Omaha daily bee., 1917-07-01

nipulating tickets for ball game. But
Desmond had other affairs in mind.
He asked Burke for bottle of acid,
Bur''e, in handling this awkardly,
spin-d little OF the acid on his hand.
Before he could find a towel his hand
was badly burned and a white scar re-
NAMED. Desmond taking the acid
now, explained his idea to the raiders
and in an auto. with Desmond at the
wheel, the party drove to small sta
tion-Workman--on the Kay. There,
watching their opportunity, they
poured acid on the semaphore wires
and hurried away.
The semaphore was set at danger.
Passengers waiting for the train no.
ticed the danger signal, but shortly
afterward as the acid ate through the
wire the semaphore dropped to clear.
The train ran through Workman. The
agent tried to flag it but was too late.
lie hurried in and wired Roy:
Number Ten ran past Workman with
somaphore at Dangerl MORRILL,, Agent.
At Blackton station the raiders
again poured acid Oh the semaphore
wires and got away unobserved. Num-
Der 10 ran through this station. The
agent rushed outside and looking at
the semaphore found that while he
had set it at danger, it now indicated
clear. Fastening into the station he
examined his levers. One of the
wires was broken. He wired Roy:
Number 10 ran past Blackton account
semaphora wires broken.
By this time passenger at Work
man noticed the semaphore was set
at clear. Morrill, examining the lev
crs found a broken wire and at once
notified Roy.
Greatly disturbed, Roy talked to
Webb and as soon as No. 10 pulled
i'll he summoned the train and engine
crews. But their stories were all
straight and Roy could only dismiss
them.
Meantime graver reports were COM
ing, At Hobart Crossing two rail-
road tracks intersect, almost at right
angles, not far from the tower. On
the morning of the raiders work the
Cannonball freight train ran by its
semaphore. 1t should have stopped.
The Eastern Limited was unluckily
due at the same time at the crossing.
While the astonished towerman saw
the passenger train run by its stop
signal. the Cannonball freight also
passed the semaphore at which it
should have stopped. Amazed and
helpless, both towermen now saw the
two trains heading at right angles for
each other. The engineman of the
limited saw the freight engine shoot
over the crossing frogs ahead and
struggled to avert catastrophe. He
threw his engine into reverse, but
could not hold his heavy train. He
checked heavily with the emergency
air-=it was useless. The great pas
enger engine smashed ahead on into
h middle Of the freight train. A
rash like a roar of artillery shook
he solid earth. The towerman, drop
Ding to the ground, started for the
chastity wreck. As he ran, he tripped
and fell on the broken semaphore
wire, One end OF the wire whipped
lin across the hand; it left white
scar such as that on the hand Of
}urkc.
The appalling results of their crime
isturbed even the raiders, watching
t distance. They hurried away as
he passenger conductor ran to the
,elephone in the tower. At head
quarters an operator rushed in to Roy
with message.
Cannonhall wrecked by Eastern Limited
st Hobart Crossing. Accident due to broken
senaphore wires. Send wrecklng gang,
LEONARD, Conductor
Roy ran into the outside Office. He
gave the message to Webb and Helen
and orders were promptly issued to
get out the wrecking crew.
A drastic investigation next day
failed to FIX responsibility for the
wreck. While Webb and Helen were
conducting the inquiry, in which the
towerman showed his acid-burned
hand, Webb went in to speak to Roy.
Roy showed him morning paper.
Eastern limited wrecked. Defective
iemaphore wires on Kay & w. rail-
-oad and criminal neglect of a Kay &
w, towerman precipltates one of the
Norst disasters in our railroad his
tory"
Slowly, but surely, we are losing
ground" declared Roy as Webb fn-
ished reading. when l mention our
road people laugh"
But Desmond, reporting to Rose
lale, was complimented on his sue
iessl And the investigation was al.
most ended when Helen, taking the
signatures Of the men to their tes-
timony, noticed the scar on the tow
srman's hand. She questioned him