The San Francisco call., 1908-11-29
took the summit siding.

took the summit siding.
Pitching over the hill with the "01''
the moment Folsoms tail lights had
passed the outlet switch. Gallagher had
sharp attack of memory. The day
before, in the Horse creek yard he
had seen and remarked a jagged
scratch on the side of the Nadia.
Hence he was watching for the narrow
rock cuttings, and the three passages
perlous on the-cliH face were made in
safety.
once off the mountain. however, the
greater peril began to assert itself
For time the Irishman kept himself
fully awake and alert by pushing the
$50 10 the. ragged edge of hazard. sour
rying over the short tangents and lift
ing her around the curves in breath
taking spurts. Later this expedient be-
gan to lose its flip. Since the train
was running wholly on the airbrakes
there was nothing for the fireman to do.
and jackson, the most loyal understudy
Gallagher had ever known tumbled
from his box in a doze, staggered across
the gangway into the half filled tender
and fell like man anesthetized full
length on the coal. Gallagher did not
try to arouse him.
. fis hell for wan. an twice hell for
two he muttered and then he shifted
ltiS ilSilI " Tie DTdkcCOCR ana
grasped the hot throttle lever with the
ungloved left. And for a time the pain
of the burn sufficed.
IT was another piece of luck, good or
bad. that made Ten Mile station the
special trains meeting point with the
second train of empties. This time it
was Graham. the other engineer who
heard. He had stopped at Ten Mile on
the bare chance that the wire between
paired. Public opinion to the contrary
notwithstanding. an engineer does not
run wild when he can help it.
The engineer of the third section had
come out of the night operators office
disappointed and was climbing to his
engine to pull out when he heard. or
thought lie heard, the dull rumble of a
train racing down the canyon. 1t came
in sight while he listened and the yell
low flare told him that it was either
Gallagher of Folsom doubling back on
one of the construction engines What
startled him was the fact that the com
ing train appeared TO be running itself.
There was no warning whistle shrek
and no slackening of speed.
Graham was Scotchman, slow of
speech, slow to anger, methodical to the
thirty third degree. But in an emer-
gency his brain leveled itself like a
ships compass gimballed to hang plumb
in the suddenest typhoon Three shrfll
whistle calls sent a sleepy fagman rae
ing to set the switch of the siding.
With a cIang the reversing lever came
over and the steam roared into the CYL
inders.
The Scotchman had the grade to help
him, which was fortunate. When he
had the string of empties fairlysin re-
treat the beam of Gallagilers headlight
was shining full in his face and blind
ing him. For a heart breaking second
he feared that the opposing train would
follow. him in on the siding: there was
but an instant for the fiicking OF the
switch But by this. time the sleepy.
fiagman was wide awake. and he jerked
the switch lever for his life the mo-
ment Grailam's engine had cleared the
points. 1t was the closest possible
shave. Gallagher's CAP licked the for
ward end of the other engines running
board in passing, and If Graham had