The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-01-25

out OF some engineering UOOkS tnd'
he kept near his bunk. You see he
had been cheated of his schooling.
"Well, we usually ran in new
cable every six months, but at that
time the new rope had been delayed
somewhere near Denver, so the worn
cable was still running. And one
night break came.
Young Farrelley was at the wheel,
watching the whirling rope, and listen
ing to its dreary Groom. He always
remembered his fathers experience
at the foot of the Long Hill, and he
knew If the cable broke there would
be several runaway cars down one OF
the city's steepest grades, for the cars
climbing the Powell street hill would
slide back.
'The first the watcher knew of the
trouble was when the hurrying cable
showed its torn strands. Instantly
he opened the tar tank above the
wheel, and the rope spit the drops
into his face. A grating sound broke
the monotonous hum of the cable.
More severed wires rolled in. And
then young Farrelley knew that one
of the wheels in the long shaft had
broken its axle, settling into the fork,
and was cutting into the whirling
cable.
"Well, the lad didn't hesitate. He
knew that he could only reach the
broken wheel through the shaft, for
the tunnel was built so iow that no
manholes opened to the pulleys until
the cable reached the street and roll
ed into position close to the long, end
less slot. A dim memory of his
fathers collision came to him.
"There was not moment to lose.
Turning, he pressed the button close
above him that signaled to the engine
room to stop the machinery, for 1t
was dangerous in the shaft with the
cable running. Then lighting a Ian
tern, he sprang into the dark hole,
beside the whirling rope.
"The low tunnel stretched away
before him, black and appalling, four
feet square, running underground
fifty rods to the road from the cable
room. At regular distances through
it were placed eight wheels, or pull
leys, over which the cable ran.
"Farrelley lost no time. On all
fours he crept along under the swift
running cable, the lantern before him.
The ripping strands were flying past
him. He knew the old cable could
not last long. His hands trembled,
and the lantern shook like vibrating
headlight.
"He passed the first of the whirl-
ing wheels. He paused second,
holding the lantern close to the cable.
He could see now that the trouble lay
with the sixth wheel of the series.
Fresh breaks few by, grating over
the wheel. He became terrified, for
fear the wire would snap before the
machinery closed down.
HE plunged forward suddenly. In
that instant the auxiliary wheels in
the engine room caught up the slack,
and the cable leaped taut, striking
the lantern globe. The glass shiv-
cred into a thousand bits, and the
lantern was torn from his grasp. He
was in total darkness.
"In moment of frantic fear he
clutched for the lantern his hand
closed upon the flying cable, and be-
fore he could let go he was hurled
backward, and ais fingers were caught
and crushed between the rope and the
wheel groove Then he was flung
aside, and the cable flew on.
"Farrelley lay back upon the grass
caked ground, convulsed with pain.
Overhead the cable sang on. sinister
and inexorable in its note. But its
Groom was broken by continual
scraping, a grating of wires torn
loose. And as he lay, there flashed
over his mind sudden realization
that sent the blood from his face. The
cable was still running! Had his
message been received in the engine
rooml
"In the horror of this new posi-
bility he forgot the aching pain In his
hand. A vague instinct told him of
the true danger. Somehow his sig
nal had miscarried, and the machin-
cry was not going to stop!
"Farrelley had the grit Of his
father. He knew that quicker than
he could crawl back and have the
power shut off he could creep ahead
and dislodge the sixth wheel. Every
moment was valuable now. Suppose
the wire rope snapped before he could
reach it? He remembered his father
Holding his injured hand close to
his breast, he continued to drag him.
self on, close to the crusted earth,
dense night all around him. He
passed the second wheel, and it spit
tar at him defantly.
Through an eternity of seconds he
crawled on, and the third pulley rat
tied over him. He knew then that
he had covered half the distance. He
was weak now from the pain, which
ran throbbing into his tired brain.
"On he struggled in the darkness
past the fourth wheel and then the
fifth, and all the time the cable wa:
tearing-tearing-tearing A fall
. ing sensation came over him, but the
dreary hum of the cable called hin
back to the peril facing him.
: "He started forward for the sixth
wheel Oh. that sixth wheel tt
his fevered imagination it seemed
. within arms length one minute whel
. he reached for it it leaped away il
; bounds, seemingly mocking him
. When he opened his eyes again, hi
: brain was clearer, and he saw /
through the gloom, dimly, fyirt
i over his head.
Instantly he became intoxicated
with kind of JOY that comes bu
once in lifetime. He knew that b
n | Lo1 xx,O,,