The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-26
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In the yard took fire and threw a vel,
low glare on the CHASTITY scene.
/ saw men get up and fall again to
their knees. l was shivering and wet
with sweat. The stairway Tas crush
ed into kindling wood 1 climbed out
a back window, down on the roof of
the freight platform and so to the
ground. There was a running to and
fro, useless and aimless; men were be-
side themselves. They plunged through
wheat up to their knees at every step.
All at once, above the frantic kissing
of the buried skyscraper and the wild
calling Of the car thinks, | heard the
stentorian tones OF Neighbor. mounted
on a twisted truck, organizing the men
at hand into a wrecking gang Soon
people began running up the yard to
where the skyscraper lay, like another
Samson, PROSTATE in the midst Of the
destruction it had wrought. Foremost
among the excited men, covered with
dirt and blood, staggered Dad Hamil-
ton.
where's McNeal?" cried Neighbor.
Hamilton pointed to the wreck.
''Why didn't he Jump yelled Neigh
Dor
Hamilton pointed at the twisted sig
nal tower; the red right still burned in
it,
"You changed the signals on him."
he cried savagely What does 1t
mean? We had right against every
thing. What does it mean?" he raved,
in a frenzy.
Neighbor answered him never a
word he only put his hand on Dads
shoulder.
Find him first! Find himr' he re-
peated, with a strain in his voice
| never heard till then, and the two
giants hurried away together When
I reached the skyscraper, buried In the
thick of the smash, roaring like vol
cano, the pair were already into the
jam like a brace of ferrets, hunting
for the engine crews. 1t seemed an
hour, though it was much less, before
they found any one; then they brought
out 55's fireman. Neighbor found him.
But his back was broken. Back again
they wormed through twisted trucks
under splintered beams-in and around
and overlooked with heat, blinded
by steam, shouting as they CROPPED
listening for word or cry or gasp.
Soon we heard Dads voice In a diff
ferent cry, one that meant everything,
and the wreckers, turning like beavers
through a dozen blind trails, gathered
all close to the big fireman. He was
under a great piece of the cab where
none could follow, and he was crying
for a bar. They passed him a bar;
other men, careless of life and limb,
tried to crawl under and in to him, but
he warned them back Who but a
man baked twenty years in an engine
cab could stand the steam that poured
on him where he lay?
Neighbor, just outside, flashing a
light, heard the labored strain of his
breathing, saw him getting half up,
bend to the bar, and saw the iron give
! like lead in his hands as he pried
nightly
Neighbor heard and told me long aft
erward how the old man flung the bar
away with an imprecation and cried
for one to help him, for a minute
meant life now. The boy lying pinned
under the shattered cab was roasting
in Jet of live steam. The master me-
chanic crept in.
By signs Dad told him what to do
and then, getting on his knees, crawl
ed straight into the dash of the white
jet-crawled into it and got the cab
on his shoulders.
Crouching an instant, the giant mus
cles of his back set in tremendous
effort The wreckage snapped and
groaned, the knotted legs slowly and
painfully Strengthened, the cab for a
passing instant rose in the air, and in
that instant Neighbor dragged George
McNeal from out the wise of death and
passed him, like a pinch bar, to the
men waiting next behind. Then Neigh
Dor pulled Dad back, blind now and
senseless. When they got the old fire.
man out he made pitiful struggle to
pull himself together. He tried to
stand up, but the sweat broke over
him. and he sank in a heap at Neigh
boris feet.
That was the saving Of George Nc
Neal. and out there they still tell you
about that lift of Dad Hamilton's.
We put him on the cot at the hos
pital next to his engineer. George,
dreadfully bruised and scalded, came
on fast In spite of bis hurts. but the
doctor said Dad had wrenched a ten
don in that frightful effort, and he lay
there a very sick and very old man
long after the young engineer was up
und around telling of his experience.
when we cleared the chutes I saw
. J.,