Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1914-10-23
BREAKING THE.
LIMIT
An Engineers Ride For Life
and Lives
BY JARED L. FULLER
By Frank A. Munsey CO.

thought he owned the entire system,
gave out his opinion Of Lannigan at
the end OF the lattePs 1rst week on
the N. and s. P. And this was IL:
THAT Grandfather Longlegs never II
set to hold down a passenger lever on
this road. whatever he's done back
east It amt in him"
Then the old man chalked up the
limit on the side Of his little smoke dis
colored ONCE. spat with emphasis and
well. that closed the subject as far
a Pug was concerned.
I reckon II Lannigen hadn't begun
by blowing about his eastern record
he'd made more Of q hit with MS.
lie was a tall, awkwardly built man.
with a shock OF sandy hair and q
smooth, humorous face. His legs and
arms were remarkably long and thin.
and old DOnaldsOn's sobriquet stuck
20 him. Daddy Longlegs'' seemed
20 at.
Lannigan got a freight, and the worst
bunch Of scrap iron on the road. which.
IN moments OF enthusiasm. Pug called
~ GhhAAC Al GGNg Ml1 hny hAuh uHlu-
icapped IN the "a to break the limit
It was the new nan from the land Of
tenderfeet
The system Of advancement follow
ed by the NJ. and s. P. did not include
length Of service or pull" Just one
thing counted-the ability OF a driver
20 get speed out OF his machine over
the worst track the law ever allowed
man 10 lay.
The country was new when the n.
and s. P. was surveyed and laid down.
Il had been a race between the NJ. and
8. p. and another corporation to see
which should reach the terminating
town where connection could be made
with the Pacific road first
We won, but at a cost which Grip
pied the road financially for years, and
the renewing Of the ArSt roadbed was
a slow and labOrious Job.
We ran one fast passenger-the Linn
itsd The through mail cars u at
tached 10 that train too.
Il was a continual fight all through
the year 10 keep that one train alone
Up to the schedule called for by the
contract with the government.
II any man on any other train show
ed the ability TO get speed out OF his
engine he was watched. and II he
broke the limit he stood a good
chance OF ~displacing the driver then
running the mail train.
The N. and 8. P. in those days was
q farmers railroad" Most OF the
way stations were merely huts and wa
tar tanks In forest clearings, tapping a
certain section Of farming country
stretching westward Of the line.
Lannlgan had been with Us since the
winter before. He wa a good driver.
but not brilliant. Anybody but a pref
udieed old fool Ike Donaldson would
have recognized his good points, but
you could stir the roundhouse
foreman when he'd once made up his
mind.
Lannigan had learned the road and
his engine. II he followed another
train he was on its heels all the time
and got himself well cursed for Il.
Some OF us began to see that there
really was more to the eastern man
than we had believed.
That fall was dry. the sun and wind
all day and every day drying the sap
out OF the trees and brush and burning
the leaves brown before the frost could
make them pretty.
BY and by the Inevitable happened.
Fires began to Hight up the heavens
nightly. and by day streaks OF blue
smoke hid the tops OF the higher hills.
Reports reached us from all direc-
lions Of families burned out and set
Elements threatened. but for q week
tho c~Onhagrations kept away from the
line OF the road
Then suddenly one Sunday morning
q food Of FIRE SwooYsd down the noun
tain side and crossed the tracks some
miles south of Yardsley.
The. Limited came through somewhat
scOrched, and the next day trame on
the road between Lattell and the juno
ton was cut on altogether.
This shut on several settlements &C
well as Yardsley. except by telegraph
The wires were Btdl working. and our
operators stuck 70 their posts hke the
brave fellows they were.
Pretty " every living soul in a
hundred square miles OF territory lie
out for less dangerous ground. But
Yardsley vas caught mapping. and lts
300 people were practically hemmed In
by the nercest forest Ore the state had
ever experienced.
The entire system Of the ". and s. P.
was pretty well tied up. We had pull
cd freight as near the hrO line az we
dared. and the sidetraeks were about
fun OF waiting cars.
The IRE vas stin burning hercsly be-
side the roadbed In more than a
place. and we weren't asked to try to
pull a train through to the junction.
Naturally there were plenty OF loco
motives and plenty Of drivers at Lat
tell that day when the news came from
the Yardsiey operator. Il was bis last
Dispatch. Tor BE- had remained until II
vas too late % escape BY any track
through the forest. and there wasn't
egan A handrar laft AZ fha afakfou-