The San Francisco call., 1913-10-23
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Copyright. 1913. International News servicel
Continued From Xesterdax
Continued From Yesterday

It's the first nasty smash we've
had" he said in conclusion, but it
won't be the last. L thought / had
picked my men well, and making only
three mistakes in a body this size
isn't so bad I know you men are the
best in the world, and it's only the
If any of you have any complaint
against the general management, If
you think you're not treated right,
financially or otherwise. let me hear il
now and will guarantee that no man
leaves this room dissatisfied Every
man who works for this tunnel has
got to face death or anything else
that comes along. can't help that
it's in the nature of the work. But
there ought to be honor enough to go
around. and 1 know there's money
enough. Nobody anything to say?
Then, as an evidence of good faith, Til
order 10 per cent increase on the ex-
eeutive payroll and-I'll ask you 10
shake hands and we'll start in again.
Saunders, you will take Harriman's
desk. Lefevre. you move up to Saun-
ders' place-and I'll keep you moving
TO make US forget that Saunders isn't
there. Now, I'm off,.
Shall ] go with you, Mac. as the
new chief of staff?"
mo. you stay here and take COM
mand. Lefevre, you come along.
"WhereT began Saunders, and
stopped.
Mac looked at him a moment.
Into the tunnel Come along, Lee
fevre."
Twenty minutes later train that
Allan had ordered assembled before
he went into the conference was fly
ing down the grade to the entrance of
the tubes. II was made of only two
coaches and a locomotive. In the
coaches were a few picked engineers
and all the doctors that had been
spared from the hospital. with nu-
nerous bags and boxes of first aid"
supplies. Allan stood at the control
Ter, driving the engine, and Lefevre
stood beside him. The dispatchers
assured him that track No. was clear
for $50 miles, and would hold Robin
sons train at that point for him. as
they could guarantee only the one
track-No. 3-from that point on.
To make doubly sure he had talked
70 Robinson on the telephone before
mounting the cab. and had also asked
for word of Rives. There was none;
but he clung to the one slender hope
an air pump was working farther
down. He threw on the full current,
and the great engine leaped ahead
almost into the glare of its own
searehlight, quivering and swaying,
while a heavy monorail beneath
doomed and purred under the heavy
ute they hurtled through the inter
minable tube. broken only by a fash
ing glimpse of station. a higher key
in the roaring song, and then the long.
shining perspective and deep, steady
hum once more Allan never spoke or
turned his head He stood like a
statue. with one hand on the air lever
and the other on the controller, but
neither hand moved.
THE RIDE OVER
At last the brake signal for the one
hundred and fftieth mile station
flashed out ahead of them. Lefevre
glanced fnquiringly at him and then
the right hand moved slightly. The
power was reduced. The brakes be-
gan to squeak at intervals. The mad
ride was over.
Lefevre glanced at his watch. An
exclamation broke from his lips and
he looked quickly at the little clock
above the air gauge. Then without
word he held up his watch before AL
lan's eyes. Allan nodded grimly and
brought the train shrieking in the
grip of the brake in the station
They had covered the $50 miles in
81 minutes.
For the past 30 miles the smoke had
been perceptible, as ii was growing
thicker the farther they went. Rob-
insons train had not yet arrived, but
L
The coaches of the train were crowd
ed and there were curses and ominous
mutterings when the men saw Alian's
face in the murky light, as he briefly
questioned the indomitable Robinson.
But there was not time for any out
break Allan switched his train over
onto the track the outgoing one had
left clear and drove on into the gath
ering smoke.
But now their progress was slower.
In another 20 miles their headlight
was practically useless. for it only re-
vealed pillows and eddying clouds OF
smoke that rolled and tumbled in
their path. They stopped at every
substation, and in every one they
found the engineer in charge still on
his job, with as many men as he had
been able TO save. They had calked
up all the cracks and had their oxy
gen machines working. At each one a
doctor or two dropped off with plenty
of supplies and set to work on those
that needed help.
Finally the engine groped its way
into the substation at the two hundred
and twentieth mile. where the faithful
O'Malley was still making good air
out Of bad as calmly as If ne had not
known that unless the outside venti-
lating plant began shouldering more
of the work there was only death
ahead for him and his men in few
hours.
He was only a boy of 81. but he
shook hands calmly with his chief and
wiped the sweat out of his eyes with
his free hand.
GOOD NEWS
Yes" he said. I'm certain that an
air pump is working farther down.
Mr.. Allan. as coolly as If he were dis
cussing the character of the stone at
the end OF the boring.
Allan waited to hear no reasons.
O'Malley was the kind of young man
from whom reasons were unnecessary.
He pushed on into the smoke. An
hour later they were beyond Robin
sons farthest mark, and occasionally
thew had TO take a sortie into the
choking vapor and push debris off the
rail. Presently the train came to a
full stop. Before IL was a pile of
bodies.
Leaving the others in the protected
coaches, Allan and LIE Fevre. guarded
by smoke helmets and armed with
smoke lights, pushed out ahead. Lee
fevre had respectfully refused to let
him go alone.
There was not a sound now but
the faint tickling of the valves on
their oxygen generators in the he'll
NETS. Allan groaned as he picked
his way over the field of the dead
staring up at him in the lantern
light with horribly distorted faces.
These were the vanguard of that
awful army of despair that had stag
Rered through the smoking ruin with
Rives.
Rives was not among them. but
suddenly out of the dense smoke a
man appeared and dropped at Alian's
Lyo rUora nplv fatfarAd Uafr