The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-12-28

throttle
Meantime at Medicine Bend there was a
desperate crowd around The dispatcher.
It was an hour and twenty minutes after
Ponca Station renortcd the yellow Mail
! cut before Fort Rncker. eighteen miles
/ west, reported the box cars and Jimmie
| BRADSHAW in. and followed with 4 wreck
| report from the Crockett siding Double
/ days face turned hard; fate was against
him. the contract gone glinmcrng. and he
| didn't feel at all sure his own head ard
The roadmaster's wouldn't follow It, Then
| tho Ruckcr operator began to talk about
Jimmie Bradshaw, and Who's Brad
J shawl" asked somebody; and Ruckcr
went on cYetedlv with The story of the
mcgul and OF three box cars. and of a
war party of Sioux: ii came so mixed
! that Medicine Bend thouht everybody AZ
Rucker Station had gone mad
While they fnmcd Jimmie Bradshaw
was speeding the mail through the
mountains. He had kirgslcy's fireman.
| BIC as IN OK and full of his own enthusi-
assn. In no time they were flying across
tho fats o. tho SPIDER Water threading
| the curves of the Peace River and hitting
the rails of the Painted Desert. with the
moGul sprinting like a Texas steer and
| the box cars leaping like ycarlings 1T he
| joints. 1t was no case OF scientific run
ntngs, no case of favoring the roadbcd.
Of casing the strain on the equipment: il
| was simply case Of salloping to q
| broadway fire with a Silsbv rotary on a
Ill cali. Up hill and down, curve and
| tangent, it was All one: while frightened
| operators and paralyzcd station agents
| oil the way up the line watched the fear
| ful train, with Bradshaw's red head stick
! ing out of the cab window shiver the
switches
Medicine Bend could 1T get the straight
| CT 1t over the wires; wires went bal in
he midst of the confusion. They knew
there was a wreck and unders TODD there
was mail in the ditch, and with Double
| day frantic the dispatchers were tryng
| TO set the track to run q train down TO
Crockett's. But Jimmie Bradshaw had
asked at Rucker for rights tc the Bend,
end in an unguardcd moment they had
been given; after that ii was all off In
thirty minutes the operating department
were wild TO kill Jimmie, but h. Was
| making such time If was conclude ! bet
ter 10 humor the lunatic shen TO hold
| biz. up anywhere for Il parIeY When
ti,'a was decided Jimmie and his war
party were already reported past BAD
Axe, fifteen miles below tho Bend Witit
every truck on The box cars smoking
Between Bad Axe ard the Bend tie
line is modelled on the curves Of 4 rani s.
horn. but Jimmie with the moeul found
every twist in eleven minutes: that par
tieular record is good yet. Indeed, before
Doubleday, then in II fren2ied condition.
got his cohorts fairly on tho platfotia 10
look for Jimmie the hollow scream Gf
iE2 big freight engine echoed through thc
mountains and down the Bend q monster
locomotive flew from a trailing horn Of
smoke. As the subby string OF freight
cars slowed quarteging into the lower
yard THO startled officials SEW them them
from The Wickiup windows wrapped n
stream of flame. Every >iournal was
aiire. and the blaze from the boxes. rolf
'ng irto the steam from INC stack ctTisd
holly around a bovv az Sioux Indfans
brake wheels ON ton of he boxcars II
WAS a ride for The red men that il tell
asGund thc council fires yet
BY the sine Jimmie slowed MP His IS
founding equipment The fire brigade was.
Sioux warriors climbed ha tilv 19ya tae
fire eseaae. a force d l.l olil bare
headed ma:I clerks showed back tno box
car doors. tho car thinks tackled the con
iaeration, and Jimmie Bradshaw. drop
ping from the cab with the swing Of a
man who has done a trick. waited at the
gaugEay for tho questions TO come at
him. For minute the came hot
s4Ht
ing in an engine in that condition."
chokcd Doubleday. pointing to the blown
machine.
II thought YOU wanted the mail?~
win1cd Jimmie.
"How tho devil arc we to get tho mail
With you blocking the track two hours?'
demanded Callahan. insanely.
why, the NAILS here in these box
cars, answered Jimmie Bradshaw, point
ing 10 his hobtail train. Now. don't
look dany like that; every sack is right
here | thought the best wav TO get the
mail here WIS to bring it. Were forty
Minutes late. amt wc?'
Doubleday waited TO hear no more
Orders few like curlews from The SUI
pcrintendent and the master mechanic
They saw there was a life for it yet. Be
fore The fire brigade had done with the
trucks Il string Of new mail cars was
backed down beside the train. The re-
lievng mail crews waiting at tho Bend
took hold and dozen extra men helped
them sling the pouches. The 1911. blow
ing porpoisewise. was backed up aud the
Yellow Mail, rehabilitatcd. rejuvenatcd
and exaltant. started UP the gorge for
Bear Dance. only iifty-t three minutes late
with Hawksworth IN the cab.
And IL you can't make that up. Frank.
you're 70 good on earth" sputtcrcd
Doubleday at the engineer And Franb
HaWbsWorth did make il up, and The
yellow Mail went on and off the West
End on the test and into the Sierfas FOR
the coast on tine.
There's q butt Of plug tobacco and
transportation 10 Crockctt's coming 10
these bucks Mr.. Doubleday" whcczcd
Jimmie BRADSHAW uncertainty for with
the wearing off of tho strain came the
idea to Jimmie that he might have 10
pay FOR il himself i promised them
that he added. for helping with the
transfer. II ii hadn't been for the blan-
kcts VIC wouldn't have got of fer another
hour. They chew Tomahawk. rough AMI
ready preferred, Mr.. Doubleday Hm?"