The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-07-11

nat ana flulng lcsSlnsS horc ilh'
horse wranglcr than a captain OF rail
road trains. lounged IN to explain tina
, there WAS hot box under 2G6'
tender. bradford was not OF any fac
ton Of discomfort. hut the spirit o
morose INSTRUMENTATION, born OF thu
late change I'm management. was In the
afr. and he spoke grufily.
IA Were the boxes properly overhaulet
before you left CopahY demanded th'
new boss.
Bradford did not know. and the
manner of his answer implied that III
did not care. And for good measure
he threw in an intimation that round
house dope kettles were not in his
line.
I.idgcrwood passed over the large
impudence and held 10 the matter I'm
hand
How much time have we on 201T'
he asked. train POI being the west
bound passenger overtaken and left
behind i'm the small hours OF the morn
ing by the lighter and faster special.
Thirty minutes here" growled the
little brother of the cows. after which
he took himself off rs If he considered
the incident sufficiently closed
Fifteen minutes later Lidgerwood
finished his breakfast and went back
10 his camp chair on the observation
platform Of the service car A glance
over the side rail showed him his
train crew still working on the heated
axle bearing. Another 10 the rear
picked up the passenger train storm
ing around the climbing curves of the
eastern approach To the summit. There
was small problem impending for
the division dispatcher at Angels, and
the new superintendent held aloof to
see how il would be handled.
1t was handled rather indifferently.
The passenger train was pulling in
over the summit switches when Brad
ford, sauntering into the telegraph Of
fee as If haste were the last thing I'm
the world to be considered. asked for
his clearance card. got it and gave
Williams the signal TO 60.
Lidgerwood got up and went into
the car to consult the time table hang
ing I'm the office compartment. Train
POI had no dead time at Crosswater;
hence IL the ten minute interval be-
tween trains OF the same class NOV.
ing in the same direction was TO be
preserved the passenger would have
TO be held
The assumption that the passenger
train would be held aroused all the
railroad martinet's fury In the new
In Lidgerwoods cal
endar time killing on regular trains
stood next 10 an Infringement Of the
rules providing for the safety OF life
and property His hand was on the
signal cord when, CHANGING to look
back, he saw that the passenger train
had made only the momentary time
card stop at the summit station and
was coming on.
This turned the high crime into
mere breach Of discipline. common
enough even on we'll managed rail-
roads when the leading train can be
trusted to increase the distance inter-
val. But again the martinez in Lid
gerwood protested. II was his theory
that rules were made to be observed.
and his experience had proved that
little infractions paved the way for
great ones. In the present instance,
however. 1t was too late to interfere,
so he drew chair out in line with one
OF the rear observation windows and
sat down 10 mark the event.
Pitching over the hilltop summit,
within Il minute of each other the two
trains raced down the first few curv-
ing inclines almost as one Mile after
mile was covered. and still the perlous
remained unchanged. Lid
began to grow uneasy. On
the straight line stretches the follow
Ing train appeared to be rushing on
ward to an inevitable rear end col
lision with the one car special. and
where the track swerved to right or
left around the hills the pursuing
smoke trail rose above the intervening
hill shoulders near and threatening.
Lidgerwood left his chair and went
again TO consult the time table. A
brief comparison of miles with min.
utes explained the effect without OK
cusing the cause. Train 201's SEIZED
ule from the summit station to the
desert level was very fast, and VIII
liams, nursing his hot box, either
could not or would not increase his
lead
Williams and Bradford might be de-
liberately trying the nerve of the new
boss. The presumption did not breed
fear; IL bred wrath. hot and vindlc-
tive. Two sharp tugs Mt the signal
cord brought Bradford from the eni
glne.
do you call this railroading?y
Lidgerwood rasped, pointing backward
to the menace Don't you know that
we are on 201's timer
Bradford scowled in surly antago-
nism.
THAT blamed hot box"- he began,