Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-06-22

the eight-hour controversy in the taS-
cination of his work, that we have
clear block between the next two sta
TONS" Soon we were upon the green
light, amt 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 thousand ''ifs"
which might mean death for us. but
Demmer trusted the silent, isolated men
at the keys. And back in the coaches,
men and women We're Slumbering In
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
route-unless the flash came too late.
Remember that cyclone we had last
summer that caught one of our trainS?"
Demmer asked. | nodded and he said
well, she struck the train-Number
Five, / think it was-just down the
line a way. I'll show you the place in
a minute"
Just then we roared across long
trestle over a deep, marshy ravine.
This trestle was picked up by that
storm" Demmer said land set down
there in the lake a 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 Tn glad we
don't have many cyclones on the road.
"The officials are very careful about
that" Demmer added with chuckle
''In storm. or when the snow piles
up ahead of you and you've got to get
through it and make your schedule is
when we catch it, Or when 1t is pour
ing rain apd we can't see two feet
ahead into the mist. we can't tell when
freight train or 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 %
passenger ears stood by the main line
again, all dark and empty. Green red
and white lights began to appear in
confusion, and we slowed down little
by little II was the end of the run.
Demmer became absorbed in his brakes
and levers. and / crossed over to the
freman's side again.
He sat there, calm and controlled,
bringing the train into the last mile.
Dockery opened the doors again and
the yelow-whte light of the fire threw
Demmer into relief against the cab
window. / looked back at the trailing
train, tic lights of the window max
ing pale shadows along the tracks.
DOckery went to a cabinet in the door
of the tender and took out a big jug Of
water to drink. He with his water.
and Demmer with his pipe--a very huN
man pictare. I thought. and what a
charge they had.
We parted. to be taken by the |
train, which we met there, back to the |
city-to be one of the passengers in |
the soft-cushiOned, easy-riding cars. |
trusted in the green star and the watch |
ers In the cab, H. Kinsella, in st. |
Louis Globe-DemOcrat