84 ALEXANDER AGASSIZ 



asleep, I don't know which yet; he ran up to mine at 

 about 5, seeming out of his head, flung down his re- 

 volver and said the Irish had torn down the dam, and 

 rushed off into town ; so that no one knows how the 

 thing took place. Hardie has sent for him and I hope 

 we shall know more. We have had all men we could 

 get on dam repairing damage and hope we can get the 

 gap filled up again before 12 p.m., when they will un- 

 doubtedly serve an injunction on us to stop us from re- 

 pairing the damage. If we can get it up, we are all right; 

 if not, we shall have water enough, should it raise by 

 rain, to run one head again by to-morrow night. John 

 Hulbert is out of the way, having left about three days 

 ago and confided his dirty work to a man by name of 

 Burcher, who was his great man at election time. 



" This is the worst pill we have had yet and I am 

 afraid it is a case of assessment now for Calumet, un- 

 less we have plenty of rain at once, which is only thing 

 that will save us. I wish I could just get my hands on 

 John H. or E. J. I should shoot either of them with 

 perfect satisfaction." 



Fortunately the damage was temporarily repaired be- 

 fore an injunction could be served ; the supply of water 

 proved greater than was expected, and soon there was 

 sufficient to run the mill regularly. 



This appears to have been the last serious set-back 

 that Agassiz had to contend with during his life at 

 Calumet. The rest of the summer and early fall he 

 spent in improving the organizations at the mines, 

 strengthening the weak spots, and getting the whole 

 to run smoothly. In August, Hecla produced about 

 one hundred and eighty-five tons of ingot and Calumet 



