Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-03-26

switch and swing on. called oil clear.
George pulled her out another notch.
and the long train slowly gathered
headway up the slippery track.
AS the speed Increased the young
man and the old relapsed into their
| usual silence. The PA was always n
free steamer, but George put her
through her PAGES without any apollo
gy, and 1t took lots of coal to square
| the account.
In n few minutes they were pound
ing along up through the Narrows. The
track there follows the high bench be-
tween the bluffs, which sheer up on
one side, and the river bed, thirty feet
below the grade, on the other.
1t Is not IN inviting stretch at any
time with big string Of gondolas be-
hind. But on wet night 1t Is the last
place OH the division where an engi
neer would want side rod to 60
wrong, and just there and then GeOr-
gie's rod went very wrong indeed.
Halfway between centers the big
steel bar on his side, dipping then so
fast you couldn't have seen 1t even in
daylight. snapped like stick Of lico-
rice. The hind end ripped up into the
cab like the nose Of swordish. tear
ing ana smashing with appalling force
and fury.
George McNeal's seat burst under
him as if n stick Of giant powder had
exploded. He was jammed against tha
cab roof like link pin and fell sprawl.
ing, while the monster steel fail
thrashed and tore through the cab with
every lightning revolution of the great
driver from which it swing.
It was frightful moment. Any.
and done at once. 1t was either to
stop that train. and quickly. or to
pound along until the 244 jumped the
track and lit In the river. with thirty
cars of coal to cover it.
Instantly-so Dad Hamilton after
ward told me-instant!y the boy
scrambiing to his feet. reached for hi.
throttle-reached for 1t through Il rain
Of iron blows. and staggered back with
his right arm hanging like a broken
wing from his shoulder. And back
again after it-after the throttle with
his left; slipping and creeping care.
r,,1l, Ina hn tiroffIn lat \, m
TIL straining and twisting and dOdg.
Ing he caught the latch and puslc! i;
tightly home. Dad whistling vigorous
ly the while for brakes.
Relieved of the tremendous head OF
the cylinder. the old engine ca!ined
down enough to let the two men col
lect themselves Rapidly as tie brake;
could do 1t. the long train was brOugh;
up standing. and George. helped by
his fireman, dropped out Of the ca
and they set about discoIacc;!lg-;he
engineer with his one lrm-the fJr
midable ends OF the broken rod.
1t was u slow, difficult piece of work
to do In spite of their most active
efforts the rain chilled them to the
marrow. The train crew gaze t!ic..!
rs mucl help Il; willing hands could
which wasn't much, but by every man
doing something they got things liked
called in their fagmen just before day
break and started home. When the
sun rose George. grim ana silent. TIE
throttle in his left hand. WIS urging
the old engine along OIL dog.ro.
across the Biac;;wood fa,s. and So
limping IN on one side, the kid brough.
his train into the GAINESVILLE yards.
witA DAl Hamilton unable to make
himself helpful enough. unable to show
his appreciation Of the skill and the
grit that the night had disclosed in the
kid engineer.
The hostler waiting in the yard
sprang into the cab with amazemen.
OH his face and was just in time to
lift limp boy out of the old firer!an's
arms and help Dad get him to the
ground, for Geo"gie had tainted.
When the 2il reached the shops 4
few minutes later they photographed
that cab. 1t was the worst case Of
rod smashing we had ever seen. and
the West End shops have caught some
pretty tough looking cabs in their day.
The boy who stopped the cyclone ana
saved his train and crew lay stretched
on the lounge In my Office waiting for
the company surgeon. And old Dad
Hamilton-crabbed, irascible old Dad
Hamilton-hew around that boy ex-
actly like an excited old rooster first
bringing Ice and then water and then
hot coffee and then tanning him with
a time table 1t was worth a small
smashup to see 1t.
The one sweep of the rod which
caught Georgies arm had broken 1t In
two places, and he was off duty three
months. But 1t was novelty to see
that boy walk down to the pOstotfica
and hear the strikers step up and ask
how his arm was. and to see old Dad
Hamilton tag around GAINESVILLE after
him was refreshing. The kid engineer
had won his spurs.