Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1906-06-23

Ice in jiffy. When anybody was
knocked out Blackburn was as regular
nurse as ever you saw. Even switch
men, when they got pinched, kind of
looked to Blackburn.
That day the minute he got Fred into
Carhart's hands there was Fred's
trick to take care of, and nobody, Of
course, but Blackburn to do it. He sat
In and picked up the threads and held
them till noon, then Maxwell relieved
him. Doubleday was waiting outside
when Blackburn left the chair. I saw
him put out his hand to the night dis
patcher. They spoke minute and
went out and up Third street toward
Fred Norman's room. 1t was a gloomy
day around the depot. Everybody was
talking about the trouble and the way
it had begun and the way it had ended.
They talked in undertones, little groups
In corners and in rooms with the doors
shut. There wasn't much of that in
our day there, and it was depressing.
/ went home early to bed, for [ was on
nights, but the wind sung so, even in
the afternoon, that / couldn't quiet
down to sleep.
We were handling trains then on the
old single order system. l mention this
because in no other way could this par
ticular thing have happened, but there's
no special point in that, since other
particular things do happen all the
time, single order, double order or no
order system.
The wind had dropped and there was
Just drizzle of rain falling through
the mountains when l got down to the
depot at Z o'clock that Sunday even
ing. | don't know how much sleep
Blackburn had had during the day, but
he had been at Fred Norman's bed
most of the afternoon with Doubleday
and Carhart, so he couldn't have had
much. About half past Z Maxwell sent
me over there with a note and his storm
coat for him, and the three men were
in the room then. Boylike, l hung
around until 1t was time for Black
burn to take his trick, and then he and
Doubleday and l walked over to the
Wickiup together.
At shutdown everything was ship
shape. There hadn't been an engine
failure in the district for twenty four
hours, and every hand car was run
ming smoothly. Moreover, there were
no extra sections marked up and only
one special on the division card-a the
atrical train eastbound with Henry Irv
ing and company from Frisco to Chica-
go. The Irving special was heavy, as
it always is. That night there were five
baggage cars, coach and two sleepers.
I am particular to lay all this out just
as the night opened when Blackburn
took his train sheet, because sometimes
these things happen under extraordi-
nary pressure on the line and some
times they don't; sometimes they hap
himself It was all fixed too, for Black
burn to handle not only his own trick,
but the first two hours Of Fred's trick.
which would carry till o'clock in the
morning. At 6 Maxwell was to double
into a four hour dog watch and Gala
han was to sit in till noon.
There was nothing to hold the big fell
lows around the depot that night, and
they began struggling home through the
rain about 8 o'clock Before 10 Bucks
and Callahan had left the Office, by II
Neighbor had got away from the round
house; Doubleday had gone back to sit
with Fred Norman.
The lights in the yard were low, and
the drizzle had eased into mist; it was
a nasty night, and yet one never prom
ised better for quiet. Before midnight
the switchmen were snug in the yard
shanties; in the Wtckiup there were the
night ticket agent downstairs and the
night bagga geman. Upstairs every door
was locked and every room was dark
except the dispatcher's Office. In that
Blackburn sat at his key. Nearby, but
closer to the stove, sat the night caller
for the train crews, trying to starch his
hair with a ten cent novel.
The westbound overland passenger,
No. 1, was due to leave Ames at 1910
a. m, and ordinarily would have met
special like the Irving at Rosebud,
which is good bit west Of the river.
But No. Is engine had been steaming
badly all the way from McCloud, and
on her schedule, which was crazy fast
all night, she did not make Ames till
some fifty minutes late. While there
were no special orders, It was under
stood we were to help the Irving train
as much as possible anyway. Bucks
had made the acquaintance Of the great
man and his fellows on the westbound
run, and, as they had paid us the par
ticular compliment of a return trip, we
were minded to give them the best of
it, even against No. 1, which was al
ways rather sacred on the sheet. This,
I say, was pretty generally understood,
for when it was all over there was no
criticism whatever on Blackburn's in
tention Of making meeting point for
the two trains, as they then stood, at
O'Fallon's siding.
Between Ames and Rosebud, twenty
or+ ivy SiHinOS-