The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-02-15

| nat AloysluS might feel still more the
sung OF his coldness Johnnie for Como
aoys paid much court to the new fire.
man and engine runners Nothing about
INC mousse was too good for them, and as
me crafty sweeper never overlooked M
opportunity he was In debt before the
ohd OF the week to most OF tho brother
hood.
But the memorable morning FOR Alloy.
| tlus camo shortly thereafter ii was one
Of these keen October mornings that bite
SO IN the Fills. The construction train
Extra 240 West had started about five
O'CLOCK from the head OF the pass with
load Of steel for the track layers and
stopped for bite OF breakfast at Wind
River, Above the round house there is
switchback. When the train pulled
In the crew got Off for some hot coffee.
Johnnie Horigan was around PLAYING good
fellow. and he climbed into the cab t.
run the train through the switchback
While the crews were at the eating house.
It was irregular to leave the engine but
they did, ard as for Johnnie HoriRan
he was regular irregular. There were
sixteen cars of steel in the string.
The backing up tho leg OF the nippcr
set johnnie pulled down the lower leg
and that, considering the whiskers. was
too easy.
When ne pulled past the eating house
on the down grade he was going so lively
with his flats that he was away before
the crew could get out of the lunoh-room.
In just one minute everybody in Wind
RIVER was in trouble; the crew because
their train was appearing down the
canyon; the eating house man because
nobody paid him for his Coffee and John
ME Horigan because he found It impos-
| siole to stop. He had dumped the sand.
ne had applied the air, he had reversed
the engine. BY all the rules laid down
IN the Instruction car she ought to stop
But she didn't stop. and-and this was
the embarrassing feature-she was head
ed down a hill twenty miles long, with
curves to weary boa constructor. John
hung his head wildly over the drivers.
| looked back at the yelling crew, contem-
plated the load that was pushing him
| down TIE grade, and his head began to
| SWIM There appeared but one thing
more to do-that was to make noise,
and as he nearer the round-house he
whistled like the wind. Aloyslus o.
Cooney McCrath. at the alarm. darted out
Of the house like fox. AS he reached
| the door he saw the construction train
coming and Johnnie Horigan In the
| gangway looking for a soft place to light
The wiper chartered the situation In
mental second The train was running
away and Horigan was leaving it to its
| idte' fIolD any point OF view 1t was q
| tough propositions. but tough propositions
come rarely to ambitious railroad men,
and Aloysius was starving for any sort
| of proposition that would help him out
| Of the waste. The laborers In the ca
boose, already bewildercd, We're craning
anxiously from the windows. Horigan.
opposite the round house. jumped In a
sprawl; the engine was shot past Alloy
| slus; boarding was out of the question.
| But on the siding stood a couple Of
| flats, empty; and with his hair straight
on centres the little wiper ran for them
and mounted the nearest. The steel train
was jumping. Aloysius punched his mus
cle, ran the length of the two flats for
head, and from the far corner threw him
self across the gap, like a bat, on a load
of the runaway steel. Scramblng to his
feet. he motioned and yelled to the no.
boes, who were pouring frantic out on the
hind fiat of the string. to set brakes;
then he made ahead for the engine.
The pace was giddy and worse. When
his brain was whirling fastest man
put a hand on his shoulder. Aloysius
started as If Davy Jones had tapped him,
and between bounces looked, scared,
around. He looked into a face he didn't
know from Adams, but there was sand
in the eyes that met his.
What can dog"
Aloysius saw the mans lips move, and,
without taking his hands from the lev
ers. bent his head to catch the words.
what can do?" shouted the man at
his elbow.
"Give me steam-steam," cried the
wiper, looking straigt ahead.
It was the foreman OF the steel gang
from the caboose. Aloysius through
the backs of his eyes, saw him grab
the shovel and make pass at the ten
der, Doing So he nearly took header
through the gangway. but he hung to
the shovel and braced himself better.
With the next attempt he got shovel
full into the cab, but In the delivery pass
ed it we'll up Aloysius' neck There
We're neither words nor gr1ns, but just
another shovelful of coal a minute after,
and the track-layer in spite of the dizzy
lurching, shot it where It belonged-nto
the furnace. Feeling that IL one shovel
| full could be landed, more could, Alloy
| sius own steam rose. AS they headed
madly around the Cinnamon bend the
dial began to climb in spite Of obstacles;
and the wiper, considering there were
| two. and tho steam and the sand to fight
the thing out, opened his valye and dust
! ed the whiskers on the curve with some
/ thing more than a CLEAN OF hopo.
If there was confusion on the runaway
train, there was terror and more below
1t. AS tho spectre fitted past Pringle
| SltlloH, 1lNc HIIeS uONIl tNo NthASS, VIC
agent caught glimpse Of the sallow
face OF the wiper at the cab window and
saw tho driver whirling backward. He
rushed to his key and called the Med!-
cine Bend dispatcher. With u tattoo
like n drum roll the dispatcher, In turn.
called Soda Springs, ten miles below
PlIngle, where No. l0. tho UP passenger
was then duo, he ratified OH with his
heart in his fingers and the answer
came on tho instant. Then an order
flashed into Soda Springs:
Take Soda Springs siding quick Elk
ira 240 West lost control Of tho train.
DIR"
There never was such bubblng at
Soda Springs as that bubbling. The OPP
orator tore UP the platform like q hawk
in chicken yard. Mon never scattered
so quick as when No, 1G began screaming
and Wheeling and backing for the clear.
Above the town, Aloysius, eyes white
to the sockets, shooting the curves like
a meteor watched his lessenEng stream,
and sand pour into the frost on the track.
As they whipped over bridges and hills
the caboose reeled like dying top
+. fenr frOye cypry aoNl IN hon rd lon W.