The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-08
By FRANK
Il.
SPEARMAN


ed leisurely forward, compared time
with the engineer and cried, "An
abo-o-o-ardg' then as your coach NOV
ed slowly ahead you might notice IN
der the receding catalpas the little girl
waving a parasol or a handkerchief at
the outgoing train-that is, at Con
ductor Sankey, for she was his daugh-
ter, Meta Sankey. Her mother was
Spanish and died when Meta was a
wee bit. Meta and the limited were
Sankey's whole world.
When George Sinclair began pulling
the limited, running west opposite Fo-
ley he struck up a great friendship
with Sankey. Sankey, though he was
hard TO start, was full of early day
stories. George, 1t seemed, had the
faculty of getting him to talk, perhaps
because when he was pulling Sankey's
train he made extraordinary efforts to
keep on time-time was a hobby with
Sankey. Foley said he was so careful
Of it that when he was off duty he let
his watch stop just to save time.
Sankey loved to breast the winds
and the foods and the SHOWS, and IL
he could get home pretty near on
schedule, with everybody else late, he
was happy, and IN respect of that, as
Sankey used to say, George Sinclair
could come nearer gratifying Sankey's
ambition than any runner we had.
Even the f1remen used to observe
that the young engineer, always neat,
looked still heater the days that he
took out Sankey's train. BY and by
there was an introduction under the
catalpas. After that it was noticed
that George began wearing gloves on
the engine-not kid gloves, but yellow
dogskin-and black silk shirts. He
bought them in Denver
Then-an odd way engineers have of
paying compliments when George
pulled into town on No. 2, if it was
Sankey's train, the big skyscraper
would give a short, hoarse scream, a
most peculiar note just as they drew
past Sankey's house, which stood on
the brow of the hill west Of the yards
Then Meta would know that No 2
and her father and naturally Mr. Sin
clair were in again and all safe and
sound.
When the railway trainmen held
their division fair at McClOud, there
was a lantern to be voted to the most
popular conductor-a gold plated Ian
tern, with a green curtain in the globe
Cal Stewart and Ben Doton, who were
very swell conductors and great rivals,
were the favorites and had the town
divided over their chances for win
ming it
But during the last moments George
Sinclair stepped up to the booth and
cast a storm of votes for old man
| Sankey. Doton's friends and Stewards
laughed at first, but Sankey's votes
kept pouring in amazingly. The ia
vorites grew frightened. They pooled
their issues by throwing Stewards vote
to Doton, but it wouldn't do. George
Sinclair, with a crowd of engineers
Cameron, Moore, Foley, Bat Mullen
and Burns-came back at them with
such a swing that In the final round
up they fairly swamped Doton. San
key took the lantern by a thousand
votes, but l understood it cost George
and his friends pot of money.
Sankey said all the time he didn't
want the lantern; but, just the same,
he always carried that particular Ian
tern, with his full name, Sylvester San
key, ground into the glass just below
the green mantle. Pretty soon, Meta
being then eighteen, it was rumored
that Sinclair was engaged to Miss San
key-was going TO marry her. And
marry her he did, though that was not
until after the wreck in the Blackwood
gorge, the time Of the big snow.
It goes yet by just that name on the
West End, for never was such a win
ter and such a snow known on the
plains and in the mountains. One train
on the northern division was stalled
six weeks that winter, and one whole
coach was chopped up for kindling
/ wood
But the great and desperate effort of
| the company was to hold open the
main line, the artery which connected
the two coasts. 1t was a hard winter
on trainmen. Week after week the
snow kept falling and blowing. The
trick was not to clear the line; it was
TO keep it clear. Every day we sent
out trains with the fear we should not
/ see them again for a week.
/ Freight we didn't pretend to move.
Local passenger business had to be
abandoned. Coal, to keep our engines
and our towns supplied, we were oblig-
/ ed to carry, and after that all the
brains and the muscle and the motive
power were centered on keeping Nos.
and 2, our through passenger trains,
/ running.
Our trainmen worked like Americans
/ There were no towards on our rolls
But after too long a strain men be
come exhausted, benumbed, Indifferent
+ reckless even. The nerves give out
and will power seems TO halt on indie
cision, but decision is she life Of the
I fox