The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-02-24
The Wreckers
Francis Lynde
CONTINUED Fsum Yesterday,
U.vvvss>A issA = C.-s-s 49,


angry bees. kirsan was standing
on tho front end. with his coat
thrown over the headlight. ready to
jerk Il off and jump when he got
the word Out at the switch. our
fireman was keeping out OF sight
so that the engineer of tho special
shouldn't see him. and maybe get
ratified and stop. An usual. the boss
had covered every little detail In
hts instructions. and had rcmcsn.
bercd that the sight OF q man
standing At a switch In a lonesome
place like this might give an enst
neer = nj OF NERVES and make
him shut Off steam.
had just flushed uncoupling
the day-coach and the boss was eas.
ing our engine ahead q bit 20 make
sure that she was loosc. when tho
car door opened behind mo and tho
major and Mrs. Shciia came cut IN
the front vesubule. II was Mrv.
Shelia who spoke 90 me. and her
voice had borrowed some OF the big
terror that had seen In her eyes
while she was sitting IN the office
at Portal City.
where whereabouts are ~
Jlmmler- she asked.
didn't get a chance TO tell her.
Before I could open my mouth the
black shadows OF the crooked valley
beyond the switch were shot thru
with the white. shimmcrinR glow
OF headlight beam. and n second
later the special fiicked into view
on tho curve OF approach.
When we first saw IL tho engine
was working steam. and she was
running like a strcak of lightning
But as we looked there was q
short sharp whistle ycIp. tho brakes
xripped the wheels. the one-car
train. with fire grinding from every
brake-shoc. came to . jerking stop
short carlsngth on our sids OF
the switch. and a man dropped from
the engine step TO go sprinting 10
the rear. And n was plain that
neither the engineer nor the man
who was running back saw our out.
fit waiting on the leg Of the old
~
kirgan was the FIRST one 10 un.
derstand. With . shout OF warning
no jumped and ran toward the
stopped train. yelling At the engi,
ncer for Gods sake 20 pull out and
80 on Back In the hills beyond
the curve Of approach another
~. 80. vx,,,xxxx,s~ 80 t...t.- $780,
the air. and the specials fireman.
who was the man We had s~en
Jump off and so running back. and
who. Of course didn't know that
We had our man there. was nppar-
emily trying TO reach the switch be,
hind his train TO throw Il against
the following engine 70 shoot IL off
on the ~Y."
BY this time the boss was off OF
our engine and racing across the
angle OF tho ~ only a little way
behind Kirgan- He realized that his
plan was smashed by the stopping
% the special. and that the very
we had come out 10 tn
TO prevent was due to happen right
there ard then. Whatever our man
waiting a; the switch might do,
here was bound 10 be q coliiszsS
n he len tho points set for the
main line. the wild engine would
crash into the rear end of the
stopped special: and II he did the
other thing. our engine and coach
on the ~ would get IL.
Get the people out Of that carr
heard the boss below. but even
as he said II the popvaive OF the
stopped engine went off with a
roar. filling the shutIn valley with
that nothing could
drown.
Two minutes. two little minutes
more. and the sleepsodden bunch OF
men In the specials car might have
been reused and turned out and
saved. But the minutes were not
given u.s. While the racing fireman
was stiii few feet short Of the
switch the throwing OF which would
have saved tho one-car train only
TO let the madman's engine IN on
our engine and coach. and our man
at the switch-was too
scared to know which horn Of the
dilemma to choose, the end came.
There was the flash of another
on the curve. another
whistle shrek, and turned 10 help
the major take Mrs. sheila off our
car and run with her. against the
chance that We might get
Il instead OF the special.
But we didn't get Il. Ten seconds
later the chasing engine had crashed
headlong into the standing train.
burying Itself clear MP TO the tender
In the heart Of the old wooden
rolling the whole business
over on its side In the ditch. and
setting the wreckage afirc as sud.
denly as II the old Pullman had
been q fasot of pitch-pine bindings
ana only waiting for the match.
II I could write down any real
Of the way things
stacked up there in that lonesome
valley for the little bunch Of us
who stood aghast nj the awful hor.
TOT, ku'BH b0Fa " t'
the keys OF a typewriter
In a railroad office. But never
mind; no soldier sees any moro of
a battle thap the part he In In.
There were seven of us men. In.
Guiding the engineer and fireman
Of the special. who were able TO
Jump in and try 70 do something,
and, looking back at II now. It
seems as II we all did what we
could
That wasn't much. About half
OF the people In the sIeepIng-car-sia
by actual count. as we learned
afterward--were killed outright In
the crash or so badly hurt that
they died pretty soon afterwnrd;
and ths firs was 20 quick and 30
hot that after we had got the
wounded ones out we couldn't get
All OF the bodies Of the others.
As you'd imagine. the boss was
he head and front of that fierce
rescue fight He had stripped off
his coat, and he kept on diving