The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1907-01-10


steam chests. stagger and terrific
Impact and then the recoll, like the
stroke OF trip hammer, The snow
shoots into the air fifty feet, and the
wind carries u cloud OF feecy confu
sion over tile ram and out of the cut
The cabs were buried in white, and the
great steel frames of the engines
sprung like knitting needles under the
frightful blow.
Pauslng for hardly a breath. the sig.
mailing again began, then the backing
up and up and up the line. and again
the massive machines were hurled
screaming into the cut
"You're getting there, Georglcw ex-
claimed Snnkey when the rolling and
lurching had stopped No one else
could tell thing about 1t. for Ii was
snow and snow and snow, above and
behind and ahead and beneath. Sin
clair coughed the flakes out of his eyes
and nose and mouth. like a baffled
collie. He looked doubtful of the claim
until the mist had blown clear and the
quvering monsters were again recalled
for II dash. Then 1t was plain that
Sankey's instinct was right. They
were gaining.
Again they went in, lifting very
avalanche over the stacks, packing the
banks of the cut with walls hard as
ice. Again as the drivers stuck they
raced in Il frenzy, and into the Shrek
of the wind went the unelrthly scrape
of the overIonda1 safpties
Slowly and sul!enly the machines
were backed again.
"She's doing the work. Georglew
cried Sankey. Tor that kind of a
cut she's as good as a rotary. Look
everything over now while go back
and see how the boys are standing it.
Then well give her one more and give
it the hardest kind"
And they did give her one more, and
another Men at Santiago put up no
stouter fight than they made that Sun
day morning in the canyon of the
Blackwood. Once and twice more they
went In, and the second time the
humping drummed more deeply. The
drivers held. pushed, painted and gain
ed against the white wall. heaved and
stumbled ahead, and, with yell from
Sinclair and Sankey and the fireman,
the double header shot her nose into
the clear over the Blackwood gorge.
AS engine after engine flew past the
divided walls each cab took up the
cry. 1t was the widest shout that
ever crowned victory.
Through they went and halfway
across the bridge before they could
check their monster cutaput. Then
at half full they shot it back at the
cut. 1t worked as well one way as
the other.
"The thing Is done" declared San.
key. Then they got into position up
the line for u final shoot to clean the
eastern cut and to get the head for Il
dash across the bridge into the west
end of the canyon, where lay another
mountain OF snow to split
Look the machines over close.
boys said Sankey to the engineers
"If nothing's sprung Wen take full
head across the gorge-the bridge will
carry qnything-and buck the west
cut Then after we get No. through
this afternoon Neighbor can get his
baby cabs In here and keep 'em chas-
Ing all night. But it's done showing"
he added. looking into the leaden sky.
He had everything figured out for
the master mechanic the shrewd,
kindly old man. There's no man Oh
earth like good Indian and, for that
matter, none like Il bad one Sankey
knew by military instinct just what
had to be done and how to do it. If he
had lived he was to have been assist
ant superintendent. lhat was the
word which leaked from headquarters
after he got killed.
And, with volley of jokes between
the cabs and laughing and Il yelling
between toots. down went Sankey's
double header again into the Black
wood gorge.
At the same moment, byan awful mis-
understanding of orders, down came
the big r&ary from the West End
with Q dozen cars of coal behind It,
Mile after mile II had wormed east to-
ward Sankey's ram. burrowed through
the western cut OF the Black wood
crashed through the drift Sankcy was
aiming for and then whrled out into
the open. dead against him, at forty
miles an hour. Each train. in order TO
make the grade and the blockade, was
stralning the cylinders.
Through the swirling snow which
half hid the bridge and swept between
the rushing plows Sinclair saw them
coming. He yelled, Sankey saw them
fraction of second later. and, while
Sinclair struggled with the throttle and
the air, Sankey gave the alarm through
the whistle 10 the poor fellows in the
blind pockets behind, But the track
was at the worst Where there was
no snow there were whiskers. Oil H.
self couldn't have been worse to stop
on. 1t was the old ard deadly peril Of
fighting blockades from both ends OH
a single track.
The great rams of steel and fire had
hone their work. and, with their com
mon enemy overcome. they dashed a
each other, frenzIed, across the Black !
wood gorge
The fireman at the first cry shot out
the side, Sankey yelled at Sinclair TO
jump, but George shook his head. He
never would jump. Without hesltat
ing an instant, Sankey caught him In
his arms, tore him from the levers
planted Il mighty foot aud hurled Sin |