West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-06-21

Ez1xJ inquiry as to whether
EC&MS%b The Dispatchcr's Story"
eSs2M 81 is true 1t may be well to
state frankly at the out
set that this tale In It's inexplicable
psychological features Is a transcript
from the queer things I'm the railroad
life. IL Is based on an extraordinary
happening that fell within the expert
ence of the president OF large west
crn railway system. Whether the
story. suggestive from any point Of
view of mystery. can be regarded as a
demonstration OF the efficacy OF prayer
may be disputable question. In pass
Ing however. Il is only fair TO say that
the circumstance on which the tale is
based was SO regarded by the dispatch
or himself and by those familiar with
the circumstance.
n hundred times II once the thing
had been, on appeals for betterment,
before the board of directors. 1t was the
one piece OF track on the mountain
division that trainmen shook their
heads over - the Peace river stretch
To run any sort OF line through that
canyon would take the breath OF an en-
gineer Give him all the money he
could ask and II would stagger Wet
more himself. BrodIe I'm his day said
there was nothing worse in the Andes,
and Brodie, before he drifted into the
Rockies. had seen. first and last. pretty
much nil OF the Chilean work.
But our men had the Job 10 do with
one-haIf the money they needed-the
lines to run. the grades to figure, the
culvcrts TO put In, the fills to make,
the blasting to do the tunnel to bore,
the bridge to build, In a limit; that
was the curse of 1.-THE limit And
they did the best they could. But
Will be candid--if a section and eleva-
tion OF Rosamonds bower and Sec
tion and elevation of our Peace river
work were put up to stand for n prize
ut civil engineers cakewalk the de-
cision would go. and quick, to the
Peace river track. There are only
eight miles of 1t. but our men would
back IL against any eighty OH earth for
whipping curves. tough grades. villain
GUS approaches and railroad tangle
generally.
hN hhNt
to improve II, and they are promising
yet. Thanks 10 what HALEY taught
them. there's good bridge there now
pneumatic caissons sunk TO the bed.
It's the more pity they haven't eliml-
mated the dread main line curves that
approach IL through valley which
brief as n canyon and the mauvniscs
terres rolled into one single proposi-
ton.
Yet we do lots OF business along that
stretch. Our engineers thread the cuts
and are glad to get safely through
them. Our roadmasters keep up the
elevations. hoping some night the
blooming right OF way will tumble In
to perditIon. Our dispatcbers, study
ing under shaded lamps. think OF II
with their teeth clnched and hope
there never Will be any trouble on that
stretch. Trouble Is our portion. and
trouble we must get but not there.
Let Il come. but let 1t come anywhere
except on the Peace
II was In the golden days OF the bat.
tered old WicSiup that the story opens.
when Blackburn sat In the night chair,
the days when the old guard were still
there. before death and fame and cir
cumstance had stolen our first com
manders and left only us little fellows,
forgotten by every better fate. to tell
their greater stories
HALEY had the bridges then, and
Wetniore the locating. and Neighbor
the roundbouses and Bucks the super
intendency, and Callahan, so he claim
ed. the work, and Blackburn had the
night trick.
When Blackburn came from the
plains he brought record clean as the
book OF life. -Four years on n station
key. then eight years at Omaha dis
patching. with never n blunder or
break TO the eight years. But II was
at Omaha that Blackburn lost the wife
whose face he carried In his watch.
never heard the story, only SOME ru-
NOR Of how young she was and how
pretty and how he burled her and the
wee bBhy together II was all Blnsk-
burn brought to the West End noun
tains-his record and the little face in
the watch. They said ho had no xith
or kin on earth besides the wife and
the baby back on the bluffs Of the Mis-
souri,, and so he came on the night
trick to us
was Just boy around the Wicldup
then. but remember the crowd Who
could forget them7 They were Jolly
good fellows. Sometimes there were
very high tinks- ] don't mean anybody
drunk or that sort, but good tobacco to
smoke and good songs 90 sing and good
stories to tell and. Lord, how they
could tell them And when the pins
clipped, as they would. and things went
wrong, as they Will. there were clear
leads and pretty wits-and stout hearts
10 put things right
blackburn, os much as I can remem-
Der, always enjoyed A. but In q differ
mt way He bad such times a manner
Ike nobody else's-a silent, baamlnR
manner When Bucks would roll A
great white Panhandle yarn over his
fresh linen shirt front and down his
A FRIGHTENED HORSE.