The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-15
CITY NEWS.
HARVEY PARDEE'S
THRILLING run
THE TRUE STORY OF A RIDE FOR
LIFE.
He Took a Sick Fireman's Place and
Had to Heave Coal Like a Fiend
to Keep His End of the Train Away
from the Disconnected Rear Half.

The Importance of ten seconds at |
a railway switch is made clear in a |
letter Just received by w. S. Pardee |
of Minneapolis from his son, Har- /
vey S. Pardee, who has recently been |
a telegraph operator on the Boston
& Maine road in New Hampshire.
And the best way for a tired man
to get an exhilarating breath Of fresh |
air, as Harvey explains, is to use
your air UP first" especially when
starting down a long, steep hill.
Young Pardee was called the other
day to take the place of a sick opera
tor at a way station known as Whit
fields, about fifty miles north of Con-
cord, N. H., on the Boston & Maine.
The sick operator stayed sick, tho he
had been instructed by the dispatcher
to get we'll. And Harvey stuck to
the telegraph table at Whitfield's,
with indulgent intermissions for
meals, during thirty-nine consecutive
conductor Of No. 81 rushed in to reg
lister, Harvey swas getting tired--of
the 1nonotony.
But you've got to fire for me,
announced the conductor. We've had
a hard run east and my firemans laid
out; left him up the road. You know
l have to go thru" For No. 81 was
an express freight train Of forty-six
air brake, refrigerator cars, loaded
with export beef from the west. Two
steamers were waiting at Boston for
this beef, and No. 81 was overdue.
Harvey explained that firing a,
rnogul locomotive was fine exercise;
he'd enjoy it any other time, but just
then he wanted to "laze around and
enjoy life at Whtfeld's. Then the
dispatcher called me up; said couldn't
Il, oS111
be delayed five hours unless 1 volun-
teered. The brakemen, you see, We're
prohibited by state law from doing
f1reman's work. / just started to ex-
cuse myself when the superintendent
got the wire and asked me, as a
favor to consent. Well that was or
derS.'
AS Harvey climbed up into the cab
alongside of "Old Man Goodell, the
conductor yelled back, Say. Good,
look out for No. 8! We're purity heavy
this trip" No. 9, a. local passenger,
was due at Franklin Junction, twenty
miles down the line. twenty-five min
utes before the freight, but the line
to the junction was all down hill, with
steep grades and inconvenient curves.
1.-THE old man had recently been
transferred to this division and was
somewhat nervous" says a letter from
young Pardee. Trying to hold her
back and stick to schedule, he kept
using up the air little by little. Still
| the train moved faster down the hills.
| The 'brakies' were hanging on for dear
| life and the train was swaying like a
string of sheep. The old man put on
| the emergency brake and a little more
| air. We're OH the straightaway now,
| he says, but this grade is worse'1l
ever -- -... F..
Il looked back thru the dust and
saw the conductor Just coming off the
'buggy'-that is, the cahoose. 1t was
cracking back and forth like the tail
of a kite. and as the end Of the train
whipped around that last curve some.
| thing puffed -exploded-behind
us. When the air cleared could see
| the caboose--it had broke off-lyine
| OH it's side in a, mud bank.
"'Can you hold her?' I asked, being
only a volunteer .... ~
Hold herr the old man grunted
without turning around. Hold HI!
"Everything was set tight except
the air. Air brakes were all tha
could stop us on that. grade, but the
air was gone. Above the hammerine
Of the driver / heard a crash. I rub
bered again. An overhead bridge wa!
going down like a straw stack. 1t wa:
an old bridge, and the foundations hat
slid down near the track so that thu
by the corner of an extra wide re
| frigerator car. Another old Wagon
bridge went down, and then anothe1
there were three in a row. But dit
we stop? NO, we were moving.
1.-The timbers and piles Of thos
bridges We're scattered along for hal
a mile. ] can see 'em now. An,
there was an old farmer with d flu
cap standing on the approach to tn
last bridge. He was holding a goat
in one hand and was just about t
punch his OK team out OH the bridge
The oxen were jumping backwards
but he stood there stiff.
LAS we headed for Valhalla pass
caught a glimpse of the operate
i chasing thru a field nearby on tn
! dead run to report us at the Junction
We were twenty minutes ahead Of GU
4 schedule. We'd reach the switch abou
4 five minutes after the passenger pulle
out on the main line. Ten minute
4 later we'd smash into her.
4 What's to be done?' [ asked
\ rather nervous myself.
B "'Well,' said the old man, sort
I slow, i guess you'd better pray; TT
\ too busy.
LAS we slid past the telegraph sta