Middletown transcript., 1910-09-03
By ALBERT W. ToLMAN

the cab with every revolution OF
the drivers.
But Dan! Was he living or
deadp Thrashed by that awful
steel bar, how had he any chance!
And there was the camel-back
driverless, racing wild down.hin
at sixty miles an hour, with three
hundred unsuspecting passen-
gers behind, and ahead a net
work of yard tracks and a crowd
ed station.
It was enough to make mans
hair rise. Pills did. Eyes still
shut, he shouted:
Dan! Dan!
No reply; only the hammering
of steel. Again he called; again
no answer.
With an immense effort Phil
sat up. What was the matter
with him? He saw double. Two
fire. boxes and four doors waver-
ed dizzily before him. He pressed
his fingers on his temple to ease
the stabbing pain, and took away
two right hands covered with
blood. The shock of the iron
fragment had affected his optic
nerve.
Fortunately, his brain was
clear. He rose unsteadily. He
must find out what had happen
ed to Dan. But this seeing in
duplicate bothered him. He
reached toward what he thought
was the real hsnd-rail, and came
near pitching off head first. The
next time he gotit, dragged him,
self painfully forward, and look
ed along the flank Of the engine.
The worst had happened. The
bottom of the cab had been torn
away. Its top hung on the boil
er, a twisted, battered wreck,
and flung under it lay q blue-clad
body, with one leg swinging
loosely near the whirling steel
fail. Even as he looked, the
knee kent slightly, and a groam
reached his ears. Dan was
still alive, but fearfully hurt.
Phil saw that the forward end of
the running. board had been
smashed to flinders; and realized
that it was one of the fragments
that had struck his head.
But be had no time to think of him
self. The first thing to do was to stop
the train. That came ahead even Of
succor TO the engineer. Indeed, 1t was
the quickest way to aid Dan. The fire.
man could not help him SO long as the
parallel rod was flying loose. Every
time that rod came down, it gouged the
road-bed and ties; every time it came up,
/ il hit the cab, It would be miracle il
Dan got ont alive.
A culvert Whirred beneath. Derby
Brook Only two and half miles to the
station. That meant little over two
minutes.
The throttle, reversing lever and air.
brakes were on Dams side of the cab, 30
It was not Of any use to think of them.
Perhaps Dan had shut off the steam any
way before he was disabled. But the
momentum of the heavy train rushing
along the steady down grade would be
sufficient to carry it to destruction, even
if the Whirling connecting rod did not
lift and throw the locomotive from the
track. Something must be done. Phil
decided to break the connection of the
air-pipe, swinging under bis feet between
engine and tender. To do it be must get
down on the step.
A spur-track flashed by-Morrison's
Siding. A half-mils gone.
Phil reached carefully for the rail, and
swung down on the left step, until he
could peer underneath the tender. The
dusky space above the rushing ties seem.
ed full Of pipes, their connections we'll in
toward the centre. Holding ON with his
left hand, he stretched his right over the
hose toward them. His reach fell short
by several inches.
Round curve they whirled, and Phil
almost went off backward. Their speed
was terrific, not mile under sixty.five
an hour. Scattered houses fitted by.
They were entering the outskirts Of the
city.
The fireman realized that to break the
connection he must climb practically
under the tender, at that high speed a
difficult and dangerous task even for an
uninjured man. How could he do il
with bis dizzy head and double yision2
He thought of the three hundred men
behind ignorant Of their peril. TwiniDg
his legs round the iron step, be started
to push himself under the car.
A yell Of alarm was whirled away be.
hind him; be caught q sidewise glimpse
Of splintered wood and twisted frame.
work. That was the wreck Lucky
they had been able to get the track clear
before the train went by.
He pushed out one hand tentatively
toward what looked to be the framework
of the forward trucks, but touched moth
ing. Down he Iurchsd. With strong
effort, be drew himself back from the
road-bed spanning away SO fast under bis
face, and tried again.
This time he touched solid iron.
From the ties flashing beneath, the
dust rushed up into bis face in a hot
whirlWind. Il blinded his eyes, it chok-