The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-04-18
PUT ON AIR BRAKE
ENGINEER SAYS DON'T RUN BY
WHITE LIE.
Little Experience That Cured Old
aPOrtly" Of the Idea That It Meant
Clear Track III Honesty
Always Best.


times has the deferred dividend clause
attachment.
Now, when I first went runnin
wasn't against tellin little white lie.
White is supposed to be the signal for
clear track, but, my young friend,
whenever you see a white lie starin
you in the face, just put the air brake
in the mergency notch n plug her.
II you run by many white ones there's
danger ahead.
y had a habit when I first got an
engine of bein a little careless, n
ran by semaphore signals once or
twice. ! remember one time, after Id
discovered my mistake of signals, Of
just hittin' the water glass on the in
jector a sharp crack with a hammer
breakin' the water glass n film the
cab with steam, maxim it most i'm
possible to see. but not lettin enough
OF the vapor escape to scald you.
When called upon for an explana.
tion Of my not stoppin' at the signal,
just said that the waterglass busted
n | couldn't see till | put in new
glass. hadn't swung the excuse
more'n once or twice before came to
be dubbed Water Glass Bill by the
boys on the road.
"One dreadful snowy night, as we
-iay in the bunk shanty at the other
end Of the division awaitin' our turn
out Charley Cobb got to tellin' for
tunes from the tea leaves in the bot
tom of a cup from which he had been
drinkin 1t got around to me-
Well, Portly,' said Charley when
he had gone through the formula,
from the dope / get from these tea
leaves I'm tipped off that there's big
smash-up comm your way Can't you
see the big piles of wreckage? It's
due soon, too. Kind of funny oblong,
tubelke object off to one side which
plays an important part in it. can't
seem to get the Marcel waves of the
wireless as to just what it means
Humphl' puts in Ira Lewis, you're
bum huncher That's water glass.
That's what that is Bill never got
into trouble yet that the water glass
didn't bust
They all joined in the laugh that
followed this sally Then | sank back
on my bunk to take a little needed
rest
"All too soon the caller boy came
after, n in less time than it takes to
tell it was on my engine n down In
the yards hooked onto a fast freight
It sure was an owlish night. the wind
n snow cuttin into ones face like
so many little needless
Il had the side cab window open
in order to gaze out occasionally to
keep a line on what was goin on
ahead. Just as we went over the
pitch of Miller's hill a cold blast OF
air struck the water glass n she
went snap like a piece of clay pipe
stem, fillin the cab with steam.
It's happenin just like it was laid
out in the blueprint specifications.
said to myself, grabbin' for the throt
tie to shut off the steam.
But the vapor escapin from the
water glass got so dense couldn't see
n It was fairly parboiin my flesh.
was unsuccessful also in tryin to 10
cate the air brake handle
Here we were fiyin down Miller;
grade under full head Of steam, me
unable to see anything at all Charley
Cobb certainly had the correct dope. 1
| ever got safely out of that scrape
solemnly promised myself to be pretty
careful in the future about semaphort
signals n tell no lies Of any color. NJ
matter what happened
"A heavy gust Of wind seemed tt
blow the steam clear of the cab fol
half a second. In ths4 brief space
dead ahead | saw the five tail lights o
a eaboose, the red lamps hashin at M
Ike a sparlkin' ruby necklace.
Before | could wink an eyelash m,
locomotive stuck her nose righ
through that red circle with a fright
full crash. I was still fiyin through
space when | felt a poundin on thl
soles of my feet N heard a grui
voice sayin':
Come, Portly, come out of II
You're called for your fast freight rw
now.
There I'd fallen asleep n dreameI
all that about running away dow
Miller's hill with a cab full Of steam
When I awoke I was all in drippiu
sweat
"Now. say you can bet I kept
sharp lookout for things on that tri
n took the tip from tea cup N dream
book. No more breakin water glasse
for mine. I've always told the strie
truth since. n I've never had an
more trouble, either
----
Steel Cars.
The advantages which were present
s.. .H.s-E