The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-06-17

much of a curve they would have to
give it, they proceeded to bend it to
the desired radius.
This is done with a bending ma
chine, as it is called, which consists of
an iron frame that looks something like
an immense jaw, in which the rail is
placed and held securely, and then by
means of lever a large screw is forced
against the rail until it il brought to
the required shape.
After much Juggling, pulling and
twisting all hands working until the
perspiration was running freely from
their faces, they succeeded in getting
it bent, and in a few moments they
were ready to take up the old rail.
Before starting, however, Mike pulled
out his watch and copy of the month
ly time card, which is a necessary part
of every section foreman's outfit, and
after looking it over carefully and then
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 rather
strengthening sort of 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 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 tagged" 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 as they did so
by a rule which section men every
where must observe at all times-i. E.,
when removing a 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
it off at one side of the track, and
turned to pick up the new one to place
it in position.
just at this moment Teddy, who had
not been doing much for the past few
minutes, except looking on, imag-
ined he heard a 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,
he concluded he had been mistaken.
and thought no more about it.
When they tried the new rail in posi-
ton, they found that a large bur" as
it is called, which is really ragged end
on the rail, would have to be cut off be-
fore it would fit properly. \ few blows
with a sledge-hammer by one of the
men on a chisel held by another soon
removed the difficulty, and they pro-
cecded to try it again.
Just as they picked it up, and began
to move with that slow, careful step
that section men invariably use when
carrying a heavy rail, a sound suddenly
burst upon their ears that first startled
and surprised, then frightened and al
most paralyzed them.
1t was Enthusiastically the rumble of
an approaching train, and their we'll
trained ears, so long accustomed to the
sound, told them all too plainly that it
was very near, and that it was running
at high rate of speed.
But before they had time to even
pass an opinion or express any doubt,
they heard it whistle for the trestle.
and in another instant it appeared in
sight, coming around the curve on the
other side of the gully.
AS was afterward brought out at the
investigation, it was an extra freight
or turn around" as they are often
called, that runs only on orders from
the dispatchers at headquarters, and
pays no attention to the regular time
card, except for the meeting points
with regular trains.
Jim had not tagged it. because, as
be reasoned out by some method known
only to himself, it was not 40
which was the regular daily passenger
and as there was still half an hour be-
fore it was due, it was not yet time to do
any tagging; so he let it go by, the fire
man afterward telling how he saw him
standing there by the side of the track.
with his flags rolled up under his arm.
As they were only a few minutes
ahead of their limit-for every freight
train must keep ten minutes ahead of a
passenger train following 1.-THE en-