The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-09-10

the Pullman for blankets. Jump
for 1t, man, before this fire gets
headway!"
Luckily, there were by this
time plenty of willing hands to
help. The Timanyoni is a man 8
country, and there were few wom-
en- in the trains passenger list.
Quickly a line was formed to the
nearby margin of the river. and
water, in hat, in buckets impro-
vised out of pieces of tin torn
from the wrecked car-roofs,
Kissed upon the fire, beat IL down.
and presently extinguished 1t.
Then the work of extricating
the imprisoned ones began.
In a very little time the length
and breadth of the disaster were
fully known, and its consequences
alleviated, so far as they might
be with the means at hand. There
were three killed outright In the
smoker, two in the half-filled day
coach, and none in the sleeper !;
six in all. including the fireman
pinned beneath the wreck of the
tender. Crawford. the engineer.
was dug out OF his coal-covered
y ~ 81 Low anu 5CAACA To-
badly burned and bruised, but
still living; and there were a
score of other woundings. more
or less dreadful.
Freed of the more crushing re-
sponsibilities, Lidgerwood found
Bradford and Groner. and with
the two conductors went down
the track to the point of derail-
ment to make the technical inves-
tigation of causes.
Ordinarily, the mere fact of a
destructive dersilment leaves
little to be discovered when the
cause is sought afterward. But,
singularly enough, the curved
track was torn up only on the
side toward the hill; the outer
rail was still in place.
Broken flange under the Is,
III bet" said Groner, holding his
lantern down to the gashed ties.
But Bradford denied IL.
mo-" he contradicted: Gran
ford was able to talk a little after
we toted him back to the service
car. He says Il was broken
rail; says he saw IL, all In good
time to give her the air before he
hit IT,"
They walked on down the line,
looking for the actual point of
derailment. When il was found,
1t proved Cranford's assertion-in
part. There was a gap In the rail
on the river side of the line, but it
was not a fracture. At one of the
joints the fish-piates we're miss
ing, and the rail-ends we're
sprung apart sidewise sufficiently
to let the wheels flanges pass
through. Groner went down on
his hands and knees with the Ian
tern held low and made another
discovery.
This amt no happen-so, Mr..
Lidgerwood," he said, when he
got up. 1.-THE spikes are pulled"
Lidgerwood's eyes we're blood
shot. I'D like to ask you two
men, as men, what devil out of
hell would set a trap like this for
a trainload of unoffending pas
|sengersg"
Bradford's slow drswi dispelled
a little of the mystery.
1T wasn't meant for oroner
and his passenger-wagons, /
reckon. In the natural run of
things, It was the 266 and the
service-car that ought to We hit
this thing first-2e4 bein' sup
posed to be n half-hour off her
schedule. It was aimed for Us.
all right enough. And Il wasn't
meant to throw US into the hill.
neither. II we'd hit Il goin' west,
we'd be in the river. That's why
IL was sprung out instead of In"
When Lidgerwood. got back 20
the sefvice-car he was surprised
to find Judson waiting for him.
Since you fired me as en-
gineer." S-1nned Judson. 1--WE APP
pointed myself your private detstZ
tive. l Just dropped out here IN
the wilds to make a report "
you"
After Underwood had disposed
Of his passengers for the run back
to Angels, he listened TO the ex-
engineers report" sitting quiet
ly while Judson told him OF the
plot and the plotte-s At the.
close ne said eravely: You are
sure IL was Hallock who got off
Of the night train at silver
It was . test question, and the
engineer did not answer It off
hand.
ia say yes IN . holy minute
II there wasn't % blamed much
else tied to Il. Mr.. Hddgerwood.
| was sure. II the time. that n