The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-27

eral places where they can be reached
easily, are little innocent-looking buttons
that connect with an air valve fitted to
the steam pipe. In less time than It takes
to tell it the engineer or fireman can
touch a button and send back over the
coal pipe in the tender the hottest jet of
water that any robber ever saw. The
boilers carry pressure Of about 225
pounds, so the water near the bottom of
the crown sheet will be at least at the
boiling point. One drop of it will scald
like a splash of boiling lead and any
person caught in the full spray will not
want to do much damage in the way of
train robbing. Ten seconds will turn him
into corpse as dead as the proyerbiaf
door nail, and the coroner, not the sher-
if. will get the fees
The amount of execution one of the
cookers" can do within ten seconds IS
awful Should four or six robbers get
on the front or top of the blind bagga ge
and make a hostile demonstration to-
ward the engineer they can be disposed
of quickly. slight stream will make
it so hot in the neighborhood that they
will be glad to get off. At the same time
it will fill the air with steam so that
shooting at the engineer or fireman will
be out of the question. 1t will be i'm
possible to tell the direction except the
way to jump.
But imagine the usual course of such
events. The fireman is in the gangvay,
pounding and shoveling coal and feeding
the red nav of the rumbling monster
The engineer-old Eagle Eyes-is leaning
out the cab window on the right, peering
through the darkness along the thin
fan-shoped beam of light that lights the
rails only as far as the curve just ahead
There is no moon and the clouds seem to
touch the top of the canyon. The red
crIr IoI,s -
dark brown and smoke-stained places in
the rocks. Four dark forms are mud
died on the front platform of the express
car One of them slowly climbs over
the top of the tank toward the fireman.
Suddenly he loosens a chunk of coal.
Now, an engineer or fireman would never
be attracted by a chunk of coal start
ing to roll If it started naturally. The
shakes and throbs of the big machine
keep the coal rolling and shifting con-
stantly, but it passes notice. But should
a piece of coal as big as a fist be dis
turbed by an unusual course the fire.
mans eye is turned In an instant This
time he turns quickly and sees the dark
form and the CLINT of a pistol barrel
He does not move from his place, but
with a shrill cry warns the engineer. IN
stantly there is a burst of scalding water
that expands into steam almost the in
slant it strikes the cold night air The
robber on top of the pile is scaIded bit
terly. while the others back on the pat
form have been tumbled off by the track
The fellow on top rolls down the slant
ing pile of coal and rests just inside the
cribbing. The train comes to a full
stop, for it is certain that just ahead is
the place the robbers expected to meet
their fellows and blow open the express
car.
A hasty consultation is held between
the train crew. Special Agent Brown
who happens to be on the train, Suddenly
disappears He has started back by an
indirect route and has covered the half
mile before the train Is ragged back to
where it is expected to find the robbers