for it," gritted the

r clubs as they executed the movement, one ste

m or be called down at the office for being too slow. I don't believe I'll be ca

grab for the fleeing lad, catching and whirling

go of

thrust forcibly against the neck of the policeman, followed by a sudden

used their companion so roughly. Their clubs were raised to strike, but er

building over which the red light still glowed. "The idiots! Why, a man cannot go about his busi

r of number twenty-four, which

an in, at which the officer nodded understa

of the dimly lighted building. It was the open-hearth furnace building, and the group

lf a dozen men lying on the floor groaning. The foreman was there waiting, havin

uestioned S

es

happ

e hot metal on them," replied the man, j

actly how i

his management. Besides this he was so used to seeing men injured, during his long service in the steel mills, th

saw the

on the pit

after which he returned to the foreman to get the names of the injured men. By the t

aphed first. Next he turned his attention to the ladle that had been capsize

broke, di

of them did," answer

atter what I see. How

train on it

e he could do so without being burned he poked the broken chain about with an iron bar that he had picked up, until he got the break where he could see

next a general view of the upset ladle and chain. You had better use

nt to do that for?"

that for?" repeated th

a fellow away like tha

but I am paid for gathering all the facts whenever an accident occurs. You are the foreman of

t's all. They're al

ush quickly. "The company's first care is for the safety of i

't!" grow

hap, though in this case it

re giving first aid to the injured as the men lay stretched

and a roar, interspersed with reverberating crashes, here an

ously hurt, Docto

He won't get well. As for t

all go to t

es

, please. Do you need

t some men to carry these po

litter-bearers?" requested Rush, tur

d so sullenly

owled. "You fellows are trying to

njured men were placed and in turn borne to the waiting ambulances, in which they were tenderly placed. The first a

iries, into these accident cases, as to cause those who were in any way responsible to feel a sense of uneasiness the moment they saw the lad enter their building. Rush spared no on

gard Steve as one among many. He did not side with the bosses, and, though he was the fr

themselves there in the beginning by their courage, resourcefulness and persistent efforts to serve their employers in the best possible manner. It was in this, their first employment, that the Iron Boys became friends after a fight and from that moment began a friendship that w

e mine from destruction by fire and dynamite, and thus saved the lives of many of their companions. The Iron Boys through their further efforts exposed the leader of the strike, proving him to be a dishonest man and a rascal of the worst type, who, instead of working for the interests of the honest but misguided members of the un

in the hold, and that they nearly lost their lives before making their way to the upper deck of the ship. Their first experience on shipboard had to do with the fire room in which they were put to work as stokers, and where they had a most unique but desperate battle with the "black gang" of the stoke hole. Collision and shipwreck were a part of their early experiences, during whi

e of their achievements, so that, though they did not know it, the superintendent was fully prepared for their coming. He had taken a liking to the frank-faced, athletic young fellows the moment he first saw them. He saw in them the making of splendid me

hletic appearance of the Iron Boys, did not believe they possesse

and Bob Jarvis. But Steve was not satisfied. There were some features about the work that he did not like. In the short time that he had been at the work he had witnessed scenes that had stirred him profoundly. Where his duty called him there was always suffering, and in many cases, death.

pany's hospital. He clung easily to the stanchions at the rear of the swaying wagon, thinking over the facts he had gained. The ambulance surgeon hummed softly to hi

tion to be talked to," requested Rush, as the ambulance driver pulled up b

e had been washed from the faces of the burned men. Steve halted as

claimed the Iron Boy. "I

ed on several occasions, thus winning t

ou suf

; I

after Brodsky here as so

surgeon. "Why, he isn't badly hurt. He will

will tell your mother how you are as soon as I can get away from t

, s

ll me what you know

es

e second place, Ignatz said, that, after the accident, he had heard some of the men talking about the chain being defective. Steve secured the names of these men from the Polish boy, then hurried on to the others of the injured. The lad had a pleasant, encouraging word for eac

. These Steve did not try to question. He did, however

ight, shook himself and hurried to the office. There he made a verbal report to the head of the departmen

f the disaster, Steve was busily engaged in making out his report, which he dictated to a stenographer. Bob Jarvis stood on the other

t, Rush got up, stretched

is job," announced S

h with

oo slow

hat you s

himself looking into the face