Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-09-21

something we'll And the first pay
day-could the bank hold his first four
weeks wages, his $50? Then he was
given a really. important desk.
But soon he began to be, discouraged.
Nothing happened. = There's seemed to
be no way to prove himself. And
then the test came. &s&
In the middle OF February came
probably the meanest and most severe
storm everiknown to thatsTegfon. The
rain. chilled by the lower air and fan
ing on the colder objects below, froze
and formed one continuous ice sheet
enveloping everything below. Down
went trees, rences, wires ano-pr1dges-
work. work night and day for the re-
pair gangs.
With the wires down. the railroads
resorted to the old schedule system of
dispatching. But trains were late and
the tracks slippery. After six hours
Of herculean labor a single line was
run along the afflicted district OF the
Great Central lines and limited com
munication resumed.
On the night of the 18th Henry
was sitting drowsily by his little stove
In these dreams was he engrossed
when suddenly and unexpected came
the call for Erie-Er. er. Answering,
Sherlock received the awful message:
Rocky cut bridge down and the Ma
tional limited has passed here. Signed,
Springdale."
Springdale was the first night sta
ton east of Erie and thirty-two miles
away. Rocky cut was a mile and a
T--s, a.,
and spanned by an old wooden rail-
road bridge. What should he do?
Quickly be thought and quickly form
ed his plan.
On went his hat, coat and gloves,
and out the door be tore and rushed
toward the big roundhouse. On a
nearby siding with steam up stood a
switch engine, into which he sprang
after opening the switch on to the main
track. =. -:
He pulled the reverse lever ana
backed out of the siding on to the main
track. With all possible haste he re-
set the switch, re-entered the cab and
opened wide the throttle.
Never before had he gone so fast,
never before had he attempted to run
in running had been acquired on his
fathers private train. Now he seem
ed to stand still. Yet the cut soon
opened before him. He braced himself
damned on both brakes, and as the
engine stopped on the edge Of the
bank he swung to the ground. slipped
on the fee and snow and finally sank
down in a heap.
He tried to rise. He could use but
one foot-he had broken his ankle.
How, with only one leg, could he cross
the river? Yet he crawled down to
the edge, hoping to make his way over
on the ice. But the river, contrary to
his expectations, was open. He wav-
cred, almost backed out, then thought
OF Sarah and his opportunity-and
plunged into the icy. food.
Hindered by his useless leg. he
seemed to make but little progress.
Would he never. reach the other side?
He was fast becoming exhausted when
he struck firm ground and crawled out
of the water. Painfully he made his
way up to a section shanty, where
were kept torpedoes for Just such an
emergency. He grasped several and
hurried as fast as possible up the track.
He must give the warning far enough
from the bridge to allow, the racing
train time to stop. $50
And now his iron constitution. which
won him collegiate sporting fame.
served him well.
But he must go faster. He had
but little time. He tried to walk on
his broken yIeg, but ..itI would not sup
port him. He must crawl again. Oh.
IL he could only run. even for minute
or two! But shark!s Even now in the
distance he hears the whistle of the
approaching train. Disappointed. he
stops his mad race and fixes the torpe-
does securely to the track.
Now he waits, but not for long. The
train reels around the curve. Suppose
the torpedoes should fall But his
fears are groundiess. AS the train
passes. one torpedo after another ex-
piodes with a deafenipg roar. the
brakes are slammed on. the engtRe aEd
coaches groan, creak and come to a
standstill. The train is. savedi
Exhausted ana no longer upheld by
the intense excitement. he sank down
unconscious. In this condition he was
found by the trainmen. From letters
In his pockets his identity was estab-
lished and became known throughout
the train Henry Sherlock cried a
young woman who rushed out OF q car.
She hurried down the track TO where
| theE were taking the unconscious man