Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1907-02-22

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Little Meta up on the hill must have
seen them rs they pulled out. Surely
che heard the choppy. Ice bitten screech
or the o66. That was never forgotten.
whether the service was special or reg
ular. Besides. the head cab of the
ram carried this time not only Georgia
Sinclair. but her father as we'll San
key could handle slice bar as well as
I a punch and rode on the head engine.
where, II anywhere, the big chances
lowered. What he was not capable OF
In the train service we never knew. be.
cause he was stronger than any emer-
gency that ever confronted him.
Bucking snow is principally brute
force. There Is little coaxlng. Just
west OF the bluffs, like code signals
between fleet OF cruisers. there was
volley OF sharp footing, and In a min
ute the four ponderous engines, two Of
them in the back motion. fires white
and threats bursting. steamed wildly
into the canyon.
Six hundred feet from the first cut
Sinclairs whistle signaled again. Burns
and Cameron and Kennedy answered.
and then. literally turning the monster
ram loose against the dazzling noun
tain. the crews settled themselves for
the shock.
AT such a moment there is nothing TO
be done. IL anything goes wrong. eter-
nifty Is too close 10 consider. There
come a muh1ed drumming on the
steam chests, stagger and a terrific
Impact and then the recoll. like tbs
stroke Of a trip hammer. The snow
shoots Into the air fifty feet. and the
wind carries a cloud OF 1eecy confu-
sion over the ram and out of the cut
The cabs were buried in white. and the
great steel frames of the engines
sprung like knitting needles under the
frightfu blow.
fausing for hardly breath, the sig
mailing again began, then the backing
up and up and up the line. and again
the massive machines were hurled
screaming into the cut
You're getting there. GeorcIer' ex.
claimed Sankey when the rolling and
lurching had stopped. No one else
could tell thing about II. for IT was
snow and snow and snow, above and
behind and ahead and beneath. Sin.
clair coughed the flakes out Of his eyes
and nose and mouth, like q baffled
collie. He looked doubtful of the claim
until the mist had blown clear and the
qulVering monsters were again recalled
for dash. Then 1t was plain that
Sankey's instinct was right. They
were gaining.
Again they went In, lifting n worry
avalanche over the stacks. packing the
banks of the cut with walls hard as
Ice. Again as the drivers stuck thew
raced In frenzy, and into the Shrek
OF the wind went the unearthly scrape
or the overloaded safetles.
Slowly and sullenly the machines
were backed again. 4
shes doing the work. Georgiep'
cried Sankey. For that kind OF a
cut she's as good as a rotary. Look
everything over now while / 90 back
and see how the boys are standing II.
Then we'll give her one more and give
II the hardest kind"
And they did give her one more. and
another. Men at Santiago put I'D no
stouter tight than they made that Sum-
day morning in the canyon Of the
Biackwood. Once and twice more they
went in, and the second time the
pumping drummed more deeply. The
drivers held, pushed. painted and gain
Gu against the white wall, heaved and
stumbled ahead. and, with a yell from
Sinclair and Sankey and the fireman.
the double header shot her nose into
the clear over the Blackwood gorge.
AS engine after engine few past the
divided walls each cab took I'D the
cry. 1t was the widest shout that
ever crowned. victory.
Through they went and halfway
across the bridge before they could
check their monster catapult. Then
at half full they shot II back at the
cut. 1t worked as well one way as
the other.
1.-THE thing is done" declared San.
key Ihen they got Into position up
the line for final shoot to clean the
eastern cut and to get the head for a
dash across the bridge into the west
end OF the canyon. where lay another
mountain Of snow to split.
Look the machines over close.
boys" said Sankey to the engineers.
III nothing's sprung Wen take full
mead across the gorge-the bridge will
carry anything-and buck the west
cut. Then after we get No. 1 through
this afternoon NeIghbor can get his
DaDy cabs In here and keep 'em chas-
ing all night But it's done showing"
ne added, looking into the ieaden sky.
He had everything figured out for
the master mechanic-the shrewd.
kindly old man. There's no man on
earth Ike good Indian and, for that
matter. none like a bad one. Sankey