Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-02-27
1T Is Green!' Fireman
Shouts to the Engineer.
It's Green, All Right!''

OTetn II Is, SIeChSu bSAAiiAASi'
That gives us the St. Charles Bridge" Dock
cry yelled into my ear as Demmer opened the
throttle again. and perceived we were mount
ing the long trestle of the approach. A sweep
ing curve brought US round gradually and the
searchlight centered finally upon the girders
and iron work of the long bridge before us
We entered the bridge and intermnable
number OF cross pieces passed the cab window
like shadows. Before US. the searchlight threw
its rays down the vista of steel. But we had
passed the headlights reach as soon as we
could visualize what it showed Framed in
by the net of steel, the bridge. was more than
a mile OF darkness, a hundred feet above the
swirling muddy Missouri. a broken fshplate,
a weak span, we would not know what had
been wrong.
Up the, river in the moonlight the other re.
Gently burned bridge could be seen. Wrecked ?
and useless, it looked the picture of deceit
standing over the river in the faint light. Be-
yond the little city spread itself out on the
hillside illuminated by blue lights which
were interspersed with the yellow lights of the
buildings
AS Deumer brought the train to stop Dock
the giant water pipe, fitted it to the tank and
loosened the flood of waters which poured over
the iron sides OF the coal car and onto the
track below in pool of mud and cinders The
engineer took his torch and oil and went
his engine.
Here's Sam, Dock," Demmer shouted,
figure came up from the train behind us. 1t
was the conductor bearing the dispatcher's or
ders for the enginemen.
We've got a passenger of own, Sam.
Demmer boasted, and called me down from the
cab to introduce to w. S. Drover the train
conductor. Drover handed over the dispatches
to Demmer and spoke to me about my ride In
the cab.
When the time was up Demmer climbed back
set his levers and we pulled away from the
station. watched Drover swing aboard the
middle part of the train, and St. Charles be-
only an incident.
The cities and their outlying districts shaken
off. Demmer became more daring with his throt-
tie, opening it wider and wider and balancing
the reverse lever the while. The rocking of the
cab became lurch as the roadbed flooded by
underneath us in ever-increasing velocity The
headlight sent simmer of light ahead
the track, lingering the steel rails gingery as
we flew past.
Like giant wave sliding into us, the track
from the end of the searchlghts reach. seemed
TO bulge up and come veerlng down under US.
We could never mount to the crest of the wave.
and we could never gain on it,
A few lights marked little by-station. In a
minute we were upon it, and the few people
there huddled against the wall to shield them.
selves from the rush of air as we smashed past
with a roar of connecting rods and drivers
The fields flooded with the light of the
hunters moon. which silhouetted the rows of
corn sheaves, the hay stacks, and the horses
roaming about the farmers fields. Overhead
the stars raced evenly along with us in the clear
crisp October sky. and underneath the roadbed
was going by in an endless roar.
Had bad wreck down the line a Bit" yelled
Dockery in my ear. "rl show you when we
come to it. The train went off the track at the
foot of ravine and plowed into the hill at the
side. Everybody got away but the fireman and
he was killed"
was on the freman's side of the cab. Dock
cry was back on the floor of the cab feeding
coal to the fire. He climbed up beside me again.
and in moment he said:
Here's the spot The fireman got killed be-
cause he was sitting on this side"
experienced feeling of uneasiness as we
passed the scene of the mans death, and when
Demmer called to me. Come on over
and visit me for WHILE" was not slow in ac-