Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-02-24


) Harry shouted:
Hey. Davis"
Davis looked up, squirting cOmically
into the teeth Of the storm. Harry
threw him kiss and yelled, Turkey!
The conductors reply was inaudible,
but we knew what 1t was, the most
common expression in railroad use.
When we got back from the water
plug, 81, the mail, was waiting. We
followed her, getting good wheeling
until she got so far ahead that the
snow drifted in behind her again. We
loaded the tender at the Bolton coal
PLATFORM pilng on top big Jumps that
couldn't blow away. Ny watch drop
)ed out Of my pocket on the shovel l
threw it into the tender, and Harry
tossed heavy lump Oh top Of it. After
we had found it and stepped back on
The engine he asked, looking at the
clock:
"Is that all 'tis-10:15|
| looked at my watch-11:37. We
had left the curtain up while coaling,
|
above the boiler, had frozen up and
stopped.
During the next hour we nearly
stalled in big drifts twice. This set me
to thinking about train 10. She must
be nearly due. looked at my watch
11:37. 1t hadn't turned a wheel since
that lump of coal hit it, and now had
no time on the engine.
Seeing me looking ut my watch, Har-
ry asked me if it was broken. told
him it was. That's nothing" said he.
SOS the record" | tried to grin, but
Just then she pumped into cut at the
foot Of slight grade that was filled
twenty feet deep with "the beautiful"
had no longer any need to worry
about following trains. was anchored
good and solid. | had full tank OF
coal. We wouldn't freeze, and there
was water enough for long siege ex-
cept for those leaky tlues.
Engineers when snowbound must
keep their engines alive that trains
may proceed the moment the road Is
opened. Otherwise expensive delays
will occur from thawing out, watering
and firing up dead engines in most in
convenient places. My great problem
was how to get water into the boiler.
The pumps worked only when the en-
gine ran. | gave her steam. If the
wheels would slip on the rails and
turn, could pump that way. She
might have been a solid, jointless cast
ing for all the effect the steam had
on her.
Something had to be done. and quick
| ly, for the water was leaking out of her
every minute, and had only two
gauges in her when stopped. We got
the spare scoop shovel and sank shaft
through the snow on the lee side or
her. Then we cleared the snow away
from under her and all about the
wheels and machinery. 1t had drifted
natural arch over her by this time,
so that it was quite warm down there.
Harry brought down the hammer,
some wrenches and the torch and re-
ported barely one gauge of water in
| the boiler. 1t was time indeed to hur
| ry.
| 1t was an awkward place to work,
and the smoke from the torch nearly
destroyed its usefulness. took down
the side rods that | might have but
one pair of wheels to turn. | thereby
reduced the amount Of friction to be
overcome by the use of steam, which
was water, the article was interested
in ecOnomiZing.
pounded my thumb and cut off a
Joint Of nv left forefnger as the last
end of the last side rod Unexpectedly
slipped clear. Harry chewed me to-
bacco poultice and tied it on with
piece of rag torn from his jumper. We
left the rods in the snow, gave the
rails and tires good oiling and hur-
ried up into the cab. There was fut-
ter of water in the bottom gauge cock,
so slipped and pumped her until she
threw water out Of the stack.
The water was squirting out Of four
leaky fues in way that would soon
set us to shoveling snow into the tank.
In spite Of my sore finger, its clumsy
dressing and dull tools. made five
taper fiue plugs out Of piece Of coal
board. Harry covered the fire with
fine coal and snow and put on the
blower to carry off the smoke and gas
threw the coal boards in on the
banked fire and crawled in with my
plugs and hammer.
| had forgotten that 1t was hot any
where, but the experience went
through in that hot fireboX. perched
over q miniature volcano, surrounded
by boiling water. and. In spite Of the
blower, inhaling smoke and sulphurous
fumes, would have been invaluable to
Dante when seeking local color.
drove the dry plugs tightly. They abb
sorbed moisture and swelled until they
were the tightest flues in her. Twas
good job and well done. The per-
spiration CONCEALED on my face the in
slant l stuck it out Of the firebox door,
and before my feet were out there were
icicles on my whiskers.
1t was getting late In the AFTERNOON,
and l was never so hungry in my life
before. Harry asked me If there was
"any cold tapioca puddin' in the cup
board" l told him there must be grub
in the caboose or some Of them would
have come ahead long ago to see If we
had any. He volunteered to go back.
1t was risky job climbing over the
tops of those cars in that weather. II
anything happened, he would be
goner, with nobody near to help and
temperature that meant almost instant
death to the partially disabled.
sat and dozed miserably in the cor
ner of the cab. AS repeatedly lost
consciousness my feet would slip on
the boiler butt, the heel Of the left COM
ing down with painful bang upon the
instep of the right. This occurred at
stated intervals, like pile driving. Tir-
ing Of the monotony, sought to change
an H,,mnrc