Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-01

rug DONALDSON, VINO ndd Deem u
roundhouse foreman so long that b
thought he owned the entire system
gave out his opinion of Lannigan q
the end of the 1atter's first week o
the NJ. and s. P. And this was it:
THAT Grandfather Longlegs never >
get to hold down a passenger lever o
this road, whatever he's done bac
east 1t amt in him."
Then the old man chalked up tn
limit on the side OF his little smoke dis
colored Office, spat with emphasis an,
well, that closed the subject as ia
as Pug was concerned.
1 reckon If Lannigan hadn't begun
by blowing about his eastern recor,
he'd made more of hit with u.s.
He was tall. awkwardly built man
with a shock of sandy hair and I
smooth, humorous face. his legs ant
arms We're remarkably long and thin
and old Donaidson's sobriquet STUCK
to him. Daddy Longlegs" seemed
to fit
Lannigan got a freight, and the worst
bunch OF scrap iron on the road, which
In moments of enthusiasm, Pug called
an engine. If there was any man hand.
icapped in the race to break the limit
| it was the new man 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
to get speed out OF his machine over
| tho puo1-ct fraoIr tho Tar avar ,JIo.-.s
man to lay.
| The country WIS new when the NJ
and S. P. was surveyed and laid down.
! 1t had been a race between the NJ. and
| S. 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 az cost which Grip
pied the road financially for years, and
the renewing of the first roadbed was
a slow and laborious job.
We ran one fast passenger-the Linn
tied. The through mail cars were at
tached to that train too.
1t was a continual fight all through
the year to keep that one train alone
up to the schedule called for by the
contract with the government
If any man on any other train show
ed the ability to get speed out Of his
engine he was watched, and IL he
"broke the limit he stood good
chance OF displacing the driver then
running the mail train.
The Nj. and S. P. in those days was !
a farmers railroad" Most of the |
way stations were merely huts and wa |
ter tanks in forest clearings, tapping |
certain section of farming country |
stretching westward of the line
Lannigan had been with us since the /
winter before. He was q good driver,
but not brilliant. Anybody but pref !
udiced old fool like DorAfIiisurr- woufd
have recognized his good points. but
you never could stir the roundhouse
foreman when he'd once made up his
mind.
Lannigan had learned the road and
his engine. If he followed another !
train he was on its heels all the time
and got himself well cursed for it.
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 light up the heavens
and by day streaks Of blue
smoke hid the tops Of the higher hills.
Reports reached US from all direc-
ions of families burned out and set
dement's threatened, but for q week
be CONGREGATIONS kept away from the
inc OF the road. s
Then suddenly one Sunday morning $
flood of fire swooped down the noun: {
ain side and crossed the tracks some ,
niles south of Yardsley. :
The Limited came through somewhat
corched, and the next day traffic on +
he road between Lattell and the juno :
ion was cut off altogether
This shut off several settlements as >
yell as Yardsley, except by telegraph {;
he wires were still working, and our =
perators stuck to their posts like the a
rave fellows they were. ;,
Pretty near every living soul in a
undred square miles of territory lit 4.
ut for less dangerous ground. But :
% people were practically hemmed in a,
2 the fiercest forest fire the state had :.
yer experienced.
The entire system OF the NJ. and s. P. y,
as pretty well tied up. We had pull -
| freight as near the fire line as we :,
lred, and the sidetracks were about -
III of waiting cars. y
The fire was still burning fiercelH be- >
de the roadbed in more than kone
ace, and we weren't asked to tn to
Ill train through TO the junction d
there were plenty of CO u
olives and plenty Of drivers at sat-
II that day when the news came 4om e.
e Yardsley operator. 1t was his hast e'
spatch, for he had remained uu4il 1t u
rs too late TO escape by any hack
rough the forest. and there Isn't
en- a handcar left at the station h'
Wind changed. Fire will re3 us
one hour. Three hundred ped IL -
nger Can you reach us?'