Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-04-02
CHAPTER XII
The Helpless Wires

When Bobby kcIso shot his news NJ
us We all made quick break for
rhe dispatchcr'S Office. the boss in the
lead Durgin, the night dispatcher.
had been alone on the train desk, and
the only other operators on duty W"r"
the car-reCOrd man and HE young Tel
low who acted as II relief uD III" com.
mercial wire. When We got there,
we found that Tarhcll had happened
TO be In the office when Durgin blew
up. He was sitting In at Che train
Key, irving to get Crow GulCh. the
one intermediate wire station between
the two trains that had failed To get
their meet orders, and this was the
first ! knew that he really was the
expert telegraph operator that his
payroll description said he was
Durgin looked Ike tortured ghost.
He was thin dark man with Il sort
OF scattering beard aud limp black
hair; one of the clearest-headed dis.
patchers in the bunch, aud the very
last man, you'd say 10 get ratified in
q tangle-up. Yet here he was, hunched
In a chair AT the car-recurd table in
the corner, a staring eyed, palltd.
faced wreck, with the sweat standing
In big drops on his forehead and his
hands shaking as If he had the palsy.
Morris, the relief man, gave us the
particulars, such as they We're, speak,
ing Ia hushed voice as if he was
afraid of breaking in Oh TurhelI's
steady rafting Of the key in the Crow
Gulch station cull.
Number Four -Four was the east
bound "Fiyer'--'is five hours off her
time he explained las neur as
can get it, Durgin was going to make
her meet with Number Five at the
blind siding at Sand Creek tunk. She
ought to have had her orders some
where west of BauXite Junction. and
Five ought to have got hers at Bauta
Durgin says he simply forgot that
the Flyer was running late: that she
was still out and had meet to make
somewhere with Five"
Brief as Morris explanation was,
II was clear enough for anybody who
knew the road and the schedules. The
regular meeting point for the two pas,
senger trains was at Il point we'll east
of Portal City, instead Of west. and
SO of course, would not concern the
Desert Division crew of either train,
since all crews were changed ut Portal
City. From Bauta to BauXite June
ton. some thrty-0dd miles there was
only one telegraph station, namely,
that at the Grows Clutch lumber camp,
seven miles beyond the Timber Noun.
tain "Y" and the gravel pit where the
stolen 1916 had been abandoned.
Uuluckily, Crow Clutch was only
day station, the day wires being han
dled by young man who was half
In the pay Of the railroad and halt
IL that of the saw.mill company This
young man slept at the mill camp
which was mile back in the gulch.
Thee was only O3e chance in u thou
sand that he would be down nj the
iditludI StNti'H at ltH - 'lt' N at
night. and II was on that thouSandth
chance that Tarbel was rafting the
Grow Gulch call. If Five We're max
ing her card time. she was now about
halfway between Timber Mountain
"i" and Crow Gulch. And Four the
"Flyer," had just left Bauxile-with
no orders whatever Which meant that
the two trains would come together
somewhere near Sand Creek.
Mr.. Van Britt was as good wire
man as anybody on the line. hut it
was the boss who took things in hand
There is a l0ng-distance telephone
TO the Grow Gulch saw-miil have you
tried thatf" he barked at Tarbell
The big young fellow who looked
like Q cow-boy--and had really been
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