Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1917-10-19
4 RAlLR0ADER's YARN
(By Edith Barnard Delano In Che
Vigilantes.)

Mike s. runs Number
on the B. & O. An old timer is
Mike. and proud of it. Could
have had a job with the Brother
hood for years past but doesn't
think he'd enjoy life unless he
could see it from a cab window.
Might have been G. M. II he'd
had more book-learning but
Mike doesn't miss that-plenty
of man. sense to makeup for it.
And he's friends with everybody;
call four railroad presidents by
their first names, and they say
the Old Man himself asks Mikes
advice at times.
There's been a good deal OF
talk lately among the men about
those Liberty Bonds, and Mixes
a friend OF them. He was lean
ing out Of his car window in
Camden Station the other day,
and another engineer who is
known among the boys as some
thing of a tight.wad was lean
ing out of his, a couple of tracks
over.
Going to buy one of these
Liberty Bonds. Bill 2" Mike
asked.
Il am NOT" said Bill. SOS
lcouldn't mistake what lie meant.
II keep my money in a savings
bank. That's good enough for
me. How'd l know this country'll
win the war? Who'd you reckon
will give me back the money on
la Liberty Loan Bond, if Germany
wins, hey ? No sir, I guess the
savings bank'll carry me along
for a while longer
| Mike scratched his ear and
grinned he has catching sort
of grin, has Mike. bill Ed
son. said he, "You remind me OF
something that once come to my
notice. because l was in it. Must
be a matter of thirty years ago,
now. was on my first passen'
i ger engine, and beauty she
, was, thunderer for those days
lust out of the shops, and l wa:
81 prouder of her than I was of the
, Twins.
d 1T was along in the spring
t some time, and the crews coming
least all reported worst flood con
ditions ever known. l brough
, my train down over Harper
/, Ferry when the yellow mud wa
r boiling down underneath like a
= if all Niagara was let loose. Go
? as far as Cumberland, and re
e lceived orders to leave the train
j.. there and take my engine back
and run her out on the Harper
Ferry bridge and leave her there
Yes sir, LEAVE HER THERE
I didn't believe those orders wer'
straight until found out tina
every other big engine anvwher'
i. within reach of the bridge hat
. Igotten the same. WELL, W.
|, did it the bridge was crammet
f full of engines, all the tracks
t would hold, by nightfall.
II 1T wasn't until l got back te
| Baltimore, some days later, after
the food had gone down. that
) fgot wind of the way it happen
ed. John M. King was V. p. in
those days. and a better rail
roader never lived, bar none. He
: happened to be in charge at the
central building right then. and
reports of floods kept coming in,
. and everybody got more and more
. worried. One bridge after anoth.
er went down, one mile of track
, latter another was washed out.
FINALLY some fellows from the
Maintenance of Way rushed in
and said the Harper's Ferry
bridge would sure be the next to
Igo. King thought minute,
Itlien gave orders that every
heavy engine the bridge would
hold should be run out on her
land left. They thought King
Twas crazy, but they didn't know
him. why, Mr.. King, there's
no use sending all that new roll
ling stock down with the BRIDGE
said one man; King just gave
him look, If the Harper's Fer
ry bridge goes down, son. said
he, we won't need the rolling
stock.
And say" Bill Edison, Mikes
hand was on the throttle and
he'd got his signal to pull out,
the Harper's Ferry bridge is still
standing I'll guess she'll carry
you aud me along for a while
longer, hey 2"
And fhe nOiut of the story &c