Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-23
CHAPTER XII.
The Entering Wedge.

Has civilized humanity, in the pleni-
tude of twentieth century sophistication
fully determined that there is no such
thing as luck?-that all things are or
dered. If not by Providence, at least by
an Interchangeable sequence of cause and
effect?
Stuart Ford was a firm believer in the
luck of the energetic; which is to say
that he regarded obstacles only as things
to be beaten down and abolished. But
in the dash to overtake and pass the
general managers one-car special the be
lief was shaken almost to its reversal.
He knew the Pacific Southwestern loco
motives-and something of the men who
ran them The 1916 was one of the fast
eight wheelers, and Olson, the engineer
who had once pulled passenger on the
Plug Mountain, was loyal and efficient
Happily, both the man and the machine
were available; and while FriSbe was
calling up the division superintendent al
his house to ask the loan of his private
car for the assistant to the president
Ford was figuring the schedule with the
| dispatcher and insisting upon speed-more
speed
whats come over you big bosses all
at once?' said Darby, to whom Ford's
promotion was no bar to fellowship OF
free speech. First Mr.. North wants me
to schedule a special that will break the
that will beat his record"
Never mind my troubles. Julius" was
the evaSive reply. Just you figure tC
keep things out of my way and give me
a clear track. Let's see-where We're we:
| Cheyenne Crossing at am, water al
Riddle creek. coal at Brockton-"
The schedule was completed when
Frisbie came back to say that the 1915
| with the superintendent car attached
was waiting on track six. Ford went
| ba off hnrSn in hn
and had the running gear of the car over
| hauled under his own supervision before
he would give Olson the. word to go
| pressing the night car inspectors into
| service and making them repack the truck
| journals while he waited.
I'm taking no chances" ne said to
| Frisbie; and truly it seemed that all the
| hindrances had been carefully forestalled
when he finally boarded the '01'' and
| ordered his fiagman to give Olson the
signal. Yet before the one-car train was
| well out of the Denver yards there was a
| jolting stop, and the f1agman came in to
| report that the engine had dropped from
| the end of an open switch, blocking the
main line.
Ford got out and directed the re-enrail-
ment of the 1916. carefully refraininG
from bullying the big Swede, whose care
| lessnesS must have been accountable. II
| was the simplest of accidents. with moth
| ing broken or disabled. Under ordinary
conditions, fifteen minutes should have
covered the loss of time. But the very
haste with which the men wrought was
| fatal. Enrailing frogs have way of
turning over at the critical instant when
| the wheels are climbing, and jack screws
bottomed on the tie ends do not always
| hold.
| Eight several times were the jack
screws adjusted and the frogs clamped
into position but not until the ninth
| trial could the perverse wheels be induced
| to roll workmanlike up the inclined planes
and into place on the rails. Ford looked
| at his watch when his special was free