The Greeley tribune., 1907-01-31

cd at the spikes the cowboys wrestled
with the nuts on the bolts Of the dsh-
nlntes It was battle. The nuts
wouldn't twist: the spikes stuck IKE
piles; sweat covered the assailanus.
Harvey went into frenzy. boys'
we must work faster" he cried, rug
Cing at the frosty spikes But nesh ana
I blood could do no more
| "There they come-there's the run
away train. Do you hear 1t! I'm 60
ing to open the switch anyhow" Har-
yey shouted starting. mp the track.
"Save yourselves
Needless Of the warning. Banks
struggled with the plate bolts In
silent fury. Suddenly he sprang 10 mis-
feet. "Glve me the maul!' he cried.
Raising the heavy tool like tack
hnp,mer. he landed heavily on the bolt
nuts once and again, and they dew IN
stream like bullets over the dun.
TIE taller cowboy, bending close on
his knees, raised yell. The plates
had given. Springing to the other
rail, Banks stripped the bolts even
ufter the mad train had shot Into the
gorge above them. They drove the
nick under the loosened steel, and
with pry that bent the claw par ana
veil that reached Harvey, trembling
Mt the switch, they tore away the
stubborn contact and pointed the rails
over the precipice.
The shrek of locomotive whistle
| cut the wind. Looking east, Harvey
had been watching 59s headlight.
She was pulling in on the siding.
He still held the switch open to SEND
the runaways into the trap Bucks
had set if the passenger train failed
to get into the clear, but there was
minute yet-a bare sixty seconds-and
Harvey had no idea Of dumping S1o,-
900 worth of equipment into the river
unless he had to.
Suddenly up went the safety signals
from the east end. The 1O1 was cough
ing noisily up the passing track-the
line was clear. Banks and the COW
boys, waiting breathless, saw Harvey
with determined lurch close the main
line contact.
| In the next breath the coalers, with
the sweep of the gale in their fright
full velocity, smashed over the switch
and on. A rattling whirl of ballast
and dizzy clntter of noise, and be-
fore the frightened crew of 80 could
see what was against them the run
away train was passed-gone!
81 wasn't going to stop here tonight,
muttered the engineer as he stood
with the conductor over Harvey's
shoulder at the operators desk min
ute later and wiped the chill from his
forehead with a piece of waste. Wed
have met them in the canyon
Harvey was reporting to Bucks. Cal
lahan heard it coming: Rails cut, but
90 safe. Rnaways went by here fully
| seventy miles an hour"
| 1t was easy after that Griffin is the
foot of the grade. From there on the
runaway train had a hill to climb.
Bucks had held $50. the local passen-
ger. sidetracked at Davis, thirty miles
farther east. Sped by the wind, the
runaways passed Davis, though not at
half their highest speed. An instant
later 250's engine was cut loose and
started after them like Il scared collie.
Three miles east of Davis they were
overhauled by the light engine. The
cab window, along the foot rail and
down on the pilot, caught the ladder of
the first ear and, running up, crept
along to the leader and began setting
brakes. Ten minutes later they were
brought back in triumph to Davis.
When the multitude of orders was
out of the way, Bucks wired Ed Banks
to bring his cowboys down to McCloud
on 60. Sixty was the eastbound pas
senger due at McCloud ut $50 a. m. 1t
turned out that the cowboys had been
arrested for lassoing Norwegian
homesteadcr who had cut their wire
1t was not a heinons offense, and after
1t was Strengthened out by the inter-
vention of Bucks, who was the whole
thing then-they were given Jobs lasso-
ing sugar barrels In the train service.
one or them, the tall fellow, is pas
senger conductor on the high line yet.
1t was O'Clock that morning-the
2oth OF December in small letters on
the west End-before they got things
decently Strengthened out, there was
so much to do-orders to make and re-
ports TO take. Bucks, still on the key
IN MS fowing robes and tumbling hair,
sent and took them all. Then he turn
ed the seat over to Callahan and, get
tihg up for the first time IN two hours,
dropped into another chair.
Ihe very first thing Callahan receiy-
ea was personal from Pat Francis at
osalalla, conductor Of so. It was for
Bucks:
our mother is aboard SO. She was
carried by McCloud In the Denver sleeper.
sehains her back to you on 60. Merry
IL came off the wire first. Callahan,
taking 1t, didn't think Bucks heard,
though It's probable that be did heer