noon
And now that he had seen the scope of the work to be done , now that he felt that he could manage without the auxiliary dam until after the first of October , that the two dams here on Deep Creek and Indian Creek would give him enough water to keep to the terms of the contract , he believed that he would have everything in readiness by the twenty-fifth of September . For this he had hoped , at first half heartedly ; for this he was now working . Besides the inducements he had offered his men he now promised them a wage of once and a half for overtime . That meant that from the first light of morning until dark , with often less than an hour off at noon , they worked day after day . They fought with the uneven bed of the stream , they fought with great boulders , until their arms ached in their sockets and their scanty clothing was drenched with sweat . Conniston , while he urged them on to do all that was in them , marveled that they did not break down under the strain . Nor did he spare himself .