The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-12

our master mechanic, Nelghbor, hau
an idea, after her terrific collision, that
she could not stand heavy main line
passenger runs, so he put her on the
Acton cut off. 1t was what railroad
men call d jerk water run. whatever
that may be, little jaunt of ten miles
across the divide connecting the north
ern division with the Denver stem.
1t was just about like running a troll
ley, and the run was given to Dad
Sinclair, for after that lift at Oxford
his back was never strong enough to
shovel coal and he had to take an en-
CINE or quit railroading
Thus it happened that after many
years he took the throttle once more
and ran over, twice a day, as he does
yet, from Acton to Willow Creek.
His boy, George Sinclair, the kid
engineer, took the run on the fiier OPP
posite Foley just as soon as he got
well.
George, who was never happy I'M
less he had eight or ten Pullmans be-
hind him and the right of way over
everything between Omaha and Den
yer, made great sport of his fathers
little smoking car and day coach be-
hind the big engine.
Foley made sport of the remodeled
engine. He used to stand by while
the old engineer was oiling and ask
him whether ne thought she could
catch a jack rabbit. II mean" Foley
would say, ''if the rabbit was feeling
WE'LL
Dad Sinclair took it all grimly and
quietly. He had railroaded too long to
care for anybody's chaff. But one day,
after the skyscraper had got her fues
pretty well chalked up with alkan, Fo-
ley insisted that she must be renamed.
81 have the only genuine skyscraper
on the West End myself" declared Fo-
ley He did have a new Glass II en-
CINE, and she was awe inspiring, in
truth. II don't propose" he continued,
ito have her confused with your old
tub any longer, Dad"
Dad, oiling his old tub affectionately,
answered never a word
"She's full OF soda, isn't she, fatherY'
asked George, standing by.
Reckon she is, son.
Full Of water, / supposeT
"Try to keep her that way, son."
"SaI Soda, isn't it, Dad?"
Now, can't say AS to that can't
say"
Wen call her Sal Soda, George, u
suggested Foley.
NO." interposed George. stop 8
bit. 1 have it. Not Sal Soda at all
Make it Soda Water Sal"
Then they laughed uproariously, and
in the teeth of Dad Sinclair's protests
for he objected at once and vigorously
the queer name stuck to the engine
and sticks yet
To have seen the great hulking ma
chine you would never have suspected
there could be another story left in her
Yet one there was-a story of the wind
AS she stood, too, when old man Sin
clair took her on the Acton run, she
was the best illustration l have ever
seen of the adage that one can never
tell from the looks of a frog how fal
it will jump.
Have you ever felt the wind? Not
1 think, unless you have lived on the
seas or on the plains. People every
where think the wind blows, but i
really blows only on the ocean and OF
the prairies.
The summer that Dad took the Actor
run 1t blew for a month steadily-al
of one August-hot, dry, merciless, tn,
despair of the farmer and the terror OF
trainmen
1t was on an August evening, witt
the gale still sweeping up from thu
southwest, that Dad came 1umberins
into Acton with his little trolley train
He had barely pulled up at the plat
form to unload his passengers whe1
the station agent, Morris Reynolds
coatless and hatless, rushed up to tn,
engine ahead of the hostler and sprans
into the cab. Reynolds was one O.
the quietest fellows In the service. II
see him without coat or hat didn'
count for much in such weather, bu
to see him sallow with fright and al
most speechless was enough to sti
even old Dad Sinclair.
lions, but he looked at the man in cues
tioning amazement. Reynolds chokeC
and caught at his breath as he seizet
the engineers arm and pointed dow
the line.
Dad" he gasped, three cars of Goa
standing over there on the second spu
blew loose few minutes ago."
Where are they?"
where are they? Blown through
the switch and down the line fort,
miles an hour"
The old man grasped the frightene,
man by the shoulder. What do you
mean? How long ago? When Is
due? Talk quick. man. What's th
matter with your
mot five minutes ago. No. 1 Is du
here in less than thirty minutes. They'll
go into her sure. Dad" cried Reyn
81 H. 49,.