The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-07-14

headquarters and IN the excitement OF the
coming contest men forgot the heat. Then,
even as the switch engines in the Crescent
City's yards pulled and tugged and gangs
of negroes strained at the loading derricks,
came further word that all the shipping
centers of the South would be drained to
help relieve the pressure, that the movement
would be much heavier than at first ex-
pected. "Beat the Shore Line" was the
gist of private message to Holcomb from
the President himself. Out over hundreds
of miles of wire went forthwith yet more of
the General Managers own galvanic energy.
The derricks swung faster, the negroes
sweated and toiled furiously under the
promise of double pay and watermelon
apiece. As quickly as they were loaded the
cars were bounced upon and borne swiftly
away. And always came the messages
from headquarters, Hurry, hurry, hurry
A mighty Consolidated slid easily down to
the head of the distinguishing string of
cars and bucking, snorting, changing
switch engine rarnmed big red caboose
viciously in at the other end. 1t was thirty
minutes before Fifty-three was scheduled to
start, and the Cotton Special was ready.
But the Mississippi division despatchers
were ready too. The train wires snapped
and clattered with the quick clear 90, the
despatcher's call that is law over all traffic.
Trains were headed into sidings, given meet
. ing orders, brushed aside here and there,
that the way might be clear. While the
copper threads were yet busy with orders
for the farend of the division, the big engine
breathed deeply once, and from front to
he rIo yaI ka11
Then the monster roared her impatience
through the stubby stack, the drivers spun
on the polished surface of the rails, and the
Special strained forward with ast-gtowina
speed on her thousand-mile race. For once
a freight ran as first Fifty-three and from
twenty to thirty minutes behind her the bis
1901 hurtled between the cotton fields with
the five mail cars for New York and tool
her dust as the second section.
All through the afternoon and into tn,
night came reports of the Specials progress
Division after division took her up and sen
her its length. She was gaining on tn
Shore Line train and would probably pas
Dover Tower, where the two roads crossed
before it did.
Mart. Bowman, the operator in tina
AONSA3 OpNllL LIS SHd1C I1l11O 0AAA1S LII
afternoon informing Bancroft of tn
whereabouts of the Shore Line cotton train
For the towerman bore the Shore Line
grudge. Somewhat vindictive of spirit wa
: Mart, and in two respects he resemblec
, George Amhorn's lamented pig-he wa
narrow of mind and he has place in thi
; story. On this day when the rivalry be
tween the two lines had taken on tangi
bility in the form of the Cotton Specials
he recalled afresh little scene in hi
superintendent Office, and could hea
, quite clearly that officials judicial tone
l as he said, cts two to one, Bowman
2 The engineer and fireman both say that yol
= displayed no red light, and their reputa
, tons are fairly good. I'm going to give yol
; the benefit of the doubt, however, and re
! tain you in the service, but not at Wood
! Gap. After ten-day lay-of you will re
port for day work at Dover Tower. TIL
salary will be sixty dollars per month
, FIVE less than you are getting now-and tn
!, w. G. S. will pay half of it. That's all