The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-30
THE ENG INEER'S STORY.

running as fireman on an engine? VOL,
know Of one who did, and, il you've go
time to listen to it, / will tell you the story
now while I smoke this cigar you were kind
enough to give mt.
IL was in the an MINER of 1886 that l was
firing on a single track line that runs ur
from Junction City through Georgetown, q
matter of ITO miltis. The line was owned
mostly by a man named Thedford, who was
president and supel intsndsnt all in ono.
L had been firing ON the line for two years
back; all the time with one driver, Bob
Hunter by name. and q finer man never
lived. ! suppose it would be only natural
for me to speak we'll OF Bob. anyway. for
j was clean head over ears in love with his
pretty daughter. Molly, and was only wait
ING for a bit of rise in my pay to make her
Mrs. jim Martin. Though / didn't see any
chance for that rise whore | was. / didn't
like to leave and go on another line, for that
would take me away from Molly.
One day Bob says to me:
s:Jim, amt you and Molly never going to
get married."
Just as soon as I ,Dan get my RISE" says
i: "but / don't see how Tn going to get it
here
.Why don't you 60 and ask Billy?'' says
he.
You see, Billy was always what we called
Mr.. Thedford-behind his back. of course
for warrant you we were mighty polite to
his face.
He won't do anything for me-" says !,
..for you know either one of the cleaners up
in Georgetown would be glad enough to
jump into my place, and he amt going to
give me a rise just to please me-"
WELL says Bob, sit won't do any harm
to try it,"
cpmpany's Office. and asked for Mr.. Thed-
y FORD. After a few minutes be sent word to
me that he would see me, and IN | went.
There he sat-a large, heavily built man,
with big side whiskers and a pair of gold
trimmed glasses on his nose.
What is ii, my man! I'm very busy
says he.
80 / up and told him what I wanted.
"How much are you getting now?' says
"Forty-fve dollars a month";" says I.
Then he pursed up his lips and hemmed
and hawed a little. and says:
II don't see how we can give YOU any
thing more, my good fellow. You see,
yours is not a very responsible posltlon;
merely one that requires a little bodily
strength. And we can find plenty of men
who would be only too glad to take your
place at that salary"
With that he turned to a letter he was
writing, and l knew I had no more bust
ness there. / tell YOU | felt sore to be told it
didn't take much to know how to fire an en-
CINE. and | came mighty near throwing my
job up and trying to get it on another line.
But Molly persuaded me to hold on a little
longer.
I Now, before I come to the particular
apoint Of this yarn, I want to tell you q lit
Title about the line. | have said it was a
&~rggle track one running from junction
.ssCIry to Georgetown. The latter place was a
iittle Q Of 500 or GOO inhabitants; but in
summer a great many Chicago people came
up there, and so / suppose the line paid.
Anyhow, Thedford, who had a summer
place there. wac rich enough to run it for
himself alone if he wanted to.
Bob lived at Georgetown andl boarded
with him. Our trips began at eight in the
morning, and we generally ran the ITO
miles in five hours. Then at three in the
afternoon we came back, getting home at
eight. As soon as we reached the round
house at Georgetown our days work was
over. for the cleaners took the engine then,
cleaned and polished her, and laid the fire
all ready to start the next morning.
Well, as I said, [ hung on to my job,
hoping that something would turn up that
would give mo a lift, till one day in August.
The whole summer has been
hot, but that day went ahead of anything l
ever saw. OF course while we were running
We had a breeze, but the minute we stopped
it seemed as if VIC were IN a furnace, and
naturally, working as we were near a hot
fire didn't improve things.
On the home trip Bob was taken sick and
had all he could do to hold out till we got
to the home station, when he got nome as
soon as possible. After tho train was emp
tied l ran the engine to the round house,
expecting to 20 straight home and wash up.
But when l ran the engine in the first thing
! saw was my two cleaners laid out on a
heap of ashes, dead drunk
Here WAS a pretty mess, for it would GER
tainly take me until midnight to get the
machine in proper trim for the next days
run; and a hot greasy job it was in any
weather, but on such a night as that it was
frightful to think of IT. However, there
was no help for it, and I started in.
I had barely made a beginning when l
heard some one coming in at the door.
Looking up I saw that it was Billy Thed-
ford. In a very excited veice he asked
where Hunter was.
Home" said, a SO sick he can't
hold his head up.''
Heavens" said he: II shall be ruinedu'
Then he went on to say that if he wasn't
in Chicago the next day, some deal, / think
he called it, would fall through, and 1t
would cost him a quarter of a million.
lQeTC b Il bEdlu gOeB LuTOuRu JuQCGlOn |
City at 11:05 that will get you to Chicago in
time,'' says /.
what eood'll that dc meT' says he.
'I've been away for two days, and only Just
now got the telegram. If Hunter was here
he might got me down; but az it is l may as
well 90 home and let the money CO."
mil. Thedford." said l, bob il sick, but
] can run this machine to junction City in
time to connect with the train you want;
but you will have to fro for me, as my Two
cleaners are drunk, as you see, and there
isn't another man in this village knows the
engine from the tende hardly"
/ hope that | have been forgiven that lie,
for there were two or three men that could
have fired all right, but it struck me all of
a sudden that here was a fine chance to get
even with Billy, and let him see whether it
took any knowhow to fire an engine for a
40 mile run. 1t SO happened that We had
just wooded up on the home trip at a little
station three miles from Georgetown, and
we had plenty Of fuel aboard to make
the run with.
Can you do it?" says he. 'Remember.
1t liz ITO miles, and it is $3.50 now, SO YOU
have only two and 0ns-half hours to make
the run that generally takes double that
time"
Il can do it, says /. 'if you will Jump
aboard, null off your coat and do Just as
tell you.''
No sooner said than done, and in ten
minutes We had the old engine ON the turn
table, turned her around and were off.