The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1897-07-17

. much OF curve they would have t
give it, they proceeded to bend it t
the desired radius.
This is done with a bending ma
chine, as it is called, which consists O
an iron frame that looks something lik
an immense jaw, in which the rail- i
placed and held securely, and theu b,
means of lever a large screw is force,
against the rail until it is brought I,
the required shape.
After much Juggling, pulling ant
twisting, all hands working until tn,
perspiration was running freely from
their faces, they succeeded in getting
it bent, and in few moments the,
were ready to take up the old rail.
Il Before starting, however, Mike pulled
out his watch and copy of the month
ly time card, which is necessary par
of every section foreman's outfit. and
after looking it over carefully and Their
comparing it with his watch he turned
to one of the men. remarking as he
did so:
"Well, Jim, guess you can go back
and do the tagging. Forty-nine is the
first train due, and she won't be along
for an hour. We will be all done before
then, but you know the rules. When
she does come along you can stop her
and get on, and have them run down
through here on the lookout for us, and
then come on into town. for you know
the boss said when we were through
here we should come up to help him
out"
The "Jim" spoken to was a rather
sleepy-looking sort of fellow-a good
enough worker II he had some one
along with him all the time to tell him
just what to do, but who, as events soon
proved, lacked the first requisite of a
good railroader-quick Judgment.
He was not naturally careless, nor
was he lazy; he simply always did the
very best he knew how, and as he had
worked in the gang for number of
years and had Gagged" before Mike
thought he was the best man present
for the work.
AS Mike finished speaking Jim mere
ly said "All right" and, picking up a
red and green flag and a handful of
torpedoes from the hand car, he started
across the trestle and was soon lost to
view around the curve.
Before he had disappeared Mike and
the other two men began to remove the
old rail, while Teddy proceeded to gath
er together the necessary bars, chisels
and spikes that he knew would be
needed before they finished the job.
When the men had succeeded in re-
moving the bolts from the ends of the
rail, they began to pull the spikes from
the ties, being governed us they did so
by rule which section men every-
where must observe at all times-i. e..
when removing rail from the main
track, to be replaced Immediately, the
outside spikes must be left in the ties.
They soon had all the inside spikes
removed, and, after working the rail
loose from the outside ones with pinch
bars, they rolled it over and dumped
1t off at one side of the track. and
turned to pick up the new one to place
1t in position.
Just at this moment Teddy, who had
not been doing much for the past few
minutes, except looking on, imag-
med he heard familiar far-off noise
that sounded like the whistle of an en- /
CINE, but as none of the men noticed |
anything, and he did not hear it again.
ne concluded he had been mistaken.
md thought no more about it.
A. n 1
ion, they found that large "bur," as
is called, which is really ragged end
IN the rail, would have to be cut off be-
ore it would fit properly. A few blows
With sledge-hammer by one of the
nen on chisel held by another soon
emoved the difficulty, and they pro-
ecded to try IT again.
Just as they picked it up, and began
o move with that slow, careful stem
nat section men invariably use when
arrying heavy rail, sound suddenly ,
urst upon their ears that first startled
nd surprised, then frightened and al
lost paralyzed them. +
1t was Enthusiastically the rumble of 4
n approaching train, and their we'll
rained ears, so long accustomed to the q
ound, told them all too plainly that it !
AS very near, and that it was running I
high rate of speed. 4
But before they had time to even |
ass an opinion or express any doubt. h
ley heard it whistle for the trestle. O
nd in another instant it appeared in /,
ght, coming around the curve on the h
Their side of the gully.
AS was afterward brought out at the L
'vestigation, it was an extra freight h
turn around" as they are often 4
lied, that runs only on orders from t,
'e dispatchers at headquarters, and D
'ys no attention to the regular time h
I'd, except for the meeting-points h
it'll regular trains.
Jim had not tagged it, because. as t.
reasoned out by some method known IL