The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-10
IaslI]]
[Ng8]

kA river division, Beverly Hill was a
lr&Tpt terror to trainmen.
49, On rainy Sundays old switch
men in the GAINESVILLE yards still tell in
their shanties Of the night the Blackwood
bridge went out and Cameron's stock train
got away on the hill, with the Denver flyer
caught at the foot like rat in a trap.
Ben Buckley was only big boy then,
braking on freights; was dispatching un-
der Aleck Campbell on the West End. Ben
was a tall, loose-jointed fellow, but gentle
as kitten; legs as long as pinch-bars, yet
none too long running for the Beverly
switch that night. His great chum in those
DAYS was Andy Cameron. Andy was the
youngest engineer on the line. The first
time 1 ever saw them together-Andy short
and chubby as a duck-was dancing around,
half dressed. on the roof of the bathhouse.
trying to get away from Ben, who had the
fire hose below, playing on him with a
two-inch stream of ice water. They were
up 10 some sort of prank all the time,
June usually rush month with us.
From the coast we caught the new crop of
Japan teas and the fall importations of
China silks. California still sent her fruits
and Colorado was beginning cattle ship
ments. From Wyoming came sheep and
ly in carloads, but in solid trains. AT times
we were swamped. The overland traffic
alone was enough to keep us busy; on top
of it came great movement of grain from
Nebraska that summer, and to crown our
| troubles a rate war sprang up. Every
| man, woman and child east of the Missis-
| sippi appeared to have but one object in
| life-that was to get to California, and to
! go over our road. The passenger traffic
burdened our resources to the last degree.
1 was putting on new men every day
! then. We start them at braking on
! freights; usually they work for years at
! that before they get a train. But when
/ a train dispatcher is short on crews he
must have them and can only press the
| best material within reach. Ben Buckley
! had not been braking three months when L
called him up one day and asked him If
he wanted a train.
Yes, sir, I'd like one first rate. But you
know 1 haven't been braking very long.
Mr.. Reed" said he, frankly.
How long have you been in the train
service?''
1 spoke brusquely though 1 knew, with
| out even looking at my service-card just
how long ii was
| Three months, Mr.. Reed"
! Il was right to a day.
| I'll probably have TO send you out on
/ n this afternoon" / saw him stiffen like
/ ramrod. You know were pretty short,
L continued.
| Yes, SIR
But you do know enough to keep your
head on your shoulders and your train on
| your orders?"
Ben laughed a little. 81 think do. Will
| there be two sections to-day"
They're loading eighteen cars of stock at
| Ogalalla; if they get any hogs off the
Beaver there will be two big sections. L
way, and send you out right behind the
flyer. Get your badge and your punch
from CarPenter-and whatever you do.
| Buckley, don't get ratified"
mo, sir; thank you, Mr.. Reed"
But his THANK YOU was so pleasant
| couldn't altogether ignore it; L compro-
missed with q cough. Perfect courtesy,
even in the hands of the awkwardest boy
that his trousers short. was
surprisingly handy thing TO disarm grun
people with Ben was undeniably awkward;
| his legs were too long and his trousers de-
cidedly out of touch with his feet; but
! turned away with the conviction that in
! spite of his gawkiness there was some
| thing to the boy. That night proved 1T.
| When the flyer pulled in from the West in
the afternoon it carried two extra sleepers.
| In all eight Pullmans, and every one of
/ them loaded to the ventflators. While the
! train was changing engines and crews, the
excursionsts swarmed out of the hot cars
were from New York, and had band
with them-as jolly crowd as we ever
hauled-and 1 noticed many boys and girls
! sprnkled among the grown folks.
] AS the heavy train pulled out the band
played, the women waved handkerchiefs,
| and the boys shouted themselves hoarse-
it was like a holiday, everybody seemed so
happy. AL L hoped / saw the smoke of
| the engine turn to dust on the horizon, was
that l could get them over my division
and their lives safely off my hands For
week we had had heavy rains, and the
| bridges and track gave worry.
Half an hour after the flyer left, II, the
| fast stock-freight, wound like a great
| snake around the bluff, after IT. Ben BUCK
| ley, tall and straight as a pine, stood on the
caboose. 1t was his first train, and he looked
! as If he felt il.
In the evening 1 got reports of heavy
rains east of us, and after II reported
"out" of Turner Junction and pulled over
the divide towards Beverly, it was Storm
ing hard all along the line. By the time
they reached the hill, Ben had his men