Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-13

ause Of it and become dependent on others
or their support.
But not so with Graf.
After every accident, and, he has a list
If them that is really longer than any one
nan ought to have, he bobs up serenely
and gets back to the job as optimistic and
cheerful as you please.
On Duty.
Almost any night between sunset and
sunrise you can find Graf n the yards OF
the Port Richmond branch of the Reading
railroad directing the work of scores Of
men. He's as busy as a politician on cleo
ton day, darling In and out between trains.
leaping on engines and riding the length
Of the yards to see that the work is run
ming properly, doing the hundred and one
things that a yardmaster has to do, and all
this with only two little stumps near the
shoulders for arms.
Beginning at 6 o'clock every night, Graf
takes charge of these yards and Is response
BILE for everything that goes on there. He
has so systematized things that he can
accomplish as much work as any yard
master with arms, and the railroad off,
Gals look upon him as one of the best men
in their employ.
He directs the work of scores of men,
superintends the shifting of freight cars,
keeps the tracks clear for the incoming and
outgoing trains, sees that the switches are
properly set and attends to the mass OF
dispatches and orders that come to his
office and that either have to be answered
or sent on to another station.
How can he answer them you ask.
Well, he gets a long pencil between his
teeth, pushes a piece Of paper out on his
desk with ono of his stumps and writes a
letter or a note that for legibility would
make the average business mans hand
writing pale into insignificance.
He can't write fast, of course, but what
he writes you can read.
When Graf is notified that an outgoing
train has a dispatch for him he does moi
d~eputize an assistant to catch il as the
train goes by. He goes out himself ant
as the train shoots by he yells: Letter
go, Bill" or whatever his friends name
may be, and the trainmsn losses the pack
age or letter at him.
Graf throws his right shoulder forward
let's the package land near his shoulde
and then up shoots the stump of an arm
and the package is held in a vise-like grip
He tears the cover off with his teeth
SAC az AIANCNNA ~ ma piANoAi oiA i
an answer is necessary he gets that Ion,
pencil in his teeth and writes it.
The only way he can hand letters to tn.
men on the ingoing trains is TO hold then
in his teeth and as the train goes by on
of the men leans out and takes it.
If switches nave to be thrown Graf doe
1t with his feet; If he wants to shift
lantern he picks it up with his teeth, get
one of the arm stumps through the lool
handle and trots off with II. If a shifting
engine is going his way and he wants t
ride he does not wait for 1t to stop, bu
leaps upon the front end with the surenes
of foot of a Rocky mountain goat.
1t was back in 1885 that Graf entered tn,
employ of the Reading railroad. He wa.
a brakeman. He has always been know
for his strength, and in those days he wa
one of the most powerful men the roa'
had in its employ. He never knew wha
fear was, and as for grit-he was just bub
bling over with 1t.
No one ever started to rough-hous
things when Graf was around. A mum
Der of men tried it once when he was brak
Ing on a train, and instead OF hosting tn
help signal and calling a conference to sc
what should be done, Graf buttoned hi
coat. pulled his cap down hard and starte
MS wv US 1875 AAoN a ADOh
all there was TO 1t, except, of course,
number of battered up faces as a result o
his whirlwind entrance among them. Blu
the rough-housing ceased. and never oc
CURED again when Graf was on the train
In 1891 Graf was coupling cars in Jen
kintown. The night was dark. it was ram
ing and he slipped on one of the rails. n
one noticed him and the train ran owe
his left arm.
Hey, there. some one. give us a help
My arms cut Off"
The voice came out OF the darkness. an
the train crew. rushing back. found thi
man of grit and nerves sitting by tn
track and talking in the calmest way pos
sible. He was rushed to a hospital and tn
arm was amputated a few inches from tn
shoulder.
Here's what he said when he left III
hospital a few months later: We'll, thu
arms gone. all right. but it's all the sam,
I never thought much OF that left han
Of mine. 1 broke nearly all the knuckle
playing ball, and It was not much II
looks."
No pessimIsm, no hard luck stories Their,