The Florence daily tribune., 1902-02-05
Dead Mems Section.
PY ]. PERCY RARNITz.

Copyright. 1901. by Daily Story Pub. Coz
bection Four was the longest section
on the Third Division OF the c. and j.
Railroad. 1t was SO long and so many
fatalities had occurred on that stretch
OF road. that the management decided
to call 1t the Middle Division, think
Ing thereby to escape the odious name
of Dead Mems Section" which 1t was
called by railroad men the country
over. But call 1t what they would. the
management could not free that par
ticular portion of their line from the
xruesome sppellation.
The sections on the c. and j. arc
not sight or ten-mile stretches of
track, as is the case on Eastern lines,
but instead a hundred and fifty mile
stretch is the usual section on this
important link In the Great Trans
Continental Route" and which ira
verses the Lone Star State from the
Red River to the Rio Grande.
Henry Fortune WAS made division
superintendent at Folger. the terminus
OF Section Three, and the headQuar-
ters for the new Middle Division. And
but good fortune when he was pro-
NOTED to that position, for until his
appointment at Folger he had never
known that the cup of life could be SO
full OF trouble
Freight brakenen only-with few
exceptions-were the ones whom Death
seemed to single out as his victims.
And the majority of those who were
killed met their deaths by falling be-
lth the cars while the trains were
running eastward between Gregson's
and Warm Springs.
Because of the "hcodoo," which rail-
road men said was on Dead Mems
Section" II WAS almost impossible to
secure reputable employees for the
freight service OF the operating de-
partment of the Middle Division AS
consequence tae personnel OF the
freight trainmen on that division was
composed literally OF the scum OF the
earth. And, therefore, 1t Is not to be
wondered at thst the life OF Henry
Fortune, superintendent. was not a
happy one, The difficulties he expert
enosd in handling the polygenous
freight crews were legion; but they
were as nothing compared to the de-
pressing fact that in spite of all pre-
cautions Death held the Middle Divi-
sion in a tirmer grasp than ever.
Although the Middle Division passed
through land OF weary desolation.
which, with its filnt-like soil; it's
boundless, unbroken monotony of
plains, was enough in itself to depress
the spirits of almost any man, yet the
superintendent never for moment
supposed that any of bis men COM
nitted suicide.
There were but few men IN his en-
ploy that did not use liquor. But
liquor could hardly be held account
able for the strange fatalities on Dead
Mems Section" Other trainmen em-
ployed on the division besides freight
brakemen drank just as hard, and yet
there were no more accidents among
them than usually occur on the ordi-
nary railroad.
One night in early January the
Mexican Flyer" was wrecked between
Warm Springs and GreEson's The
superintendent accompanied the
wrecking train to the scene of the dis
aster 1t was a wretched night. A
heavy storm of sleet and rain beat
down with chilling force on that bar
rem waste of land, and Henry Fortune
made 1t his frst duty to see that the
passengers were taken to Gregson's,
and there made as comfortable
as possible In the miserable adobe
building bearing the name OF The
Rangers Rest"
The proprietor of this squalid hos
telry of the Texas plains was singu-
lar Individual. He was tall lank,
sinisterlooking half-breed. whose
beady eyes seemed to glow with a
malignant passion A semi-mute, he
was unable to arti2ulate intelligibly.