The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-28

the fireman.
Sellers. barely conscious. lay wedged be
tween the tank and the footboard.
Jimmie, all by himself. eased him ava,
from thu boiler.
The conductor stood with a broken arm
directing his brakeman how to chop a crew
out of the head of the mail car. and the
hind crews were getting out unaided-
There was q quick calling back and forth
and the cry, Nobody killed!' But the Ell
gineer and the conductor were put out oil
action. There was. in fact. only one West
End man unhurt-Jimmie Bradshaw.
The first wreck OF the fast mail took place
just east of Crockett's siding.
A westbound freight lay at that moment
on the passing track waiting for the mali.
Before the freight crew had reached the
wreck Jimmie was hustling ahead to tel!
them what he wanted.
The freight conductor demurred; and
when they discussed It with the freight en-
gineer. Kingsley, he objected. MY engine
won't never stand 1t: it'll pound her to
scrap" he argued. Il reckon the safest
thing TO do is to get orders"
Get orders." stormed Jimmie Bradshaw.
Get orders,
"Are you running an engine for this Inc
and don't know the orders for those mail
bags?
The orders Is to move 'em, That's orders
enough.
"Uncouple three of those empty box cars
and hustle EN- back. by the great United
States! any man that interfores with NOV
Ing this mail Will get his time. that's what
! he'll set. That's Doubleday. and don't you
forget It."
Bucks wants the stuff hustled put in
the freight conductor. weakening. Every
body knows that"
"Uncourle there!' cried Jimmie. climbing
into the mogul cab. I'm pull the bags,
, Kingsley; you needn't take any chances.
rn,,. la,l- -la-. ay-nry mothers COR of
! you, and help on the transfer"
He carried his points with a gale. He
was conductor and engineer and general
manager all in one.
He backed the boxes to the curve below
the spill and set every man at work piling
the mall from the wrecked train to the
freight cars.
The wounded cared for the wounded. and
the dead might have buried the dead; Jim
ME moved the mail.
Only one thing turned his hair gray: the
transfer was so slow. AS he stood ferment-
ing, a stray party Of Sioux bucks on a
vagrant hunt rose out of the desert passes
and halted to survey the confusion.
Jimmie had the blanket men in council
In a trice.
They talked for one minute; In two he had
them regularly sworn In and carrying sec
ond-class. The registered stuff was jeal-
ously guarded by those Of the mall clerks
who could still hobble.
The mail crews took the registered mat
ter; the freight crews and Jimmie handled
the letter he 20: but second and third class
were temporarily hustled for the Great
White Father by his irreverent children OF
the Rockies.
Before the disabled men could credit their
senses the business was done, they were
made as comfortable as possible. and with
the promise OF speedy aid back to the in
jured, the Yellow Mail. somewhat dis
figured. was heading again westward in the
box cars.
This time Jimmie bradshaw, like a dog
with a bone. had the throttle.
Meantime at Medicine BEND there was q
desperate crowd around the dispatcher.
It was an hour and twenty minutes after
Ponca Station reported the Yellow Mail
out before Fort Rucker. eighteen miles west.
reported the box cars and Jimmie Bradshaw
in. and followed with a wreck report from
the Crockett siding.
Doubleday's face turned hard: fate was
against him. the contract gone ellmmeriaS;
and he didn't feel at all sure his own head
and the roadmaster's wouldn't follow Il.
Then the Rucker operator began to talk
about Jimmie Bradshaw. and Who's Brad
shawl" asked somebody: and Rucker went
on excitedIy with the story of the mogul
and OF three box cars and Of a war party OF
Sioux: It came 90 mixed that Medicine Bend
thought everybody at Rucker Station had
gone mad.
While they fumed Jimmie Bradshaw was
speeding the mail through the mountains.
He had Kingsley's fireman. big as an OK
and full Of his own enthusiasm.
In no time they were flying across the
fats Of the 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 bax cars
ieaping like yearlings at the joints
1t was no case Of scientific running. no
case Of ga1loping the roadbed, of easing the
strain on the equipment; 1t was simply a
case of galloping to q Broadway fire with
a Sllsby rotary on a Ali call.
Up hill and down.. curve and tangent, It
was all one: while frightened operators and
paralyzed station agents all the way UP
the line watched the fearful and wonderful
train, With Bradshaw's red head sticking
out OF the cab window. shiver the switches.
Medicine Bend couldn't get the straight
Of 1t over the wires: wires went bad in
the midst OF the confusioh.
They knew there was q wreck and UNDER
stood there was mall In the titch. and with
Doubleday frantic the d3spatchers were try.
ing to get the track to ran a train down to
Crockett's.
But Jimmie Bradshaw had asked at Ruck-
er for rights TO the BEND, and in ar I'M
guarded moment they had been given; after
that 1t was all off. In thirty minutes the
operating department were wild to kill
Jimmie. but he was making such time II
was concluded better to humor the lunatic
than to hold him up anywhere for a par
ley.
When this was decided Jimmie and his
war party were already reported past Bad
Axe. fifteen miles below the Bend. with
every truck on the box cars smoking.
Between Bad Axe and the Bend the line 10
modelled on the curves of a rams horn, but
Jimmie with the mogul found every twist
in eleven minutes: that particular record il
good yet.
Indeed. before Doubleday, then in d fren-
zied condition.. got his cohorts fairly on the
platform to look for Jimmie, the hollow
scream of the big freight engine echoed
through the mountains and down the Bend
a monster locomotive few from a trailing
horn of smoke.
AS the stubby string Of freight cars
Slowed quartering into the lower yard the
startled officials saw them from the wick
iup windows wrapped in a stream Of fame.
Every journal was afre. and the blaze
from the boxes, rolling into the steam from
the stack. curled holly around a bevy Of
Sioux Indians. who chung sternly to the
footboards and brake wheels on top OF the
box cars.
1t was a ride for the red men that ie
told around the council fires yet.
By the time Jimmie slowed up his as
founding equipment the fire brigade was on
the run from the roundhouse.
The Sioux warriors climbed hastily down
the fire escapes. a force Of bruised and
bareheaded mail clerks showed back the
box car doors. the car thinks tackled the con-
fagration, and Jimmie Bradshaw, dropping
from the cab with the swing of a man
who has done a trick, waited at the gang
way for the questions to come at him.
For a minute they came hot.