Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1906-04-14

blackburn '01s stretched on hts knees.
and salt Rocks somewhere. Callahan.
take the key" he cried OF a sudden.
There's a call now. Dispatcher Don't
/ speak; ask no questions. Get that mes
sage. D. he exclaimed sharply. pointing %
the instrument 1T may Doe news"
And 10 was uews-news from Ames
station reporting the Irving special in
az % "a. m-Out at %, We all heard
10 together or 10 might not have been
| believed The Irving special. east
bound safely past 10 =. westbound.
on q single track when their meeting
orders had Tapped Past without a
word OF danger or OF accident ~ even
thar they had seen so and stop "a in
time 90 avoid a coll sion7 Exactly: not
word; nothing I'm as 30: out az "a
And The actors hard asleep IN tnelr
berths. and on about It's business the
Irving special - that's what we got
from Ames
Callahan looked around. Gentle
men, what does this meEnY Somebody
here Is insane don't know whether
it's me or you, Blackburn. Are you
horslng me-" he exclaimed. raising his
voice angrily IF you are. l want 10
say l consider It a mighty shabby
joke"
Bucks put up a hand and without n
word of comment repeated Black
burns story just as the dispatcher
had told IT, In any event there's
nothing 10 do now; it's on us or were
past it. Let us walt for No. TO re
port"
Callahan pored over the order book.
Maybe" he asked after awhile
didn't you send the orders right and
copy them wrong IN the book. Black
burnE"
The dispatcher shook his head. "They
went as they stand. The orders Tapped.
Callahan. Wait till we hear from No.
l. / feel sure she Is safe. Wait"
Bucks was pacing the floor. Gala
han stuck silent 70 the key. taking
what little work came, for l saw nei-
Their Of the chiefs wanted TO trust
Blackburn at the key. He sat looking.
for the most part. vacantly into the
fire. Callahan meantime had the orders
repeated back from Ames and Rose
bud. 1t was as Blackburn had said;
they did lap; they had been sent just
as the order book showed. There was
nothing for it but TO wait for Rosebud
TO hear from No. 1. When the night
/ operator there called the dispatcher
again it brought Blackburn out OF his
gloom like "A thunderclap.
Give me the key!' he exclaimed.
There is Rosebud" Callahan pushed
back, and Blackburn. dropping into
! the chair. took the message from the
: night operator at Rosebud
! mo. in, 2.03 a. m"
y Blackburn answered him. and, strange
4 ", with all the easy confidence OF his
1 ordinary sending. He sat and took and
b sent like one again master Of the sit.
uation.
ASK Engineer Sampson to come to
the wire" said he to Rosebud. Samp-
son. not Maize. but his brother Arnold
was pulling No. l that night
Engineer Sampson here" came from
Rosebud presently.
ASK Sampson where he met Special
2O2 tonight"
We waited, wrought up. for in that
reply must come the answer TO all the
mystery. There was a hitch at the
other end of the wire; then Rosebud
I answered:
Sampson says he will tell you al
about it In the morning"
THAT will not do" tapped the dis
| patcher. This is Blackburn. Superin
tendent Bucks and Callahan are here
They want the facts. Where did you
/ meet Special 202T'
4 There was another wearing delay
When the answer came IT was slowly
at the engineers dictation.
MY orders were 10 hold at O'Fallon',
for Special 202" clicked the sounder
repeating the engineers hating state