The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-02-25
The Wreckers
Francis LyRde


The minute he got hole big
enough. the big master mechanic
dropped his axe and climbed down
into the choking hell where the
screams were coming from. our
fireman picked up the axe and ran
around 10 the other side of the
wreck. where Jones. the engineer OF
the special. and his fireman were
trying TO break into the crushed
cab OF the aie.
The old major. tho boss and
stood by TO help ktrgan, and the
minute his head came up thru the
chopped hole VIZ saw that he needed
help lie had priod the screaming
man loosc. somehow. and was try.
tnE 20 drag him up out OF the
smoking furnace. IL WAS done,
amongst ns. some way or other
kirgan had wrapped the man up in
a Pullman blanket to keep the fire
from getting az him any worse than
Il already had. and as we were TAX.
Ing him out the hlankrt slipped
aside from hts face and I saw who
Il was that the master mechanic
had raskcd his life for. II was
Hatch. himself. and he died In our
arms. the majors and rninx, while
We were carrying him out " where
Mrs Sheila was tearing one OF the
Pullman sheets that | had got hold
OF into strips to make handages for
the wounded.
with the chance OF saving maybe
another one or two. We couldn't stay
10 f,.ltN fhA Axax-.. NIT. xss..,,,.- 49,
was trying TO be doctor and nurse
10 half dozen poor wretehca at
once. But she took time 10 ask me
one single breathieszs question:
Have they found him yetf-you
know the one I mean. Jlmmies"
No" said They're digging
away at that side now and then !
ran back to jump In again.
Tho the fire was now licking Mt
everything In sight. kirgan. who
had taken the axe from our fire
man. had managed 10 cut some OF
the car umbsrs out Of the way so
that We could see down into the
tangle OF things where the cab Of
the si6 ought TO have been. There
wasn't much left Of the cab. The
water-gauge was broken, along with
Everything else. but IN spite Of the
rcek OF smoke and steam we could
see that Hogan and his fireman
were not there. But down under
the coal that had shifted forward az
the impact OF the collision We could
make out the other man--thc muir
der rlaniac--iying on hts back. black
1 sx sks. fx@ss ~
That was enough for tho boss
II looked like certain death for any.
body 10 crawl down into that hiss
ing steam bath. but he did Il. wrig
Cling thru the hole that Kirgan
had chopped. while two or three Of
us ran TO the little creek thai
| trickied down on tho far side Of the
~ and brought back soaking Pub
man blankets to try to delay the
cncroaehing fire and smother the
steam Jets
l couldn't see vwry wei what tho
boss was doing the smoke and
steam were so binding. But when
I did get a glimpse I saw he was
digging franticaIly with his bare
hands at the shifted coal. and that
he had succeeded In freeing the
head and shoulders of the buried
man. who WINS still alive enough to
choke and gasp In the furnace-like
heat
Kirgan stood " rs long he could
- until the Bcking flames were
about to drive US all away
You'll be burnt alive-cosmn up
out Of that he yelled to tho boss;
but / knew Ii wouldn't do any
good. With coilingwood stu buried
down there ard stl with the breath
of life in him. the boss was COINS
to stay and keep on trying to dix
him out, even IL he. himself. got
burned to a crisp doing IT, Loving
Mrs. Shetla the way he did, he
couldn't do any less.
II was awful. those next two OF
ming francticaIiy back and forth.
now. between the wreck and the
creek, soaking the blankets and do
ing our level best to beat tho fire
back and keep IL from cutting off
the only way there was for the
boss to climb out. But we could
only fight gaSpingiy on the Eurface
OF things. az you might say. Down
underneath, tho fire was working
around in front and behind In spite
OF all we could do. Some of Il had
got to the coal, and the heavy sui.
phurous smoke was oozing up TO
make US all choke and strange.
Honestly. you couldn't have told
that the boss was a white man
when he crawied up out OF that pit
Of death. Juggling and lifting the
crushed and broken body of the
mailman. and making us take IL
ont before ne would come out him.
self. We got them both away from
the fire as quickly as we could and
around to the other side Of things,
| Kirgan and Jones carrying Colling-
wood.
The poor little Indy we had feft
alone with the rescued ones had
done all she could. and she was
waiting for us. When we put Col
Iingwood down she sat down on the
ground and took his head in her
lap and cried over him Just like his
mother might have, and when the
boss knelt down beside her / heard
what he said: That's right, little
woman: that's Just as It should be.
I Death wipes out all scores. / did
my best-you must always believe
| that / did my best
She choked again at that, and
said: '~T-here is no hooper" and he
said: I'm afraid not. He was dy-
/ ing when ! got TO him"
I tried 70 swallow the big lump
In my throat and turned away, and
30 did everybody else but the major,
who went around and knelt down
on the other side Of Mrs. Sheila
The wreck was blazing now like
mighty bonfire, lighting up the
pine-clad hills all around and snap
ping and growing like some savage