Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-02-12
Sankey hurled Sinclair through the
ganU,udl out into the gorge.

And they did give her one more, and
another. Men at Santiago put up no
stouter fight than they made that Sun
day morning In the canyon Of the
BlackwOOd. Once and twice more they
went In. and the second time the
humping drummed more deeply. The
drivers held. pushed, painted and gain
ed against the white wall, heayed and
stumbled ahead. and, with 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 flew past the
divided walls each cab took up 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
ut half full they shot 1t back at the
cut. 1t worked as well one way as
the other.
'"The thing Is done," declared San
key. Then 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.
"If nothings sprung we'll take n full
head across the gorge-the bridge will
carry nnything-and buck the west
cut Then after we get No. through
this afternoon Neighbor can get his
baby Gals In here and keep 'em chas'
Ing all II ght. But it's done showing"
he added. looking into the lcaden sky.
lie had everything figured out for
the master mechanlc-the shrewd
kindly old man. There's no man on
earth like Il good Indian and. for that
matter, none like Il bad one. Sankey
knew by military instinct just what
had to be done and how to do it. lf he
had lived he WAS to have been assist
ant superintendent. That was the
word which ftakcl from headquarters
after he got killed.
And, with Il volley Of jokes between
the cabs and Il laughing and yelling
between toots. down went Sankey's
double header again into the Black
wood gorge.
At the same moment. byan awful mis-
understanding Of orders, down came
the big rotary from the West End
with Il doZea ears Of coal behind It,.
Mile after mile it had wOrmed east to-
ward Sankey's ram. burrowed through
the western cut Of the BlackwOod,
crashed Trough the Grit S"I!:2y was
aiming for and then whirled ont into
the open, dead against him, at forty
miles an hour. Each train, In order to
make the grade and the blockade. was
straining the cylinders.
Through the swirling snow which
half hid the bridge and swept between
the rushing plows Sinclair saw them
coming. He yelled. Sankey saw them
a fraction OF second later. and. while
Sinclair struggled with the throttle and
Iie air. Sankey gave the alarm through
the whistle to the ponr fellows in the
blind pockets bc,iHG. BIT The track
was at the worst. Where there was
no snow there were whisiiers. Oil IL
self couldn't have been worSr to stop
on. 1t was the old AMI deadly peril OF
fighting bockades from both ends on
a single track.
The great rams Of steel and fire had
done their work. and, with their COM
mon enemy overcome. they dashed NJ
each other, frenzied. across the Black
wood gorge.
The fireman ut the first cry shot out
the side. Sankey yelled ut Sinclair to
Jump. but George shook his head. He
never would jump. Without hrsItat'