The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-07-14

| the eight-hour controversy In the fas.
cination Of his work. that we have a
clear block between the next two sta
TONS" Soon we were upon the green
! light, and as we Numbered by the lit
tie station / could see the dispatcher,
| at work over his keys, look out
| through the window at us.
HE is telling the next station that
Number Eleven has just passed." said
Demmer.
In these men along the way, then,
we trusted. If one of them forgot to
tell the next that we had passed, a
stumbling string of freight cars might
be let into the block from the other
end. There were q thousand '1fS"
which might mean death for us, but
Demmer trusted the silent, isolated men
at the keys. And back In the coaches,
warmth and safety through the same
trust. In the city, the chief dispatcher
was watching our flight, mile by mile.
A flash from him and we could be
stopped almost anywhere along the
rOute-unleSs the flash came too late.
Remember that cyclone we had last
summer that caught one Of our trains"
Demmer asked. l nodded, and he said:
swell, she struck the train-Number
Five, l think it was-just down the
line way. I'll show you the place In
q minute"
Just then we roared across q long
trestle over deep, marshy ravine.
'This trestle was picked up by that
storm" Demmer said land set down
there in the lake hundred yards from
here, just after the train had crossed.
And here's where the train was when
the storm struck. Every window in
the cars was broken; the engineer and
the fireman had to lie fiat on the bot
tom Of their cab, while the wind took
the windows clear out I'm glad we
don't have many cyclones ON the road.
"The officials are very careful about
that" Demmer added, with q chuckle.
"1n storm, or when the snow piles
up ahead Of you and you've got to get
through 1t and make your schedule Is
when we catch 1t. Or when 1t Is pour
Ing rain and we can't see two feet
ahead into the mist. we can't tell when
q freight train or a stalled passenger
train may appear ahead-and we have
to know just where to pick out the
sidings, too"
The miles poured by US. An occa-
sional farmhouse doomed up along the
way, and slipped silently into oblivion |
again as we leaped along.
Freight cars, and even strings of |
passenger cars stood by the main line |
again, all dark and empty. Green, red
and white lights began to appear in
and we slowed down little
~ little. 1t was the end of the run,
Oemmer became absorbed In his brakes
and levers, and I crossed over to the
ireman's side again.
He sat there, calm and controlled,
bringing the train into the last mile.
Dockery opened the doors again and
he yellow-white light of the fire threw
)emmer into relief against the cab
window. l looked back at the trailing
rain, the lights of the window max.
ng pale shadows along the tracks.
)ockery went to a cabinet In the door
Il the tender and took out big jug Of
water to drink. He with his water,
nd Demmer with his pipe-a very hu-
nan picture, | thought, and what
barge they had.
We parted, I to be taken by the
rain, which we met there, back to the
ity-to be one Of the passengers in
he soft-cushioned, easy-riding cars,
rusted in the green star and the watch
RS in the cab. H. Kinsella, in st.
,outs Globe-Democrat.