The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1909-07-26

4 pRNVottP otucs 80 ~ W Cttdf inc mann
line. but the men ON the head end
did not know this In .going in ON
the siding the pusher had injured her
pilot 10 now she coald mot push She
would have to change .plaees with
the head engine.
| The conductor signaled the head
engines; they each blew three short
blasts, the pusher answered. and the
train began to back away. The
moment the head engines be-
gan to back out the conductor
realized that he had made mistake
that the men ahead did not know
that the pusher was detached I'M
mediately he scrambled to the top
of the train and made another mis-
take. Instead Of giving them slow
| signal he gave them a stop signal.
They shut OFF, but the rear end Of
| the train had been pushed back be-
yond the level track that lay In front
Of the little way station Five loads
snapped OF and went roaring down
| the mountain behind the superin-
tendent's train The one brakeman
was almost Immediately thrown from
the train as It lodged round sharp
curve, and now the cars were run
ming wild.
| The engineer ON the special saw the
runaway cars coming, and instantly
let off the air and began to fan out
Of the way. Nine hundred and ninety
nine men out of every thousand
| would have done the same thing. 1t
| is OF piece with the rule that says
| when you train has parted keep going
| tiscep out of the way) until you are
sure that the detached portion OF the
train has stopped. The other man
would have stopped at once, unl0aded
his passengers, scrambled out Of the
right Of way, and let them hit But
that is not according to the book OF
rules nor in keeping with the instinct
of an engineer. His first thought Is
of his people. his train, his engine
to remain in the cab and die, II need
be, and he usually does it.
| The man on the special, being full
Of the book rules, kept going, but a
car loaded will outrun a locomotive
| with her links and rods and all her
machinery to hold her back. Any
way, car will run faster than any
sane man would dare run down two
hundred-foot grade. and In a very few
moments the special crew saw that
| If they all held the rails the loads
| would soon be on the top of them.
The old man, who had never known
fear before, put an arm affectionately
about the slender waist OF each Of
! his helpless children. The speed OF
| the special was something frightfUf
but the cars were gaining on them.
| Farley. standing on the rear plat
| form, turned and looked into the car.
He saw the strong. rough man, who
had always appeared as dry of tears
as one OF the rocks that made these
mountains. bending over his weeping
children. weeping like q woman.
| For two or three seconds tseconds
are like hours In the face Of death)
he had been contemplating a move
that would result in his Immediate
4 death or the salvation of the special.
Now the sight Of this strong man in
tears settled the matter; he would
make the effort.
| A few miles below the point where
the freight train parted there was
a short siding in a sag. When the
| special car passed the switch target
Farley stepped of just as he would
drop from train at twenty miles an
hour. but the special was making
| forty or more.
/ I The old man saw him jump. "Ah.
| well,' thought he, .:'the poor devil is
only trying to save his life. don't
| Lame him
| When Farley stopped rolling be
| scrambled 20 his feet near the east
end of the siding. I'm his torn and
bleeding right hand ha held the
switch key, that he had taken from.
his pocket before msking the fright
| full jump. Staggering to his feet. be
found the. lock. thrust the key IN,
and swung back on the target: but
| at that instant the wheels struck the
| ends Of the rails, the car leaped snto
| the air and glanced of into the side
of the shallow cut. while the other
cars came piling up In heap.
| Presently, when the driver. looking
back, saw nothing following, he began
| 10 slow down and stopped
| The superintendent sent the fireman
back. and tagged slowly to the scene
OF the wreck. When he had come
upon the heap Of spIintered cars be
| jumped from the train and ran back
| to look for Farley, who had jumped
of near the other end Of the siding.
AS he passed the wreck he glanced
back and saw that the switch. now
Ebroken down. had been unlocked.
Looking closely. he found the big
brass lock with Farley's switch key
sticking in the keyhole Now he saw
what had been dors. but whore was
Farley7 They searched, and soon
found him under the debris.
When the broken freight had been
| removed the old man .hnnf 0nnr the