The Greeley tribune., 1907-01-17

lN1s , masters Office
with group of
engineers. He was one OF the black
listed strikers and runs an engine now
down on the Santa Fe. But at long
intervals Duck gets back to revisit the
scenes of his early triumphs. The men
who surrounded him We're once at
deadly odds with Duck and his chunls,
though now the ancient enmities seem
forgotten. and Duck. the once ferocious
Duck, sits occasionally among the new
men and gossips about early days on
the West End.
DO you remember Siclone, Reed:"
asked Duck, calling to me in the pri-
vate Office.
Remember him. l echoed "Did
anybody who ever knew Siclone forget
him?'
Il fired passenger for Siclone twen-
ty years ago." resumed Duck. He
walked just like that fellow. only he
was quicker. l reckon you fellows
don't know what snap you have here
now" he continued. addressing the
men around him. Track fenced. nine
verts, Stag ballast, skyscrapers-no
wonder you get chances to haul such
nobs as Liliuokalani and Schley and
Dewey and cut ninety miles an hour
on tangents.
when I was firing for Siclone the
roadbed was just off the scrapers, the
dumps were soft, pile bridges. paper
culverts, fifty-six pound rails, not
fence west of Buffalo gap and the
plains black with Texas steers. We
never closed our cylinder cocks. The
hiss Of the steam frightened the cattle
worse than the whistle. and we never
knew when we were going to find a
bunch Of critters on the track.
THE first winter l came out was
great for snow, and l was a tenderfoot.
The cuts made good windbreaks, and
whenever there was a norther they
were chuck full of cattle. Every time
a train plowed through the snow 1t
made a path on the track. Whenever
the steers wanted to move they would
take the middle of the track single file
and string out mile after mile. Tall
about fast schedules and ninety miles
an hour. You had to poke along with
your cylinders splitting and just whistle
and yell-sort Of blow them OF into the
snowdrifts.
Zone day Siclone and / were goine
west on SO. and we were late. For that
matter, we were always late. Simpson
coming against us on 90, had caught 6
bunch of cattle In the rock cut JUS
west Of the Sappie and killed couple
When we got there there must hay'
been "A thousand head Of steers nous
ing around the dead ones. Siclone-h'
used to be a cowboy, you know-Si
clone said they were holding wake
At any rate, they were still comini
from every direction and as far as 20,
could see.
"'Hold on, siclone, and III chas
them OUT I said.
That's the stun, Duck says he
Get after them and see what you cal
do He looked kind of queer, but
never thought anything. I picked up ,
Jack bar and started up the track.
1.-The first fellow I tackled looked
lazy, but he started full quick when
hit him. Then he turned around to in
spect me. and l noticed his horns wer,
of the broad gauge variety. While
whacked another the nrst one put hi,
head down and began to snort ant
paw the ties. Then they all began t,
below at once 1t looked smoky.
dropped the jack bar and started To-
the engine, and about fifty of then
started for me.
II never had an idea steers could ruI
30. You could have played checkers OIL
my heels all the way back. If Siclon,
hadn't come out and jollied them, II
never got back In the world. I jus
Jumped the pilot and went clear ove
against the boiler head. Siclone CLAIM
ed I tried to climb the smokestack. bu
there with shovel and kept the Who'll
bunch off me. l thought they woul
kill him. But l never tried to chas
range steers on foot again.
"In the spring we got the rains-nC
like you get now, but cloudbursts. Th
section men were good fellows, onl
sometimes we would get into stor1
miles from section gang and strike
place where we couldn't see thing.
"Then Siclone would stop the trail
take bar and get down ahead an
sound the roadbed. Many and many
washout he struck that way whic
would have wrecked our train an
wound up our ball Of yarn in minute
Often and often Siclone would go int
his division without dry thread o
him.
"Those were different days." muse
the grizzled striker. THE old boys ar
scattered now all over this broad lane
The strike did 1t, and you fellows hav
the snap. But what / wonder ofte
and often is whether Sicloue IL reall
alive or not"
siclone Clark was one Of the tw