The Washington times., 1905-03-12

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| through cuts and over fills. and again
along the level plain. where the track
could be laid for miles directly on the
| sod.
| When ne got TO the tracklayers' camp
ae called the contractor and his fore
man into council, and urged upon snem
the necessity for more vigorous action.
| BY dark he had reorganized the whole
work and had galvanized it into life by
! his own energy and direetness. That
night he spent in the railroad camp
In the morning Sanford left on a con-
straction train and went over the line
already laid for thirty or forty miles TO
| see how the work had been done.
lie stopsed at a camp where great
amount of material. ties. rails, spikes
and tools had been stored There he
superintended the loading of a supply
train for the front
IL was 8 o'clock in the afternoon be-
/ fore the train was loaded and ready to
proceed. Sanford had ordered the con-
Iduetor TO start, and the train was al
ready in motion. when the telegraph
operator rushed out OF the box car that
stood en- a siding and served as a station.
and office
| He was greatly excited and waved a
paper over his head The train was
stopped. and the operator handed San
!, ford a telegram
It proved to be from the track laying
eoatraetorxat the front . 1t read as
follows:
| Gang of men have demanded that
work be stopped. I refused and was
attacked. Men now fighting. We are
unarnled and need help
Cut off that engine and couple on TWO
or three Hats" shouted Sanford to the
conductor. Get all the men you car to-
gether. We are needed In a hurry Gown
| at the front. Let every man who has
a pistol take II With him Lively. noW!'
Men came running from every direc-
] fions Some carried pistcIsssot hers were
sssarn1ed With short IRON bars. and two
men bors 4hotgurs over their shoulders
/ It took only two or three minutes 10
couple the engine to some fiat cars, Ind
| Sanford climbed into the cab
Run as fast as you possibly can te
the front. he comma nded "a gans
| ofsnen have stopped the work. and ara
/ lighting with the track layers. We have
| got to get there in hurry.
| The track IS pretty bad, and won;
stand much fast running, but III get
| you there as soon as can. sir re-
sponded the engineer
Then they were off. the engine sway
/ ing from side to side. and pttarging al,
sbueking over The rough roadbed
/ Let her out another notch. said
/ Sanford, s.or Wen never get there.
The engineer did as he was bid re
| men on the fat cars eIung to the side
| STAKES and to one another 10 keep from
being thrown off.
Mile after mile was being left behind
| Sanford and the engineer leaned far oni
LOT the cab windows looking ahead, while
| the fireman heaved coal without stop.
!. ping.
Thus the minutes that seemed dragged
| into hours, passed while the engineer
reeied OF mile after ntsiie
They were now near.i p the end OF
the track. but the engineer did n II shu,
of the steam. Occasionally he blew
| loud blast on the whistle to let the
trackmen know that help was at hand
As the train swung around n hill San
| ford could see IN the distance body of
men by the side OF the track. but lac
could not make out who they were
He thought at first that they must be
| the railroad iaborers. but as the engine
drew nearer ne saw that they had
horses telhered at a little distance from
the track He sent the fireman back
over the tender 10 warn the men, ane.
TO tell them TO fire If they were Aired
upon
The next minute they entered big
cut. on both sides of wish the men lie
had seen were ranged.
go right through" he called to the
engineer. wen stop on the other side,
where we VIII have chance TO fight "
..Ail right" said the engineer, and he
pulled the lever over another notch.
The engine answered with burst OF
fnereatied speed At the same moment
there was a volley of pistol shots from
above. and an answering fusiliade from
the men on the fat cars
Sanford leaned from the window and
fred at the line of men above hin. As
the engine left the cut he turned to or
der the engineer to slow up and Stoo.
But the engineer was shot In his seat.
He lay on the floor of the cab. the
blood dyeing his shirt. He had been shot
through the heart and instantly killed
The cab was riddied with BULLETS.
The engine went leapIng over the
| rails Only a short distance ahead SAN
ford could see the construction train
| on the track at the front
Around the Clubhouse stood a group OF
track layers franticalIy waving their
arms. warning MIN 10 stop. He sprang
To the lever. shut off the steam. and
| whistled for brakes.
| With his eye he measured the dis
lance between the engine and The con-
structfon train. and thought OF the lives
| on the fat cars behind him. uneon-
sciously he pressed harder against the
| lever. although 1t was thrown hard over
| already,
| He opened the sand box valve. and
soon felt the grind Of the wheels on the
rails.
| The engine was slowing gradually. but
| the train In front was perilousiy near
| Sanford felt tempted for momen;
| to jump from the cab but he thought
| Of the men whom he could not desert,
and braced himself for the shock of
| the impending collision.
He still fed sand to the rails in trout
| of the drivers, and soon noticed that
they were taking hold. and that the
| train was slowing up. In another min
ute or two the engine came to q stop.
witt her pilot almost touching the
eaboose Of the construction train, and
i Sanford leaped to the ground.
| "Get behind the cars. boys, and fire