Arizona republican., 1912-05-15
Crazy River
 Bridge
By ARTHUR K. AYERS

lhank the Lord, you've COmei' he shouted into his chiefs ear through hands held trumpet-wise Tn the same fashion he outlined the situation. The flood from the broken dam had not yet reached them. but the rails were now only three feet above the water. On this side the river was eating at
 the bank as though trying to leave the bridge stranded over the old channel while il flowed through new one Brush mattresses were being sunk under the weight of tons Of earth and rock along the threatened railway em- bankment that was the approach 10 the bridge On a slight elevation two hundred yards back the linemen were busy with a shed for the telegraph in struments The present location would be unsafe when the flood came AL ready engines from side-tracked trains farther up the line had been cut loose and sent down to the river to bring back as far as Monica the stalled trains at the bridge On the other side of the stream Number Fifty-four the New Orleans Mail. was due but i, was not expected that she would try to cross with the river in it's present state and in the face of Mahonpy's or der that no train be allowed on ,hc bridge until the danger lessened The despatchers would doubtless hold her at Pilot Junction. Shelburn nodded in token of understanding and took com
 mand while Mahoney sought ont an en- zine 10 take him back to Damascus Junction. where he could have copies of the bridge specifications ready 10 1 forward to the builders should the great structure go out. Borne down faintly on the wind came the sound of the blasting a Monica to loosen the rock for the steam-shOvel
 AS the chief watched the sinking of another mattress the operator handed him a dampwilted bit of paper He held his lantern mp 10 # 10 read Not
 SO well. Fever rising. Will wire
 again in fifteen minutes" He thrust f into his pocket and the man stood
 )n tip-toe to shout yet more i'll news. Pilot Junction says Fifty-four ran by he board there in the storm. She'll
 oe on the bridge any minute now"
 Shelburn issued orders as fast as he could make himself heard. One man ran to hold up the dozen cars of stone that were about to be pushed out on the southbound track to help weight he structure against the rush of tho Durban flood. another to get the way cleared for the passage of the Mail
 when she should be over The waves were on a level with the bridge tics and in torment the big engineer prayed that she would cross before a
 wall of water should sweep tho rails Now that the northbound track was being blocked hy freight whose rear tights could be seen slowly advancing over it. there was no opportunity to send an engine across in safety to stop ! Fifty-four on the farther side Then he red lights halted and from the
 other shore there suddenly flashed the binding glare of headlight through
 which the rain fell like a thousand darting spears of silver light. Slowly. steadily the long train drew across the bridge. her bell tolling dismally. SAel- burn caught sight Of two figures on the right-hand side Of hor engines cab
 az she passed. and aftcrward he knew that one of them was dead. the body of old Pap" Sterling who had died on his engine Like one of the lords Of old whose bodies were sct n the head of the feast. Pap was making his last run home through the night and the tempest With quickening speed the ears whipped pa,t and were lost 10 sight in the darkness and driving rain. The Mail was over and tae flood was yet 10 come The taiI-ligh,s on the bridge receded rapidly now, The l engineer on the freight, whom. in spite Of orders. "Stubby" Sullivan had hyp- notized into backing over on it 10 help hold il Cown while Fifty-four was crossing. was hurrying hack 10 safer ground The workers on the tracks
 scattered again before the approach Of the cars of stone that shot through the light of the fires and out on 10 the bridge. and the scarceinterrupted
 fight was in progress once more.
 On the storm-swept bank Shclburn, with anxiety for his little lad gnawing
 unceasingly at his soul, set his face like a mask to hide his suffering and watched the battle, directing the re pulse of the enemy More cars of broken stone were pushed out on the
 embankment where muddy. half
 drowned men fought the raging stream desperately with earth and rock and huge mattresses of brush.
 A hurryfng, anxious figure struggled through the press. seeking the Chief. Ii was the operator, with news that
 the wires were gone 10 the south.
 Message coming for you when they failed" he added 'l only got two
 words of it, 'Laddie is,' before they were lost"
 Better no word at all than those two which meant the scales had turned, but gave no hint of whether they stood for life or death. Everything faded from the big engineers vision except a woman who was needing him ac cba hant over a child in whom