The St. Mary banner., 1907-06-15
Charged BY Sixteen ENGINES
By HERBERT COOLIDGE.
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1
! Sixteen engines on one snow-plow!
It was a great sight. Snow on level
gineers on one side, sixteen firemen on
the others. heavy eyes, their jays set.
The railroad needed men on the Sis
kiyou grade in the winter Of '95; men
no less of iron and steel than the en-
gines driven by them.
For a week they had been bucking
the drifts. Back for running start.
on at the bank with a full head Of
steam, q sudden burst in the roar OF
exhausts. shower of sparks from two
long lines Of screeching drive-wheels,
few car lengths of snow forced aside
then with jerk they would reverse
for another charge. 1t was catch-as-
catch can for food and sleep. and back
and forth, day and night, sixteen en-
gines and thirty-two men ramming the
snow blockade.
was there, not as an engineer or
fireman, only lineman with instruc-
tiOns to snOw-shoe on ahead and in
spect the telegraph wires. All day long
as l worked up the canon. I could hear
the snow-flghters-the signals for re-
versing, multitudinous putting of en-
gines in sullen retreat, the down
brakes whistle, the go-ahead whistle.
a prolonged chorus of barking puffs
merging into one long purring roar,
doubling in volume oa violent burst,
then quickly dying to nothing.
Darkness and a binding storm over.
took me as returned, and the glow
Of the headlights rising from the long
trench Of snow gave a welcome prom
ise Of food and shelter The locomo-
tives had been halted for some time
They we're six car lengths round a
curve from the end of the line.
thought they were at the face Of the
blockade, and blundered headlong into
the fourteen-foot cut
Snow-shoes are awkward things to
fall with. The snow packed between
the rails was as solid as a pavement,
and the shock knocked me half-cOn-
scious. heard the go-ahead signal
and the putting and clanking OF loco
and wondered without alarm
II my neck was broken. The engines
pulled up bit. then reversed. From
the way they jiggled back and forth
thought they must be jerking a de-
rallied comrade into line.
I sat up, rubbed my neck, and then
Tor the first time became aware of dan
ger.
jumped to my feet, and started for
tho snow-plow. Two long blasts of
he whistle signaled "go-ahead." At |
he same moment tripped on broken |
mo wshoe, and fell head-long.
Scrambling up. plunged at the
white bank. The snow tossed me back |
md realized that the walls had been
pressed aside and packed by the power
II sixteen engines. The signal for
lown brakes sounded, and saved me
rom being frightened to madness.
Then l tried to rid myself of the
'roken snow-shoe, but could not un-
asten 1t with my numbed fingers. l
ound my voice, and yelled like wild
indian; but the men were busy and
ound curve. and no one heard me.
finally got my knife open, slashed
II both snow-shoes, and started on a
un down the track. l rounded a curve
nto the binding glare of a headlight
7hen the whistle sounded the reverse.
nd choo-chy-chy! choo-chy-chy! clang.
ty-bang! the sixteen engines receded
own the cut. yelled and waved my
rms, but the lookout on the snow
low neither saw nor heard me.
I had matches and thought of build
1g a signal fire Of my snow shoes, but
ould find no kindling. l gave up all
ope, and was sure l must die.
bought of climbing out at the wedge
haped face of the blockade, and turn
lg, raced up the track through the
only to discover that the
loA Of the long-nosed. broed-based