Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-05-10
CHARGED by Sixteen ENGINES
By HERBERT COOLIDGE.
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Sixteen engines on one snow-plowi
1t was a great sight. Snow on level
with the tops Of the cabs; sixteen en-
gineers on one side, sixteen firemen on
the others, heavy eyes, their jays set.
The railroad needed men on the Sis
kiyou grade in the winter Of '95; men
no less of iron and steel than the en-
gines driven by them.
For a week they had been bucking
the drifts. Back for a running start,
on at the bank with a full head of
steam, a sudden burst in the roar of
exhausts, a shower of sparks from two
long lines of screeching drive-wheels,
a few car lengths of snow forced aside
then with a jerk they would reverse
for another charge. 1t was catch-as-
catch can for food and sleep, and back
and forth, day and night, sixteen en-
gines and thirty-two men ramming the
snow blockade.
l was there, not as an engineer or
fireman, only linenan with instruc-
tons to snow-shoe on ahead and in
spect the telegraph wires. All day long
as l worked up the canon, I could hear
the snow-fighters-the signals for re-
versing, multitudinous putting Of en-
gines in sullen retreat, the down
brakes whistle, the go-ahead whistle,
a prolonged chorus of barking puffs
merging into one long purring roar.
doubling in volume Ga violent burst,
then quickly dying to nothing.
Darkness and binding storm over
took me as l returned, and the glow
of the headlights rising from the long
trench Of snow gave a welcome prom
Use of food and shelter. The locomo-
tives had been halted for some time.
They were six car lengths round
curve from the end of the line. |
thought they were at the face Of the
blockade, and blundered headlong into
the fourteen-foot cut.
Snow-shoes are awkward things to
fall with. The snow packed between
the rails was as solid as a pavement,
and the shock knocked me half-con-
scious. | heard the go-ahead signal
and the putting and clanking of loco
motives, and wondered without alarm
if my neck was broken. The engines
pulled up a bit, then reversed. From
the way they jiggled back and forth
l thought they must be jerking de-
rallied comFade into line.
sat up, rubbed my neck, and then
for the first time became aware of dan
ger.
l jumped to my feet, and started for
the snow-plow. Two long blasts of
the whistle signaled "go-ahead. At
the same moment tripped on broken
sno wshoe, and fell head-long.
Scrambling up, l plunged at the
white bank. The snow tossed me back
and realized that the walls had been
pressed aside and packed by the power
of sixteen engines. The signal for
down brakes sounded, and saved me
from being frightened to madness.
Then l tried to rid myself of the
broken snow-shoe. but could not un-
fasten it with my numbed fingers.
found my voice, and yelled like wild
Indian; but the men were busy and
round curve, and no one heard me.
l finally got my knife open, slashed
off both snow-shoes, and started on a
run down the track. rounded curve
into the binding glare of headlight
when the whistle sounded the reverse,
and choo-chy -chy! choo-chy-chy! clang-
ity-bang! the sixteen engines receded
down the cut. yelled and waved my
arms, but the lookout on the snow
pillow neither saw nor heard me.
1 had matches and thought of build
ing a signal fire of my snow shoes, but
could find no kindling. | gave up all
hope, and was sure must die. I
thought Of climbing out at the wedge
shaped face of the blockade, and turn
ing, raced up the track through the
darkness, only to discover that the
mold of the long-nosed, broad-based
snow-plow was more like trap than
a place of ascending. AA
From afar down the dark trench one
long blast of the whistle signaled down
blakes. Fer moments that seemed like
hours stood thinking. The go-ahead
signal sounded, the sharp coughing Of
sixteen engines merged into an angry,
deafening purr; and still | stood
thinking, yet without thought.
OF sudden 1t became clear that I
must burrow or die. But with what
was | to burrow? With a quick thrill
of hope I reached for my climbers. but
did not find them. Supposing that they
had become detached from my belt
by the fall, l fumbled along the edge
I, Of the cut, but found nothing.
= Pr-r-r-r-r-pr-r--r- roared the
sixteen engines. The rails were snap
ping and singing ~
from the other side of my belt. At the
same moment i discovered that still
carried my open knife; and with a
weapon in each hand, began a tun-
mel. A few seconds later common
sense told me to make instead niche
the length and breadth of my body. A
half-dozen strokes showed me that
work with the pincers was wasted Ell.
fort, and | threw them aside. Then !
settled down to slashing the packed
snow with my heavy knife-blade
b was over my furry now Without
4the loss Of a Quarter-second by tardy
: stroke or one too hurried worked al
my niche. From top to bottom and
! return, from top to bottom and re
! turn. Pr-r-r-r-r--pr-r- roar
ed the engines; louder and louder sung
the rails.
Every sweep of my arm peeled off a
six.foot strip Of snow two inches wide
and knife-blade deep Slash, slash
slash ! went, determined, If die must
to die digging.