The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-05-11
a TRAIN ANNULLED.

TRAIN ANNULIED.
February 18th. . said Train Dis
;patcher Moore as be wrote the date in
the blank space at the top of his train
sheet. ssI shan't forget that date very
soon. .
SsS Why nots Are you believer in
mysterious things happening in con-
nection with the figure l 80" asked Hay
den, the third trick man, who had
Just come in at midnight to relieve the
second trick dispatcher and take
charge Of the trains on the road.
sNo, not particularly; but dates
sometimes recall events. No, there's no
story, at least moi, now. . Then, after
writing ont brief transfer and watch
ing his relief sign it, Moore put on his
coat and hat and started to go. At the
door he turned to say: There are no
extras Nos. is and Is ara annulled.
No coal at McHenry for the north, SO
we decided not TO run a Is to-day. Good
nights''
The footstepson the stairs died away.
and the man In charge looked over the
nicely kept train sheet Of the day pre-
vious with critical eye. The new
train sheet Just dated was immaculate
3 ssaye for che word tannul1ed. written
the space reserved for freight trains
I6sand Is.
After carefully examining the posi-.
ton o6 trains and putting out'' a few
orders everything was in such good
running shape that Hayden had a long
period m quiet. He filed and lighted q
well seasoned brier wood and sat smok-
ing meditatively. a train reported
by some way station now and then
was all that broke the silence OF the
night. The click Of the single sounder
fsll musically on the ear of the lonely
uan. But he was not alone. He did not
feel isolated when be knew that ont on
that line were 80 wide awake men IN
instant reach and a dozen trains all
witi,in his Immediate touch. The dis
hatcher looked up expectantly as he
heard the operator at Muldrow's Noun
tain call Is was probably the same old
question:
Is rs running tonights BE opened
his key and answered the call from the
mountain station. :
There's something coming up the
Hill from the north, ticked out the
s0under.
"a glance at the train sheet showed
& tiae dispatcher that there was not a
train within 25 miles Of Muldrow's
Mountain.
8 You re off on that, % said he, smil-
ing at the thought Of joke on Opera
! for Kemp mistaking the full moon for
headlight on an early morning saw
mill whistle for that Of q locomotive.
There's nothing coming south. and
No. 90 is at Cordelia junction. .
No, I heard them coming ont OF the
tunnel and car see the headlight now.
said the man at the mountain.
Hold them, was the laconic order
from the dispatcher
The operator at Muldrow's s Mountain
rushed to the door. a glance showed
him that his signal lamp on the top Of
the station was burning brightly, its
Fed orb turned toward thde approaching
train and plainly visible a quarter OF a
mile TO the north. When he reached the
'front.' Of the Office, the engine Of the
train was almost abreast Of him. He
saw dull, smoke bedimmed headlight
and noted that the engine was clouded
IN steam, as If the cylinder cocks were
upen, and the wet. .vapory cloud hung
{ about the huge black boiler and shroud-
ed the cab so that the engineer and fire.
man were. not visible. The operator saw
IN the cab bright red spot in the side
{ OF the little lamp over the steam gauge.
! It was the only thing plainly visible
throngh the mist. Kemp saw that it
Was q eight train" and engine and a
caboose. He knew that they were not
going to stop, as the train was then
running fully 18 miles an hour.
The next instant the caboose was OPP
3 posite him, the pale green side lights
cleaning balefulIy through the fog.
Before Operator Kemp had recovered
! from his astonishment the train had
passed the station and was beyond the
range Of his vision. A minute later he
) had communicated to the dispatcher
what FAD happened, and then be sat
and listened to the sharp swapping OF
the sounder while the man in authority
gave an order to Cordelia junction to
hold No. 90 for an ''extra south, en-
gine unknown" and sent Instructions
to have the train get in on the side
track anG wait.
At Corde1ia Junction the telegrapher
had heard all that had passed between
Muldrow's and the dispatcher's Office,
and after he had delivered the orders to
the crew Of No. % he stepped outside
70 take look at his signal lamp. If
the man at Muldrow's had let his sig
nal 90 cut and train got by there, he
didn't propose to have it occur at his
c+,<;o,, Tbop no a mariner casts an an.