The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-16

ery letter, this came from Ogalalla,
Heavy gust caught twelve coal cars
on side track: sent them out on main
line off down the grade"
They were already past Jackson,
eight miles away, headed east and run
ming down hin Callahan's eyes turned /
like hares to the train sheet Fifty /
nine, going west, was due that minute |
to leave Calendar. From Calendar to
Griffin is a twenty miles run. There
is a station between, but In those days I
no night operator. The runaway coal /
train was then less than thirty miles /
west OF Griffin, coming down forty |
mile grade like a cannon ball. If 90
could be stopped at Calendar, she /
could be laid by in five minutes out of
the way of the certain destruction
ahead of her on the main line. Gala /
han seized the key and began calling
On" He pounded until the call burn
ed into his fingers. 1t was an age be-
fore Calendar answered. Then Gala
hans order fed:
Hold so. Answer quick"
And Calendar answered: Fifty nine
just pulling out Of upper yard. Too
late to stop her. What's the matter2"
Callahan struck the table with his
clinched fist, looked wildly about him.
then sprang from the chair, ran to the
| window and threw up the sash. The
moon shone bit through the storm of
sand. but there was not soul in sight.
There were lights in the roundhouse a
hundred yards across the track. He
/
out there carried one those days-and,
covering one of the roundhouse win
dows, began firing. 1t was a risk.
There was one chance, maybe, to
thousand of his killing night man.
But there were thousand chances to
one that a whole train load Of men and
women would be killed inside Of thirty
minutes if he couldn't get help. He
chose a window in the machinists' sec
ton, where he knew no one usually
went at night. He poured bullets into
the unlucky easement as fast as pow
der could carry them. Reloading rap
idly, he watched the roundhouse door,
and, sure enough. almost at once, it
was cautiously opened. Then he fred
into the air-one, two, three, four, five,
six-and he saw a man start for the
station on the dead run. He knew, too,
by the tremendous sweep Of his legs
that it was Ole Anderson, the night
foreman, the man of all others he
wanted.
"Ole," cried the dispatcher, waving
his arms frantically as the giant Swede
leaped across the track and looked up
from the platform below, ''go get
Bucks. I've got a runaway train go
ing against so. For your life, Ole,
rum
The big fellow was into the wind
with the word. Bucks boarded four
blocks away. Callahan, slamming
down the window, took the key and
began calling Rowe. Rowe is the first
station east of Jackson. 1t was now
the first point at which the runaway
coal train could be headed.
"R-o, R-o," he ratified The operator
must have been sitting on the wire,
for he answered at once. As fast as
Callahan's fingers could talk he told
Rowe the story and gave him orders to
get the night agent, who, he knew,
must be down to sell tickets for 80,
and pile all the ties they could gather
across the track to derail the runaway
train Then he began humping for
Kolar, the next station east of Rowe
and the second ahead Of the runaways.
He pounded and he pounded, and when
the man at Kolar answered Callahan
could have sworn he had been asleep
Just from the way he talked Does II
seem strange? There are many strange
things about a dispatcher's senses
"Send your night man to west switch
house track and open for runaway
train. Set brakes hard on your empties
on siding to spill runaways if possible
Do anything and everything to keeI
them from getting by you. WorH
quick"
Behind Kolar's o. Il. came a frantic
call from Rowe. "Runaways passed
here like a streak. Knocked the tie:
into toothpicks. Couldn't head them
Callahan didn't wait to hear AM
more. He only wiped the sweat from
his face. 1t seemed forever befor,
KoIar spoke again. Then it was onl,
to say, "Runaways went by here be
fore night man could get to switch ant
open 1t.
Would Bucks never come? And |
he did come, what on earth could sto
the runaway train now? They wer
heading into the worst grade on tn
West End. 1t averages L per cen
from Kolar to Griffin, and there we ge
down off the Cheyenne hills with lon
| reverse curve and drop into the canyo
of the Blackwood with a 3 per cen
grade. Callahan, almost beside hin
| self, threw open a north window t
lock for Bucks. Two men were fiyin
down Main street toward the station
He knew them; it was Ole and Bucks.
But Bucks! Never before or sine
was seen on a street Of McCloud sue
q figure as Bucks, in his trousers an
slinnars with his nin t,ts hir-+ f..co . :. Z