The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-24

noticed that George began wearing gloves
on the engine-not kid gloves, but yellow
dogskin-and black silk shirts; he bought
them in Denver.
Then-an odd way engineers have of pay
ing compliments-when George pulled into
town on No. 2. If 1t was Sankey's train, the
big sky-scraper would give a short hoarse
scream. a most peculiar note, just as they
drew past Sankey's house, which stood on
the brow of the hill west of the yards.
Then Meta would know that No. 2 and her
father. and. naturally. Mr.. Sinclair. were
in again, and all safe and sound.
When the railway trainmen held their d.
vision fair at McCloud there was a lantern
to be voted to the most popular conductor
gold-plated lantern with a green curtain
In the globe. Cal Stewart and Ben Doton,
who were very swell conductors, and great
rivals, were the favorites, and had the town
divided over their chances for winning it.
But during the last moments George Sim
clair stepped up to the booth and cast a
storm of votes for old man Sankey. Doton's
friends and Stewards votes kept pouring
in amazingly. The favorites grew fright
ened; they pooled their issues by throw
ing Stewards vote to Doton; but it wouldn't
do. George Sinclair, with a crowd Of en-
gineers-Cameron, Moore, Foley, Bat Null
len, and Burns-came back at them with
such a swing that in the final roundup
they fairly swamped Doton. Sankey took
the lantern by a thousand votes, but un-
derstood ii cost George and his friends
pot of money.
Sankey said all the time he didn't want
the lantern, but, just the same. he always
carried that particular lantern, with his
full name, Sylvester Sankey. ground into
the glass just below the green mantle. Pref
ty soon-Neeta being then eighteenth was
rumored that Sinclair was engaged to Miss
Sankey-was going to marry her. And
marry her he did; though that was not un-
til after the wreck in the Blackwood gorge,
the time Of the Big Snow.
1t goes yet by just that name on the West
End; for never was such a winter and such
a snow known on the plains and in the
mountains. One train on the northern d.
vision was stalled six weeks that winter.
and one whole coach was chopped up for
kindling wood.
But the great and desperate effort of the
company was to hold open the main line,
the artery which connected the two coasts
1t was a hard winter on trainmen. Week
after week the snow kept falling and blow
| ing. The trick was not to clear the line; it
was to keep it clear. Every day we sent
out trains with the fear that should not
see them again for week.
Freight we didn't pretend to move; local
| passenger business had TO be abandoned
! Coal, to keep our engines and towns
| supplied, We were obliged to carry, and
after that all the brains and the muscle
and the motive power conferred on
keeping l and 2, our through passenger
trains, running.
Our trainmen worked like Americans;
there were no towards on our rolls. But
| after too long strain men became ex-
hausted, benumbed, indifferent-reckless
even. The nerves give out. and will-power
seems to halt on indecision-but decision is
the life of the fast train.
| None of our conductors stood the hope
less fight like Sankey. Sankey was patient,
| taciturn, untiring. and, in a conflict with
the elements, ferocious. All the fighting
blood of his ancestors seemed to course
again in the struggle with the winter king.
1 can see him yet, on bitter days, stand
ing alongside the track, in a heavy pea
jacket and Napoleon boots, a sealskin cap
drawn snugly over his straight, black hair,
watching, ordering, signaling, while No 1,
with its frost-bitten sleepers behind a ro-
| tary, struggled to buck through the ten
and twenty-foot cuts, which lay bankfuI of
snow west of McCloud
| Not until April did it begin to look as
! If we could win out. A dozen times the line
| was all but choked on US. And then, when
| snow plows were disabled and train crews
| desperate, there came a storm that dis
counted the worst blizzard of the winter.
AS the reports rolled in on the morning of
the 5th, growing worse as they grew
thicker, Neighbor, dragged out. played out,
| mentally and physically, threw up his
hands. The 9th it showed all day, and on
| Saturday morning the section men report
| ed thirty feet in the Blackwood canon
1t was 6 o'clock when we got the word,
and daylight before we got the rotary
against it, They bucked away till noon with
| discouraging results, and came in with
their gear smashed and a driving rod frac-
tured. 1t looked as if we were beaten
No. l got into McCloud eighteen hours
late; it was Sankey's and Sinclair's run
| west.
There was a long council in the round
house. The rotary was knocked out; coal
was running low in the chutes. If the line
wasn't kept open for the coal from the
! mountains it was plain we should be tied
until we could ship it from Iowa or Mis-
souri,. West of Medicine Pole there was an
other big rotary working east, with plenty
Of coal behind her, but she was reported
stuck fast in the Cheyenne Hills.
Foley made suggestions and Dad Sinclair
made suggestions. Everybody had a sug-
gestion left; the trouble was. Neighbor
said, they didn't amount to anything, or
were impossible.
It's a dead block, boys" announced
Neighbor, sullenly, after everybody had
done I'VE beaten unless we can get
No. l through to-day. Look there; by the
holy poker, it's showing again.
The air was dark in minute with whirl-
and quit talking; every fellow felt the same
at least, all but one. Sankey. sitting back
OF the stove, was making tracings on his
overalls with piece of chalk.
You might as well unload your passen-
gers, Sankey,'' said Neighbor. You'll
never get EN- through this winter"
And it was then that Sankey proposed
his double-header.
He devised a snow plow which combined
in one monster ram about all the good ma
terial we had left. and submitted the
| A.