The daily banner., 1917-10-15
A Railroader's Yarn
{ BY Edith Barnard Delano, of
The Vigilantes.)


Mike S runs Number on
] the B. 4 0. An old timer is Mike,
and proud OF it. Could have had a
! job with the Brotherhood any time
! for years past, but doesn't think he'd
! enjoy life unless he could see il
/ from Il cab window. Might have
/ ucen G.. VI. ii he'd had more book
. learning: but Mike doesn't miss that
plenty OF man-senSe TO make up
Tor it. And he's friends with every
oody; call four railroad presidents
By their first names, and they say
/ The Old Man himself asks Mikes ad-
vice at times.
There's been a good deal of talk
lately among the men about those
Liberty Bonds, and Mikes friend
of EN-. He was leaning out of his
ear window in Camden Station the
other day, and another engineer who
is known among the boys as some
thing of tight-wad, was leaning out
OF his, u couple of tracks over.
Going to buy one of these new
Liberty Bonds, Bill?" Mike asked.
4 am NOT said Bill, SOS you
couldn't mistake what he meant Il
;eep my money in a savings bank.
hats good enough for me. How'd
I know this cOuntryll win the war?
Who'd you reckon will give me back
be money on a Liberty Loan Bond,
+ Germany wins, hey? No, sir, 1
guess the savings bank will carry me
long for a while longer!"
Mike scratched his ear and grimm
ID; he has a catching sort of grin,
Gas Mike Bill Edson," said he,
you remind me of something that
once came to my notice, because 1
vas in it. Must be a matter of thir-
" years ago, now. l was on my
.irst passenger engine, and beauty
she was, thunderer for those days,
just out OF the shops, and l was
rouder of her than | was OF the
wins.
1t was along in the spring some
Inc, and the crews coming east all
,eported worst flood conditions ever
.nown. l brought my train down
.ver Harper's Ferry when the yell
NV mud was boiling down under
cath like as if all Niagara was let
Oose. Got as far as Cumberland,
nd received orders to leave the
rain there and take my engine back.
nd run her out on the Harper's
'erry Bridge and leave her there.
es, sir, LEAVE HER THERE.
idnt believe those orders were
traight until I found out that every |
ther big engine anywhere within |
each of the bridge had gotten the
anne. WELL, we did it; the bridge
ras crammed full of engines, all the
racks would hold, by nightfall
1t wasn't until l got back to Bal
more, some days later, after the
lood had gone down, that | got wind
, the way it happened. John NJ.
King was V. P. in those days, and a
better railroader never lived, bar
lone. He happened to be in charge
It the central building right then,
nd reports of floods kept coming in
md coming in, and everybody got
more and more worried. One bridge
after another went down, one mile of
rack after another was washed out.
EinalIy some fellows from the Main
tanance of Way rushed in and said
ne Harper's Ferry Bridge would
sure be the next to CO. King thou
5ht a minute, then gave orders that
very heavy engine the bridge would
hold should be run out on her and
LEFT. They thought King was era
", but they didn't know him. Why. |
AIr King, there's no use sending all
hat new rolling stock down with the
bridge, said one man. King just |
gave him a look If the Harper's
Ferry Bridge goes down, son. said
ne, we won't need the rolling stock
And say, Bill Edson," Mixes
dand was on the throttle and he'd
cot his signal to pull out, 1.-The Har-
ler's Ferry Bridge is still standing;
T guess she'll carry you and me along
%or while longer, hey?"
And the point of the story is that
Bill Edison bought Liberty Bond
The next morning.