The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1900-06-28
1HE TROUBLE AT VAN DoRNs

90 We sGGnfM1a Qi Ahe pFtttiQff VIZ
ai VsH Dorn's listening ts The drp OF =
~ irem great drills OF snow ihs, crest
the esbis sni s,Eins ever The valley 81
all the esuslry, which. barred by .
fear days April blzsus, slsted 10 sbi
splerdtr that psiasd The ironblsmsE
ey. Vsn DSrl's camp wss The temp
sry tefminous OF The new rsilros3. Bic
the slose Of track ls.ins ia the prsvio'
hovsn Der. the operator snd Jlmuy Wal
we'll, linsmsn sHG seBsrsl msB 10 ehsri
OF The Gssiy sos,irueled line, bad bibsi
sisd together 10 the hligEirds
The lasl mile OF the lice Sss . CT
sFoupd the base Of Eighty hill, and ID
cat made 9 carving ierracs, With The Ros
river hslow on the one side sud ths resk
wall ou the other, The distance TO ID
lsst station was four miles. il one wei
sirsis ht over tbe high ridge that the irss
skitted.
Todaf the ticker tsd ioyously told ID
two men iha, their hibernstlon was sDded
Tben 80 engine sud snow plough hsi
pu.hed through the eut and TO tue sidinI
81 Van Dorn's. whore the sIpsctsnt mel
crested tse crew With cheer aud boilt
OF / OF cofs). A construction train, viii
msn and material, ives dus In a few hours
aud ths trained despslchsr had wired il
siruetions 10 bold the snow pillow OF Val
Dorn's until the construction train shsnlt
have arrived. The instrument on the tsbl,
wss still clicking nerri!y some further
message, bat the ticker suddsnly stopped
and 70 assuring response flashed back.
The operator watched the sounder. tsstsd
the instrument carefully, and then whis
tied TO Jim and the snow pillow crew. VITO
sat around the stove.
Trouble on the line. Jim, somewhere =
line 10 dead Now what doyou suppose is
up? Circuits broken between here and
Elwood Something more about the work
train he wanted TO cay. Jimmy, lad, here's
your frsi job this season . trouble, trouble,
and the ttoublemsn must hunt il up.
Now Jimmy was a young linsmsn on
his fret season, and At the announcement
Of trouble. he was in a isrvor 10 be up
and doing, as linemsn must. "Tronble
man" is the tenn applied to the men on
each division who hasten TO repair the
wires wherever trouble occurs. Although
Jimmy was division superintendent IS
well as linemep. trouble OF Van DsrD's
was scarce, and there bad not been enough
to take the boy one hundred yards from
camp all winter BY way OF psstime, be
had improved himseli ia the art Of click
log keys. although be had been fair oper
ator before.
You can't DO much With il, lad. il il's q
break, said the operator, bat iust locate
he trouble, and whsn the crew gets 10,
ihers'il be help TO raise the wires through
hose drifts. No need TO worry, for the
rain will have clear run from Elweod.
30 Jimmy tramped esily down the cut
With his linsmAn's kit and q pocket relay,
which linemsn seldom carry, as few OF
hem understand telegrspby or have need
o tap the wires. Hallway around the
urye, where the rock wall rose almost to
be top Of the pole, the young man found
lis trouble. A branch Of q gnsrled oak on
be hillside had spill. from the trunk and
sd borne the wire down into the cat and
'urisd it in the snow.
can't do much with that, said Jimmy,
ut I'll climb the pole and lcok over the
ountry.
Whils he WAS strsppiDg the steel spurs
ronnd bis ankles, be noticed that the bill
ide snow frequently overhung the rosk
all, and was dropping in soddsn masses
ito the cut. When be had climbed to
10 cross arms OF the pole and glanced up
The shining fslds OF the hilltop. four
undred feet above him. q small cotton
cod tree halfway up the slope cracked
,srply in the silence, aud crows few cav 9
u irem the lesfess branches.
/, looks queer s,Id the linsman. do
slisvs the whole hill 10 coming down.
Far up the dszzlios bluff beat 9 white d
lri OF heavy snow. 1t grew swiftly TO a
um blsd, rolling wall, With the tangled o
tush and timber disappearing bsnesth it. a
long the wall sbout Jimmy great drifts s
,rs falling sulleDly into the cut; bat II d
ss not until the rushing snow was sweep Y
z abou, bis pole that the lnsmsn dropp v
from his perch, TO be buried beneath q
e dirty avalanche which ended its wild a
reer on the icebound river beloW, All u
aces Of the rsilrosd track we're obliterst
The young lineDsn was ssnssless Tor u
tie while. When he recovered con v
iousnssr, hu perceived nothing bnt '
que darkuess about him. His body was II
bed by the pressure OF The snow. bht n
. arms aud head were fres. His head q
fuck the trunk OF q tree when be sirug
ed TO cit up, aud sll sbeut him tbs tan t'
ed branches held back the snow until be u
nd drss biz bruised body slong the q
10 Of the wall, where be ssw dinly ttst u
e brush and limb had fallen 10 form 81
e narrow erevice which had saved bis
0.
A siesllhy ctesking aud sstilioe Of ths d
.s,, With occasional slight falls OF snow q
a fragments Of rock snd bark. made 81
nuy tbirk it woali be dangerous 10 =,
apt 10 got cot Bat the April sun n
aid ssins sr,nbd ihs wesisrn sleps thst u
erroon, sua 60 soften the Snow that the 10
h.es sboFs hin would inevitably fall. IL
" or never be must set cu,. Hs crspi