The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-19
HE ROSE SWITCH

49,
I dersOn tarncd over with No 265, his word
I IS good ID The matter. He had banda sc
around his Jaws and head and his nose
! Was twice its natural size, but his voice
was hearty and The remainder Of his
/ body sosnd. and for this he was properly
! thankful. The telling OF what happened
NaS at one or the railway functions near
Chicago. and the only one present who
vas not a railway man.
Modern railway switches. said Hen
cersoa. are fairly on the way to pcTfec-
I ton. But there are a few Old-tirae ones
set left or main lines that are good for
ireuble most any tine. Just this side OF
A.lrose there IS an ancient switch that
Within the last thirty days has demon
strated what . switch really can 90 when
Il gets well started IT has ditched three
trains ard Injured I've people in that
tirae. and III be hanged II there's any
q plan2tion Tor i"
Guess II was reaching for YOU joe
SAID cne Of the listeners. Must have
Known you just got married..
'Boshr rejoined Henderson. q didn't
81 roun over the country telling
switches 1 was spliced"
No, said observer Spencer another
engineer, but you hung out Of your cab
window, singing, Ny Heart Yearns for
You, Louise, until we al thought you
we're loony."
Henderson's nose grew 4 trife redder,
II that were possible. but he went on with
his story Of the Eircse switch.
You know Spencer" he said. that
there isn't house within a, mile OF that
l.lTcoe switch the one shat opens for The
s.ci1S-s.nd that The things stands up
there clear on straight track and can
te seen from either direction for q long
way l don't know why the company
hangs on to that siding since the grad
was cut, but the switch is there and I
found It,
THE first time the switch was heard
from in a prominent way Rose cafe down
10 II with the milk train, target set all
right and everything looking as straight
az pretty girls face. when al of q sud
den he and the train We're scattered along
the ditch for a quarter of a mile. There
was milk cans everywhere The rear
brakeman told me they went of 50 hard
half the canned stuff was butter when
they stopped. Wei. Rose wasn't hurt
much. but his fireman had a leg broke
and the conductor q cut in his head They
examined The switch, and while the tar
get was right the switch itself was mis-
placed, set for the main line and set
tight
Everybody supposed it was tramps or
an angry farmer hut it seems the limited
had gone by just ten minutes. and that =
farmer who was working in field near
by had the switch under his eye al the
time. and he swcre 10 one was at IL
guess the company concluded il Just
Jared itself loose. The wrecking crew
cleared everything up, and there was no
more trouble for a couple Of weeks Then
there came bright morning and the lin
tied reached the switch thirty minutes
late. and Smaney driving her ahead for
all she was worth. He had open track
and his Zl6 was running like jack
IA Obit. The switch was right and Smalley
thought he was right until PIG swung off
to the right and the cars went to the left
and the people in the diner enjoying their
breakfasts found themselves mixed up
with the cook and a good many other
things.
"Of course. it was the switch-target
clear, but rails set the wrong way-two
people injured and $1,000 lost for the
company They had dozen special |
agents out there and they hunted high
and low for suspicious characters. but !
not a trace Of one. They sent men down !
TO watch the switch because it looked as
if some one was trying to deliberately /
wreck the train, but nothing was found /
out. The switch showed no signs of hav- /
ing been tempered with, the lock was all /
right, but the rails were wrong. To make !
matters sure the old switch was taken out I
and an entirely new one put in and the !
section boss said that switch couldn't /
jump itself out Of position if gunpowder 4
were placed under it.
of course he l,new-he was very wise. !
I hadn't been married week. and I was /
pulling the fast mail, and my girl said TO
me she wanted a run over the division /
with ne. That's against all kinds of /
rules, but the girl was anX /
icus. and I didn't mind that she should I
know what I was doing every day in the 4
way OF work. / saw the proper people /
and l got the right for her to go out
with me one, night and coTae back the
next day. She danced around like a little
girl when she knew she could go, and
was to ride in the cab OF 565 with me.
I'VE got ont of Chicago all right. and
I had the girl down in front of me.
curled up like a kitten. never saying a
word. bur just watching the rails ahead OF
getting a breath OF the night air tina.
in from the side window. That
fast mail is a swift schedule. and I've
always tickled myself that I've made il
no matter where delays came in. l had
been al il for year and not missed
schedule at either end. but some nights
we had TO DO wild running TO keep our
record.
This night the girl was on I lost ten
minutes before 7 was fifty miles out Of
Chicago and when we came to the
10 Elrose 365 and me were ready for
.xercise I just let the drivers send her
IN at sixty an hour. and I kept an eye
lr the girls head in front OF me. X was
-ather nice TO have here there. turning
GER face around every few minutes 70
give mera happy look. She acted as II
ihe was as much ST home on that engine
As / was, and she didn't mind the dirt d
title bit.
L saw the light OF Elrose switch and
whistied for ii. x was white. every
hing safe and J hadn't q single thought
% trouble. All that was "a my mind was +.
hat ! was making tine and that my
lest girl was with me. T1er with
swish we went into that ID swiica-
,ad just enough time 70 set rhs emcrger-
IS and lay & hand or the girl hen 50
legan 20 roll. She mode a c1m2lets som
.reeult and we inside AT everywhere.
Donahue was pitched 9iS and into field
without a bone broken. Ths -irl and 7
III an sides Of the Gao. u'lt somehow
-ept my senses ara ned ont7 her unti
he last big crash came anu that l. all
ememher.
when I began 20 see the ea>tn again
vas iu the slaticl-rl M # Elrcse vitn
~ head IL the girls TIP. ani sire ewing
.var me. and doctor trgIus % st sine
Z the swelling 0ut e nay f1cs.
It was the switch, Docs ossSsd-
est I could.
3. Yes. said he and moody hurt hzt
100. and Won ~ only soglls1 q lttle-
There wasn't O scs1tSa on tlia eri.
-heY said whea 7 feI bad rayseit over
.e-. and that the ssuf which b=at AZ ny
cad couiGnt reEch her Anyway. she
vas am rieht but - WIS sight % look
e. shell 81 out u ne shop this SUM
aez. she sust twisted hsrself 10 pieces
g rn2kif-~ thar som=zseIlL Aa Tor che
witch II .eas ali there carEct cleaT same