Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1921-05-12

copy of the Herald. Did you read
that editorial?"
Never mind the newspaper talk.
How bad is the trouble this timer"
"Pretty bad. The freight is prac-
tically a total loss; a good half of it
is in the river. Kirgan says he can
pick the freight engine up and re-
build it: but the passenger machine is
a wreck"
How did it h%appen?"
TITS like a good many of the 9th.
ers. Nobody seems to know. Brock
man put the freight engine crew on
the rack, and they say there was a
small boulder on the track-that it
rolled down the canyon slope just
ahead of them as they were turning a
curve. They struck it, and both men
say that the engine knocked it off
into the river apparently without hurt
ing anything. But two seconds later
the entire train left the track and
piled up all over the right-of-way."
The boss was sitting back in his
chair and making little rings on the
desk blotter with the point of his
letter-opener.
"Upton, these knock-outs have got
to be stopped"
"Good Lord" exclaimed the little
millionaire; "you don't have to tell
me that! If we can't stop 'em, Uncle
Dunton will have plenty of good rea-
son for cleaning us all out, lock,
stock, and barrel! I was talking with
Carter, in the claim Office, this morn
ing. Our loss and damage account
for the past month is something
frightful !"
ut is" said the boss gravely. And
then: Upton, we're not altogether as
bright as we might be. Has it never
occurred to you that we are having
too much bad luck to warrant us in
charging it all up to the chapter Of
accidents?"
Mr.. Van Britt blew his cheeks out
until the stubby, cropped mustache
bristled like porcupine quilts.
$50 you've been getting your point
er, too, have you?' he threw in.
Mr.. Norcross didn't answer the ques-
ton directly.
Put Tarbell on the job, and if he
needs help, let him pick his WI men,"
he directed. "We want to know why
that boulder tumbled down ahead Of
Number Seventeen, and ! wan TO see
Tarbell's report on it. Keep at it
night and day, Upton. The infection
is getting into the rank and file and
it's spreading like a sickness. If 1T
becomes psychological, we shall have
all the trouble we need"
81 know nodded the superinten-
dent. Il Went through a siege of that
kind on 1.-The Great Southwestern, one
winter. 1t was horrible. Men who
had been running trains year in and
year out, and lev knowing that they
had any nerves, went to pieces If
you'd snap your fingers at them"
That's it," said the boss. 1--WE
don't want to fall into that ditch.
Things are quite bad enough, as they
are" 49,
This ended it for the time. The
Petrolite Canyon wreck was picked
up. the track was cleared, and once
more III trains were moving on time.
But anybody could see that the entire
Short Line had a case of nerves"
Kirgan, Kfrgan the cold-bl0oded.
showed 1t one afternoon when / went
over to his Office to return n bunch of
blue-prints sent in for the boss APP
proval. The big Master.mechanic had
a round-house foreman ION the carpet
and al marrying him like the dickens
for letting an engine go out with one
OF her truck safety chains hanging
loose.
Ever since we had gone together on
the rescue run to Timber Mountain,