Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1897-06-24

TO one of the men, remarktng an he
did so,
"Well, Jim. guess you can so back
and do the tagging. Forty-nine Is the
first train due, and she won't be along
for an hour. We win be all done before
then, but you know the rules. When
she does come along you can stop heE
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 rather
sleepy-lool1ing sort Of q fellow--a good
enough worker If 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
good railroader-quick judgment.
He was not naturally careless, nor
was he lazyi he simply always did the
very best he knew how, and as he had
worked in the gang for number Of
years and had dragged" before Mike
thought he was The best man present
FOR the work.
As Mike finished speaking Jim mere
" said "All right" and. picking up Q
red and green flag and 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
or together the necessary bars, chisels
and spikes that ne 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 as they did so
by q rule which section men every
where must observe at all times. 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 1t over and dumped
it of 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, mag
ined he heard familiar far-oR noise
that sounded like the whistle of an en-
CINE, but as none of the men noticed
anything, and he did not hear 1t again,
he concluded ne had been mistaken
and thought no more about It.
When they tried the new rail in posi-
ton. they found that large "bur," as
it is called, which Is really ragged end
on the rail, would have to be cut of be-
fore 1t would fit properly. a few blows
with sledge-hammer by one OF the
men on chisel held by another soon
removed the difficulty, and they pro
ceeded to try It again.
Just as they picked 1t up, and begun
TO move with that slow. careful step
that section men invariably use when
carrying heavy rail, o sound suddenly
burst upon their eors that fret startled
and surprised. then frightened and al
most paralyEed them.
It was Enthusiastically the rumble OF
an approaching train. and their we'll
trained ears, 80 long accustomed to the
sound, told them all too plainly that 1t
was very near, and that 1t was running
at high rate Of speed.
But before they had time 70 even
pass an opinion or express any doubt,
they heard 1t whistle for the trestle,
and in another instant 1t appeared in
sight, coming around the curve on the
other side Of the gully.
AS was afterward brought out ut the
investigation. It was an extra freight
or -turn around" as they are often
called, that runs only on orders from
the dispatchers Of headquarters, and
pays no attention to the regular time
card, except for the meeting-points
with regular trains.
Jim had not tagged 1t, because as
he reasoned out by some method known
only TO himself, It was not CO.
which was the regular daily passenger
and as there was still half On hour be-
| fore 1t was due, 1t was not yet time to do
ony tagging; 30 he let 1t go by, the fire
man afterward telling how he sow him
standing there by the side Of the track,
with his flags rolled up under his arm.
AS they were only $ew minutes
ahead of their Nmit-for every freight
train must keep ten minutes ahead OF G
passenger train following it-the en-
eineer wanted to keep ahead as far as
possible. and thus finish his run with
out having to pull In on @ side track, and
let 40 90 by him, and he was coming
down the hill ut least so miles an hour.
Imagine then. II you can fully the
seriousness Of the situation.
Here was very heavy freight train
running with the speed OF the wind. oil
unconscious Of the factthat there was
q so-foot rail out on the outside OF o
curve net half mile distant, and which
thew would reach In few seconds At
the &arthest.
To stop wus impossible, for the most
powerful DIR brake ever constructed
| could not have brought them TO stand
still in time to save themI and without
warning. engine. cars, men and all
would 90 plunging to the bottom Q
crushed, unrecognizable mass, from
which, IL 1t did not take Are and burn
up. would be taken the mangied bodies
OF the trainmen.
| ..--- - ~ -: -'---
As these thoughts rushed with light
ning-like rapidity through the section
mems minds. and they realized that II
they remained where they were, they
too, would be crushed beneath the mass
It is little wonder that Mike shouted: