Evening star., 1902-09-13

1t is a bad grade yet. But before the
new work was zone on the river division.
Beverly Hill was a terror to trainmen.
On rainy Sundays old switchmen in the
GAINESVILLE yards still tell in their shanties
Of the night the BlackwoOd bridge went
out and Caneron's stock-train got away on
the hill, with the Denver flyer caught at
the foot like a rat In trap.
Ben Buckley was only a big boy then,
braI:ing on freights; 1 was dispatching un-
der Alex Campbell on the West End. Ben
was a tall, loOse-jointed fellow, but gentle
as a kitten; legs as long as pinch bars, yet
none too long, running for the Beverly
switch that night His great ckum in those
days was Andy Cameron Andy was the
youngest engineer on the line. The first time
1 ever saw them together, Andy, short and
chubby as duck, was dancing around, half
dressed. on the roof Of the bath-house,
trying to get away from Ben, who had the
fire hose below, playing on him with a two
inch stream of ice water. They were up
to some sort of prank all the time.
June was usually a rush month with us.
From the coast We caught the new crop ia
pan teas and the fall impOrtations of China
silks. California still sent her fruits, and
Colorado was beginning cattle shipments
From Wyoming came sheep, and from Ore
gon steers; and ali these not merely in car
loads, but in solid trains At times were
swamped- The overland traffic alone was
enough to keep US busy; top of it came
a great movement of grain from Nebraska
that summer, and to crown our troubles a
rate sprang up. Every man, woman,
and child east OF the Mississippi appeared
to have but object in life-that was to
get to California, and to go over road.
The passenger traffic burdened our re-
sources to the last sgree.
was putting on new men every day then.
We start them at braking on freights; usu-
ally they work for years at that before they
get a train. But when train-d dispatcher is
short on crews he must have them, and can
only press the best material within reach.
Ben Buckley had not been braking three
months when l called him up one day and
asked him if he wanted a train.
Yes, sir I'd like one first rate. But you
know l haven't been braking very long, Mr..
Reed, said he. frankly.
How long have you been in the train
service?"
1 spoke brusqueIy, though 1 knew. with
out even looking at my service-card just
how long it
Three months Mr. Reed
1t was right to a day.
TN probably have to send you out on
d ramrCd. You know were pretty short"
/ continued.
Yes, sir
But co you know enough to keep your
your orders?
Ben laughed a little. Il think 1 do Will
there be two sections today?''
They re loading eighteen of stock
at Ogalalla; if We get any hogs off the
Beaver there will be two big sections L
shall mark you up for the first one anyway,
and send you right out behind the flyer
Get your badge and your punch from Car
penter-and whatever you do, Buckley,
don't get ratified
No. sir; thank you. Mr.. Reed"
But this thank you was so pleasant
couldn't altogether ignore it: | compromised
with a cough Perfect courtesy, even in the
hands of the awkwardest boy that ever
wore his trousers short, is a surprisingly
handy thing to disarm gruf people with.
Ben incidentally awkward: his legs
were too long and his trousers decidedly cut
of touch with his feet; but l turned away
with the conviction that in spite of his
gawkiness there something to the boy
That night proved it.
When the flyer pulled in from the west
in the afternoon it carried two extra sleep
ers- In ali, eight Pullmans, and every one
of them loaded to the ventilators While
the train was changing engines and crews,
the excursionists swarmed out of the hot
cars to wax up and down the platform
They We're from New York, and had band
with them-as jolly a crowd as we ever
hauled-and l noticed many boys and girls
sprinkled among the grown folks.
AS the heavy train pulled slowly out the
band played. the women waved handker-
chiefs and the boys shouted themselves
hCarse-it was like a holiday. everybody
seemed so happy. All 1 hoped. as 1 saw
the smoke of the engine turn to dust on the
horizon, was that / could get them over my
division and their lives safely off nv hands
For week we had had heavy rains and the
bridges and track gave US worry.
Half an hour after the flyer left, Il. the
fast stock-freight, wound like great snake
around the bluff after it Ben Buckley
tall and straight as a pine. stood on the
caboose- 1t was his first train. and he
looked as if he felt it.
In the evening j got reports of heavy
rains east OF us, and after a reported out
of Turner Junction and pulled over the
divide towards Beverly, it was storming
hard all along the line BY the time they
reached the hill Ben had his men out set
ting brakes-tough work on that kind of
night; but when the big engine struck the
bluff the heavy train was we'll in hand
and II rolled down the long grade gently
a curtain.
Ben was none too careful, for half way
down the hill they exploded torpedoes.
Through the driving storm the tail-lights
of the flyer were presently seen. AS they
pulled carefully ahead. Ben made his way
through the mud and rain to the head end
and found the passenger train stalled. Just
before them was BlackWood Creek, bank
full and the bridge swinging over the
swollen stream like grapevine.
At the foot Of Beverly Hill there Is a
sId!ng-a long siding, once used as sort of
cut-on TO the upper GAINESVILLE yards. This
side track parallels the main track for half
mile. and on this siding Ben, as soan
he saw the situation drew In with his
train that it lay beside the passenger
train and left the main line clear behtnd
1t then became his duty to guard the track
to the rear. where the second ection of the
stock train would soon be due
1t was pouring rain and as dark as a
pocket. He started his hind-end brakeman
back on the run with red lights and tor
pedo6s to warn the second section well up
the hill. Then walking across from his ca
bccse, he got under the lee of the hind
Pullman sleeper to watch for the expected
headlight.
The STORM increased in violence. It was
not the rain driving in torrentsS not the
lightning blazing. nor the deafening crashe 9
Of thunder. that worried him, but the wind
it blew a gale. In the blare of the light
ming he could see the oaks which crowned
the bluffs whip like willows in the storm
1t swept quartering down the Beverly cut
as II IL would tear the ties from under the
steel Suddenly he saw. far up in the black
sky, star blazing; II was the headlight Of