Bisbee daily review., 1907-07-28

Inlng human IS unGefneatn. Whether dead or alive 1t must come out, and the gang need no urging at the task. even if they hear no moan or cry to hasten their rescue. Then the next job is to clear the tracks. Holding un trains for even five or six hours means big loss to the company, and they don't stop to save anything that takes to0 long. Beams, wheels and rods. perhaps entire cars, are thrown down embankments if necessary to open the right of way. When q car has merely been derailed it is of course an easy matter to replace 1t; then it is run to the nearest siding. but 1t is the unex. pected that happens in railroad acci dents.
 A locomotive may turn bottom up on the track, with the driving wheels in the air. Then it must be turned over and pulled to one side of the railroad until there is time between the pass ing of trains to right tiff it can be righted. Cars may be swung directly across the track, lying on their sides or ends, possibly ground into a mere mass of splintered timbers. or literally reduced to kindllng wood, their con tents scattered a hundred yards about
 The wrecker who has been in the business for any length of time cGl tell in a moment the most difficult task before him and, if possible. GocG at that first. If a loaded freight ca prevents him from reaching the p2ct- ly demolished engine. he sets it alirc One of the greatest delays. however. Is caused by the track being torn up. fo" new ties have to be put in position ani perhaps q dozen rails weighing a ton apiece cut and strengthened in order to form q foundation on which to move.
 Everything goes with a rush from the first news of tine accident Once the wreCkers get busy there Is no stop ping fer rest or refreshment. although a man may have to work all night or all day. With the broken and twisted mass of steel and wood piled on one side of the roadbed, however, there comes a breathing spell. and the su- perintendent or other officials look over the debris to see what is worth saving. Going from pile to pile. they soon de- eide what to pull out and block up, and then the wreckers get to work on this. If there is an engine, it is gen erally secured first. Perhaps it was imbedded in two or three feet of mud or ten or twelve feet down an embank- ment. Here the little men come in handy. Worming themselves under the boiler. they scrape holes beneath, so that the steel tendons of the crane can be passed round it.
 Now the crane goes into action. If the embankment is sloping the usual plan is to drag the locomotive along, allowing the earth and ballast to as- sist in supporting it until the top is reached. But there are places where it has to be lifted clear of the ground, then swung over on the track.
 Machinery has done much to aid the breakdown gang in recent years. But away back in the early days of the way of steel they were called to many disaster, for then, as now, trains sometimes butted into each other on the same track. To clear the road the locomotive of the wreck train could sometimes be pressed into service, but many q deraiIed car or engine was pulled back on the rails merely by hu- man muscle. Here again the sailor man came in very handy, as he knew so well how to arrange the ropes and pulleys and to make lines fast around the car or engine that had to be moved.
 One of the curious methods of en- ploying the locomotive of the wreck train was to make it move a car for ward by starting the locomotive back ward. Fastening a tackle securely round the car, it would be passed through q pulley fastened to a tree or post in front of it, and the rope then led back to the locomotive. Reversing his lever the engineer Of course pulled the rope around the pulley on the tree, thus forcing the car ahead. By this novel plan, which is still used Occa- sionalIy, much of the debris in front of the wreck train could be cleared away.
 There are times, though, when even the most careful triggers make a mis- take. They have not realized the strain which the tackle must stand when things begin to move. Then, like the crack of q rife, snap goes the line. More than once q loose end has caught sVitre fU0r fellow round the legs, break ing the bones like pipestems, Many q man on the railroads payroll who is it only to wave the signal flag at the street crossing was among the wreck ore tIDfiI tha dav tha rona hroka -nov