The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-06-14

- uhucEnedtn. Whether
uead OF alive 1t must come out ana
the gang need no urging at the task
even Il they hear no moan or crv ~
hasten their rescue. Then the next toh
is to clear the tracks. HoldIn0 nv
trains for even five or six hours maans
Dig loss to the company. and thev
dont stop to save anything that takes
too long. Beams, wheels and rods
perhaps entire cars, are thrown down
emDankments If necessary to open the
right OF way. When a car has merelv
been derailed 1t is Of course an easy
matter to replace 1t; then ii is run to
tne nearest siding, but 1t Is the unex-
pected that happens In railroad acct.
dents.
A locomotive may turn bottom IN ON
tne track, with the driving wheels In
the air. Then 1t must be turned over
ana pulled to one side of the railroad
until there is time between the pass
ing of trains to right tiff it can be
righted. Cars may be swung directly
across the track, lying on their sides
or ends, possibly ground into a mere
mass Of splintered timbers, or literally
reduced to kindling wood, their con-
tents scattered hundred yards about.
The wrecker who has been in the
business for any length Of time can
tell in a moment the most difficult
task before him and, If possible. goes
at that first. If loaded freight car
prevents him from reaching the part
q n
| ly demolished engine, he sets It aflre.
One OF the greatest delays however, Is
caused by the track being torn up, for
new ties have to be put in position and
perhaps dozen rails weighing a ton
apiece cut and Strengthened In order
to form a foundation on which to
move.
Everything goes with a rush from
the first news of the accident Once
the wreckers get busy there is no stop
ping for rest or refreshment, although
a man may have to work all night or
all day. With the broken and twisted
mass of steel and wood piled on one
side Of the roadbed, however, there
comes breathing spell, and the SUI
perintendent or other officials look over
the debris to see what is worth saving
Going from pile to pile, they soon de-
eide what to pull out and block up,
and then the wreckers get to work on
this. If there is an engine, 1t Is gen
orally secured first Perhaps it was
imbedded in two or three feet of mud
or ten or twelve feet down an embank-
ment Here the little men come In
handy. Worming themselves under
the boiler, they scrape holes beneath,
so that the steel tendons of the crane
can be passed round it.
Now the crane goes into action. If
the embankment is sloping the usual
plan is to drag the locomotive along,
allowing the earth and ballast to as
slst in supporting 1t until the top is
reached. But there are places where
! it has to be lifted clear of the ground,
then swung over on the track.
Machinery has done much to aid the
breakdown gang in recent years But
away back in the early days of the
way of steel they were called to many
disaster, for then, as now, trains
sometimes butted into each other OIL
the same track. To clear the road the
locomotive of the wreck train could
sometimes be pressed into service, but
many q derailed car or engine was
pulled back on the rails merely by hui
man muscle Here again the sailor
man came in very handy, as he knew
so well how to arrange the ropes and
pulleys and to make lines fast around
the car or engine that had to be
moved.
One of the curious methods of EN-
ploying the locomotive Of the wreck
train was to make it move n car for
ward by starring the locomotive back
ward. Fastening tackle securely
round the car, 1t would be passed
through a pulley fastened to a tree Of
post in front of it, aud the rope ther
; led back to the locomotive. Reversing
his lever the engineer of course pullet
the rope around the pulley on the tree
, thus forcing the car ahead. BY thi'
novel plan, which is still used occa
sionally, much of the debris in from
of the wreck train could be cleared
away.
There are times, though, when eyeI
the most careful rlggers make a mis-
take. They have not realized the strain
which the tackle must stand whei
, things begin to move. Then, like tn
, crack of a rifle, snap goes the line
; More than once a loose end has caugh
, some poor fellow round the legs, break
: ing the bones IKE pipestems. Man!
a man on the railroads payroll who i
: fit only to wave the signal flag at tn
. street crossing was among the wreck
: ers until the day the rope broke.-Da!
, Allen Wiley in Denver Times.
Pleasures of Canoeing.