The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-31

girl, Hang on, You can't go back on
me now, It's a good race and we can
win-we can win-if-"
Hanway lifted the lever and the
steam howled out through the valve.
filing the room with vapOr. The indi-
Gator had cTept up within a hairs
breadth OF fifty-five II now dropped
back to fifty-four and a half, Hanway
closed the valve, and again the pressure
mounted slowly toward the danger
mark. Backward and forward erept the
Indicator between the half and the
number upon which Hauway gazed
transfixed. his nervous hand clutching
the lever.
He was racing with the winter, anc
the whips OF his own dread goaded him.
In his overWrought imagination he saw
the pitiless spirit Of the north bearing
steadily down upon the fleeing little
Lucas Ike a great white bird of prey.
He knew what it meant to be over
taken-five months Of the great white
waste and probably starvation And so
he was running. running. Down at ST
Louis there was warmth and food and
good cheer. and up in this savage will
| derness there would be only the taunt-
| ing devils of the frost and the hunger
and the silence.
Here. one of youI'' he bawled to the
fiTemen. Scramble out on deck and
tell me how the mercury stands"
one obeyed and came back with chat
tering teeth. Twenty mine" he said
Work lively with that wood there.
he again commanded, gazing at the
steam gauge. The indicator had crept
hairs breadth across the danger
mark He set h s teeth and held the
valve down until the needle registered
ifty-five and three-quaTters. She Z
stand it," he muttered with a Hervou:
grin. She's good for fifty-six,"
As a man who rides thoroughbred
/ in a race for life and loves the Goot
/ brute for responding to the spurs. $,
/ Hanway loved his engine. CuriOusil
/ enough he felt that he and the ma
/ chinery were one being, and he caugh
/ himself gritting his teeth and groanini
/ with the intense strain under Whici
I the engine sobbed and whined.
The boat was now quivering through
all her timhers; so much so that tn
/ captain rushed down the aft stairs ant
/ through the engineer room door whicl
had been left unbolted by the fireman
For Gods sake. JIM" he Easped
| You'll blow US sky hight She's shiv
| ering like a man with the asue an
running like a scared jaekraobit ho'
much are you carrying?
/ the captain. I'm licensed engineer
I amt 70 he said. This is the bisges
/ race of my life. and I'll win if I don
blow US all to powder Do you hea
| that? jim Hanway in running LOCO
mile heat with the winter"
But. jim" pursued the captain. en-
deavOring to reason with the engineer
for river engineers in the old days wer
very often autOcrats below deck; "ho'
! much steam
Hanway. who was again staring A
/ the indicator threw his hat over tn
gauge, and grasping a stick of Woo
/ turned upon the captain. His face ma
a nasty. malevolent look
Go to he'll. will you2" he snarled. hi
eyes had narrowed into two steel
points Of light in the dark sunkel
sockets that told Of tense nerves an
sleepless nights.
The captain withdrew-and Hanwa
held the steam at fifty-six-
Morning crept in through the dirt
little windows. and still Hanway stoo
with his hand on the lever and his has
gard eyes fixed upon the gauge. Whe
the second engineer came down to 3
on duty Hanway coolty knocked hiI
through the door. After that the cTe'
fought shy Of the engine ROOM
This is my first trip with the dey
for engineer explained me fecenti
elected. walking the deck and nursin
a bruised law. "But he's sure maxim
the Jennie dance,
All day Hanway stood at his ensin
carefully serutinizing every part an
holding the steam up to the dange
point. The boat tossed and groane
like q man with 3 fever. With an oC
casionaI snarled command. he kept II
weary iremen at work fetching wod
from the decks and feeding the ful
mace. Ever and anon he asked for II
reading of the thermometer The mel
curry fell steadily
p dsErees-25 degrees-24 degrees.
| degrees.
His tireiess purSueT was gaining upo
him slowly but surely. But stFaRe
exaltatfon seized upon Hanway- IT
rage of the born fighter mounted TO n
head like a strong liquor. and sens
of sUperhuman might ran through n