The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-28
THE YELLOW MAIL.
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The real strain, II was clear, would COM
on his oid-the MountaIn-division: and, Il
carry out the point, rested on the motive
power Of the Mountain division; hence, con
cretely. on Doubleday, master mechanic o.
the hill country.
In thirty days Neighbor, superintendent
Of the motive power. called for report
from the division master mechanics on tn
preparations for the Yellow Mall run ant
they reported progress.
In sixty days he called again. TIL subor
dlnates reported well except Doubleday
Doubleday said merely Not ready"
There was a third call in eighty days, anc
on the eighty-fifth a perenptory call. nv
erybody said ready except Doubleday.
When Neighbor demonstrated sharply ht
would say only that lie would be ready II
time.
That was the most he would promise
though II was generally understood that II
he failed he would have to make way fol
somebody that could.
The Plains Division OF the system was
marked up for seventy miles an hour. and,
81 the truth were told, Il little better: but
with all the help they could give us, 1t still
left sixty for the mountains to take care of,
The Yellow Mail proposition was conceded
20 be the toughest affair the motive power
at Medicine Bend had ever faced How
ever, forty-eiGht hours before the mall left
the New York Post Office. Doubleday wired
TO Neighbor, Ready; Neighbor to Bucks.
q O"a DHN
READY"
The orders began TO shoot through the
mountains. Dispatchers were given the
eleven. which meant Bucks: no layouts. no
slows for the Yellow Mail. ~Roadmasters
were notified: no track work in front of the
Yellow Mail.
Bridge gangs were warned, ~yardmasters
instructed, section bosses cautioned, track
walkers spurred-the system was polished
like a barkeepeTs diamond and swept like
~ - at-l - ~ vi
low Mail.
Doubleday spent all day Thursday and all
Thursday night in the roundhouse.
He had personally gone over the engines
that were to take the racket In the noun
tains. Ten-wheelers they were. the 1Ol2 and
the 1014. with 66-inch drivers and cylinders
big enough to sit up and eat breakfast In.
Spick and span both of them. just long
enough out OF the shops TO run smoothly
to the work; and on Friday Oliver Sellers.
who. when he opened a throttle. blew miles
over the tender like feathers. took the lJl2,
Eroomed like q Wilkes mare. down to Pied
mont for the run up to the Bend.
Now Oliver Sellers was a runner in a
thousand, and steady as a clock: but he
had q fireman who couldn't stand prosper
fly. Steve Horfgan. a cousin OF Johnnie's.
The glory was too great for Steve, and
he spent Friday night in Gallaghers place
celebrating. telling the boys what the 1912
would do to the Yellow Mail.
So when Steve showed up at 8 a. m. to
superintend the movement, he was seasick.
The minute Sellers set eyes on him he
objected to taking him out.
Neighbor himself was on the Piedmont
platform that morning. watching things.
The McC1oud dispatchers had promised
the train to our division on time. and her
smoke was due with the rise Of the sun.
The big superintendent of motive power,
watching anxlously for ner arrival and PLAN
ming anxiously for her outgoing, giared at
the plunged fireman in front of him, and
when Sellers protested Neighbor turned on
the swollen Steve with sorely bitter words.
and while they poured on the guilty Steve's
crop there was O shout down the plat
form.
In the East the sun was breaking over
the sand hills. and below It a haze of black
thickened the horizon.
It was McTerza with the sos and the Vel
low Mail Neighbor looked at his watch.
She was. II anything, a minute to the
good.
When McTerza blocked the big drivers at
the west end Of the depot every eye was
On the new equipment.
Three standard railway mail oars, done
tn vanished buttercup, strung out behind
the sizzling engine, and they looked pretty
as cowslips.
While Deighbor vaguely meditated on their
beauty Jimmie Bradshaw. just in from a
night run down from the Bend. walked
across the yard.
He had seen Steve Horigan making a
~sneak" for the %bathhouse. and from the
yard gossip Jimmie had guessed the rest.
What are you looking for, Neighbour"
asked Jimmie Bradshaw.
"A man to fire for Sollers-up. Do you
want itr'
Neighbor threw It at him Cross and care
lessly. not having any Idea Jimmie was
looking for trouble.
But Jimmie surprised him.
Sure, 1 want 1t.
Put me on. I'm fresh as rainwater. Put
me on. Neighbour I'll never get fast any
other way.
Doubleday wouldn't give me a fast run
IN a hundred years"
There wasn't much time to look around:
the 1012 was being coupled on to the mail
for the hardest run on the line.
Get In there, you blamed idiot" roared
Neighbor present at Jimmie
Get IN and fire her; and II you don't
give Sellers 20 pounds every inch OF the
way I'll set you back wiping."
Jimmie lost no time climbing In.
The l012 was drumming at her gauge
with better than 200 pounds.
Adam Shafer, conductor for the run, ran
backward and forward a minute examin-
ing the air.
At the final word from his brakeman he
lifted two fingers at Sellers; Oliver opened
a notch, and Jimmie Bradshaw stuck his
head out OF the gangway.
Slowly. but with swiftly rising speed, the
yellow string began to move out, and those
VINO watched from the Piedmont platform
thought q smoother equipment never drew
out of the mountain yards.
Jimmie Bradshaw had never lifted a pick
In as swell a cab.
The hind end of the 1912 was big as a pri-
vate car: Jimmie had never seen 30 much
play for a shovel in his life, and he knew the
trick OF his business better than most men
even in West End cabs, and as Oliver
let the engine out very, very fest, Jimmie
Bradshaw sprinkled the crate bars craft
fly and blinked at the shivering pointer, as
much as to say, It's you and me now for
the Yellow Mail. and nobody else on earth"
There was a long reach of smooth track
IN front of the foothills.
1t was there the big start had to be
made. and in two minutes the bark Of the
machine had deepened to a chest tone
full as thunder. 1t was all fun for an
hour. for two hours.
1t was that long before the ambitious fire.
man realized what the new speed meant:
the sickening slew, the lurch on lurch so
FAST the engine never righted, the shortened
breath along the tangent, the giddy roll to
the elevation and the sudden shock of the
curve. the roar of the fight on the ear, and.
above and over 1t all. the booming purr Of
the maddened steel.
The canoe in the heart of the rapid, the
bridge of a liner at sea, the gun in the heat
of the fight, take something of this-the cab
of the mail takes 1t all.
When they struck the foothills Sellers and
Jimmie Bradshaw looked at their watches
and looked at each other like men who had
turned their backs on every mountain