The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-01-16

A Costly Error.



pad OF releases, two of which he had
filled out for Smith before he had re- |
ce1ved the order for him.
, All right, I'm gone said Smith,
and going out he gave the engineer a
release and a moment later the train
was Gathering over the" west switches
| on its way. to Roth -.
AS Smith went out Of" the office
Johnny leaned back: in his chair and
| watched the coaches and way car as
they moved away, and then his eyes
cast rowing glance over the table in
front OF him and finally rested ON the
| order clip which he had carelessly laid
back after receiving the order that
should have been given to Smith. In
a second he was as wide awake as he
! ever was In his life He realized fully
| what he had done and, sprnging to his
feet, he snatched up lighted lantern
! ana darting out on the platform he
swung 1T widely in q signal to stop, in
the vain hope that. some one ON the
departing train might see his signals.
He even ran after the train and shout
ed, but the rear lights steadily grew
more dim and finally disappeared in
the distance. He went back into the
|
! down in his chair in a state Of fierce
mental agony. F1e finally pulled him
self together. lie would never do to sit
| there silent and not let the people in
the office know what was about to
happen, SO that all possible would be
done to help the wrecked trains at
once. He called the dispatcher at
Brooks and, although it was but a mo-
ment until he responded, to Johnny it
seemed an age.
Il have let Smith out with a release,
can'-he wired and here the dispatcher
broke in:
MY Cod Have you" and then the
sounder ratified like mad as the dis
patcher wildly called Roth. The answer
came to the call that No. 16 was out of
Roth. Johnny groaned when he thought
OF what might at that instant be oc-
curing on that short stretch of track
between Roth land Balm.
Down at the. dispatcher's office the
wrecker, with the proper crews to take
her out was ordered, and then it was
merely wait. for information which
must soon come now as to whether the
trains had met disaster or not.
Johnny called the day man to: take
his place at the key He was unfit for.
service for that night in any event, and
if the trains came together the was
determined to go to the scene and do
what he could to help. While they are
waiting, No. II, in charge of Jim Ran
l. son. pulled IN on the, siding:.. When the
dispatche Ell; learned that II WAS at Balm
he ordered; the conductor to take his
engine and caboose and-under flag
follow Smith and do what he could to
aid in case aid was necessary. While
, he was getting. ready Smiths fagman
; came walking fln, and their worst fears
of disaster were realized. Both trains
were running at a high, rate of speed
and were close together before either
was of If g .ot her s app Zach. The
. EengineA4zan d 80 ZIP lin a
iron Y Many were killed: and injured,
, how many he could not tell, as he had
hurried back at once for assistance.
, The wreck had: occurred about two
miles west of Balm. With such assist
, ance as could be secured in a little
, hamlet Ransom hurried to the scene
! of the catastrophe and Johnny Day ac-
, companied him, his soul weighed with
the horror Of what had occurred Ran
, som had told him not to go near the
!
that he must, so and had. not needed
his advice. Later on he regretted that
, he had done so.
Both engine crews had left their en-
gines when they saw a collision was
, inevitable, and all members Of the
, crews were more or less bruised. The
, engineer of the fast freight train had
a dislocated shoulder, but the men back
n "a a Jared
l SO well; and when the wreck was fully
l cleaned up, ten dead and eighteen bad
r ly injured were found. Those not too
I badly hurt to do so had gone at once
; to work rescuing the badly injured and
t taking out the dead, and many of them
? were lying in grewsome line beside
= the track when Johnny arrived The
r men injured and killed were mostly
! Italians and their uninjured fellows
= were filled, by what they saw, with a
desire for vengeance. Some way they
( found out that the night operator at
Balm was the one responsible for the
wreck. Some Of them knew him by
5 sight and, observing him, they pointed
+ | him out to their companions and before
Johnny had time to realize his danger
i a bowling mob had gathered for his
destruction. Fortunately Johnny was
r near big Jim Ransom when the mob
r made a rush for him. Ransom, busily
engaged in the work at hand, had not
= observed what was coming until the
t | mob was ready to make it's rush, and
| then he met it.
E run to the car, Johnny, and hide in
s | locker he said in low tone to the
4 ! boy, and he, realizing all at once his
T / danger, fled.
t Half dozen of the foremost Of. the
gang went down before Ransom's well
4 directed blows, and then as the mob
e