Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-06

there were no casualties-the report about
the involvement of the two enginemen
being due to the Imagination Of the ex-
cited flagman. who had propelled himself
on handcar back to Little Butte to send
in, the call for help.
Since Gridley was on the ground. Lid
gerwood and McCloskey stood aside and
let the master-mechanic organize the at
tack Though the problem of track
clearing. on level ground and with
convenient siding at hand for the sorting
and shifting. was simple one, there was
still q chance for an exhibition of time
saving and speed, and Gridley gave it.
There was never a false move made or a
tentative one, and when the huge. lifting
crane went into action LidgerWoOd grew
warmly enthusiastic.
"Gridley certainly knows his business"
ne said to McCloskey The Red Butte
western doesn't need any better wreck
ing boss than 1t has right now
He can do the job when he feels like
| it," admitted the trainmaster, sourly.
But he doesn't often feel like it? You
can't blame him for that. Picking up
| wrecks isn't fairly a part of a master
mechanics duty"
THAT is what he says. and he doesn't
trouble himself to go when it isn't con-
venient. l have notion he wouldn't be
here today II you weren't"
| 1t was plainly evident that McCloskey
meant more than he said, but once again
Lfdgerwood refused to go behind the re-
turns. He felt that he had been preju-
diced against Gridley at the outset, I'M
duly SO, he was beginning to think, and
even-handed fairness to all must be the
watchword in the campaign of reorgani-
cation.
"Since we seem to be more ornamental
than useful on this job. you might give
me another lesson in Red Butte geogra-
| ply. Mac" he said, purposely changing
the subject. Where are the gulch
| mines?'
The trainmaster explained painstaking-
ly, squatting to trace a rude map in the
| sand at the trackside. Hereaway. twelve
| miles to the westward. lay Little Butte,
| where the line swept a great curve to the
| north and SO continued on to Red Butte.
| Along the northward stretch, and in the
the placers most of them productive. but
none of them rich enough to stimulate a
rush.
Here, where the river made a quick
| turn, was the butte from which the sta
| ton Of Little Butte took its name-the
superintendent might see its wooded sum-
NIT rising above the lower hills interven-
| ing. 1t was long. narrow ridge. more
and it held a silver mine. Flemister's.
| which was q moderately heavy shipper.
The vein had been followed completely
| through the ridge, and the spur track in
the eastern gulch. which had originally
served it, had been abandoned and a new
spur built up along the western foot of
the butte, with a mainline connection at
Little Butte. Up here, ten miles above
Little Butte, was a bauxite mine, with a
spur; and here
! McCloskey went on, industriously draw
! ing lines in the sand. and Lidgerwood
! sat on cross-tie end and conned his
| lesson. Below the siding the big crane
was heaving the derailed cars into line
with methodical precision. but now 1t
was Gridley's shop foreman who was
| giving the orders. The master-mechanic
had gone aside to hold converse with a
man who had driven up in blackboard.
coming from the direction in which Little
Butte lay.
"Goodloe told me the wreck wagons
were here. and thought you would prob
| ably be along" the blackboard driver
was saying How are things shaping
up? / haven't cared to risk the wires
since Bigsby leaked on u.s.
(To be continued tomorrow