Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-20
SPECIAL RELIEF
TRAIN PULLS OUT
FOR THE NORTH

Her tnere 10 Deat nell, Tor CaSey'S at
the throttle and he amt afraid to pull
her open."
That is what Conductor NJ A. June
said last night when the special train
from the Los Angeles chamber of COM
merce started on it's trip to San Fran
cisco.
Twelve cars of provisions and two
cars of barreled mineral waters, max
ing total freightage of 1900 pounds,
had been loaded in record time and
the cars were being assembled at River
station of the Southern Pacific.
There was a scene there that almost
beggars description. The long lines of
cars being switched and fro and the
efforts to make haste made the yards
thrum with activity.
Grouped on the platform was the
committee that was to represent the
chamber of commerce in seeing that the
provisions reached the proper hands.
They were ready for the long and tire
some ride before them, but they were
ready because they had started without
any attempt at preparation. They
didn't have any provisions even, for in
the excitement of the loading their pri-
vate supplies had been packed into one
of the cars destined for the sufferers.
Feed the Committee
Let 'em CO." said William Hammel,
chairman of the committee. 1--WE can
get along all right"
A telephone message to the chamber
of commerce was at once sent, and
orders were wired to Bakersfield to
meet the train with five days supplies
for ten men.
The cars were shunted to ind fro and
brakemen lodged in and out between
the cars, making every coupling fast
and safe. Engineer Casey in the cab
Of his big engine, No 27O6, was the least
excited of all of the crowd that
thronged around the train.
And then there was a solemn scene
took place upon the platform where
the lights were tracing to and fro. The
roll was called by Chairman Hammel
of the committee delegated by the
chamber of commerce. "R. A. Thieen."
The words had scarcely sounded when
one member of the party took off his
hat. The answer came sonorously and
was Here" 81. o. Crandall, e. II.
Roth, B. r. Parker, F. e. Grove. Ray
G. Veazey, Charles d. Stratton, w. D.
Vorsanger, c. L. HILL"
The answer in every case was Here
and then Conductor June, whose curt
voiced orders had brought system out
of apparent chaos, said that time was
up. You'd better get on board" he
said 1--WE pull out o. here at $3.50 and
we've got 1853 mountain miles before l
put you in at Bakersfield"
Pile Into Cabcose
The crowd piled into the tiny caboose,
that seemed hardly able to accommo-
date them, and then June looked up
and down the train as if to see that
everything was taut and trim for Il
record-breaking run.
Far up ahead Engineer Casey leaned
out and looked back along the train.
The bra akemen perched on top and with
their lanterns swinging idly down
seemed gnomelke in the night that
palled them. There was an idle crowd
upon the platform to see the train
make its start upon its journey of re-
lief. Train men and newspaper men,
with a few idlers, made the little
throng. A brakeman went upsto Con-
ductor June and grasped his hand.
Take her through quick, old PAL"
he said. "They need the stuff you've
got.''
MY God, know they do" said June,
and waved his lantern as If anxious to
be on the road that lay before him.
They're Off
Far away in the dark the engineer
leaned out into the night, and looking
back saw the signal that he waited
out his muscular and grimy hand and
pulled the throttle and the train of
mercy wakened into life The wheels
spun faster and faster A belated
brakeman swung himself up on the
back plat of the caboose as it
swept past him and found there a
crowd of men, some holding on the
hand rails, some crowded in the door of
the caboose and underneath the light
that filtered dimly down. Those stand
ing on the platform could see that all
of them were bareheaded and solemn
as il they felt that duty was upon
them with it's thrall.
The train swept on away. Before it
was the picture of desolation that it
was created to relieve. In the caboose a
little body of solemn men sat huddled,
crowded in a space too small to give
any of them an opportunity for rest.
They were provisionless, but each and
every one of them had the expression
on his face that soldiers wear when
they retrace their steps over battle
field strewn with their dead.
And on the train with them was all
the love and sympa thy that one city of
sorrow!ng people can send to a sister
city that is desolate and weeping for it's
dead. The lights grew dim and disap-
peared. and thent the train was gone.
bearing its tons on tons of food and all
the good will that the human heart can
thrill with, and a its head, his hand
upon the throttle valve and not afraid
to ''pull her open" was Casey the en-,
g'neer while behind, his pockets stuffed
with papers and his face trife stern
and lined, was June the man in charge,
resolved to "get her there on time
Poor Elbowed Rich
Freight hustleis, business and profess
sional men worked side by side last
night at the Southern Pacific yards
leading provisions in the fourteen cars
that composed the relief train which
was sent to San Francisco.
Men in white shirts, coatless, hatless
and collarless. with their clothing
mussed and with perspiration stream
ing down their faces, wheeled boxes