The Argosy, Vol. XI No. 19 — page 5: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE ARGOSY forty minutes, I was mistaken, J am mistaken,” chuckled the dis- patcher. ** But ‘R D' let No. 20 go by without orders when he had orders to ho'd them,” interposed Dash, still mystified. ‘* But I didn’t let Nu. 19 out before he told me he had let 20 go by. No. 19 is stil in the yard,” explained Mr. Clikenger. ‘And you want'RD’to think there will be a collision as the re- sult of his carelessness,” smiled Dash, much relieved as he compre- hended the ruse by which a lesson in vigilance had been administered to the derelict operator at Ardley. ‘Exactly. I knew it wasn't Wilson, the regular man, and I wanted to teach him that it isn’t safe to leave a ‘ plug’ in his place. I guess I’ve scared the youngster out of a year’s growth.” Fortunately, owing to the precaution cf Mr. Clikenger, nothing more serious resulted from the operator’s omission than the delay of No. 19 till the arrival of No. 20 at the relay station. It afterwards transpired that the student operator who had failed to hold the train at Ardley, was the regular operator’s sister, who was taking the latter's place while he visited a sick mother. When the young girl realized what she had done, and was led to be- lieve by the dispatcher’s words that a terrible wreck would ensue, she did the proper thing for a girl to do under the circumstances, and fainted. Quite a severe illness followed her scare, and when the dis- patcher heard all the facts of the episode, he admitted that he would not have practiced the ruse had he known the guilty one was of the gentler sex. The incident had one good effect, however, as Wilson never after- ward left an inexperienced person in his place, though the circum- stances under which he had done so in the present instance were exten- uating. The experience was considered sufficient puuishment for the neglect of duty, and nothing further was done than to send Wilson a warning letter against such an occurrence in the future. This episode only impressed more thoroughly upon Dash the great importance of never tiring vigilance ; but he soon found that even the most watchful cannot help sometimes being drawn into a position where they are censured or punished for an apparent mistake or neg- lect of duty. But before experience had taught him this fact, he per- formed a service that raised high hopes of promotion, and when he re- ceived punishment instead of expected reward it was all the more keenly felt. It was only a few days after the affair with the operator at Ardley, when the shades of coming night were darkening over the busy railroad yards, that Dash received a message which niled him with pity and horror. ‘There had been a ‘‘ head on” collision between two engines hauling heavy freight trains. The engineers of both locomotives had been killed almost instantly, while the two firemen were seriously, if not fatally, injured, and the message requested that a surgeon be sent immediately to the scene, as there was none anywhere near there. Fortunately one of the surgeons employed by the company was stopping at a hotel not far from the relay station, and a messenger was quickly dispatched for him. The collision had occurred at the en- trance to the freight yards, about three miles from the relay depot on the other side of the city. All freight trains were made up in the freight yards and brought to the relay station before they were taken charge of by the conductor and his crew. In like manner, al] incoming crews stopped at the relay depot and their trains were turned over to the yard crew. An extra engine was provided for carrying the freight crews to and from the city, where most of them lived, and on the even- ing of the accident this engine was standing near the station. In a few minutes the surgeon appeared, and he was directed to get aboard the engine to be taken to the freight yards. Then it was found that there was neither engineer nor fireman on the locomotive, and a hurried inquiry and search failed to find them. As they knew they would not be needed, under ordinary circumstances, for half an hour, when the next train was due, they had doubtless improved the oppor- tunity to visit some one near by, which was not an unusual thing. A rood head of steam was on the engine, and she was all ready to start. All she needed was acompetent hand at her throttle. Time was precious, as every moment lost might mean a life, and when Dash heard the several messengers report that the engineer and fireman could not be found, he said : ‘1) take her around, Mr. Clikenger, if you can get along without me for a short time.” ‘You, Dykeman ?” queried the dispatcher, in surprise. ‘What do you know about an engine ?” 293 - ““T know enough about one to run it around to the freight yards, I guess,” responded Dash confidently. ‘All right, go ahead; I can run things alone till you get back,” as- serted the dispatcher without further question. Though Dash had never practically run a locomotive, he was as fa- militar with every part of the wonderful machine, and their various uses, as if he had been an engine driver for years, He was passion- ately fond of mechanical engineering, and, as we have already men- tioned, had thoroughly digested Forney’s book on the subject. He was, in fact, much more familiar with the actual construction of the iron horse than are the majority of practical locomotive engineers. With full confidence, therefore, of being able to discharge the duty he had undertaken, Dash mounted the cab of the engine, where the surgeon was waiting for him. He took his seat on the right side, while the doctor placed himself in the fireman's seat on the left. ‘‘Are you going to take her around, Mr. Dykeman ?" questioned the medical man. ‘* Yes ; I know all about an engine, though I have never run one before. ‘All right; then Pil be your fireman, though I have had no experi- ence,” laughed the doctor. ‘* Very well,” smiled Dash; ‘‘then the first thing you do, please give us several shovelsful of coal, and close the firebox door.” The green fireman proceeded to do so, and the young engineer, after making sure the switch was turned tothe main track, slowly let the steam into the cvlinders. The engine forged slowly ahead till it was on the main line, and then Dash gradually opened the throttle till they were flying: over the polished rails. Far ahead, the line of double rails, well worn by constant and heavy traffic, glistened like polished silver, as the pleaming head- light and the myriad signal lamps were reflected upon them. Every few yards there was a signal—white, green, or red—close to the ground, indicating a switch and its condition, or high up in tower or semaphore, telling if there was safety or danger on the main line ahead. The tracks and signals in a railroad yard are an intricate puzzle to the general public, but toa railroad man, and especially an engineer or yardman, they are as plain as an open book. Between the relay station and the freight yards was a system of block signals and semaphores. A white light meant that the track was clear and that the train might proceed. As soon asa white signal was passed a red light appeared in its place, which remained in position until the train reached the next signal, in order to protect it against a train following. Reaching the next station the engineman gives four toots of his whistle, and the white light appears on the klock or semaphore he has passed, indicating that that portion of the track is clear, This operation is repeated as the train clears each block section, Under Dash's control the switch engine glided on itserrand of mercy, to the accompaniment of its clanging bell and the rattling switches. Aside from the noise of the rapidly working machinery, the rasping roar of the exhaust through the smoke stack and the pounaing of the heavy drivers on their steel bed, all was quiet, aud not a soul was to be seen along the roadside. The telegraph poles on both sides of the tracks, with their network of wires, flashed by so rapidly that the roadway far ahead seemed like a long fenced in lane. Every few moments a signal tower loomed up and the operator was seen near his switch levers. The instant the en- gine struck a certain switch it rang a bell in the switch tower, and the operator knew the direction the engine was coming and what track was wanted. He then pulled the proper lever and the switch was thrown. > It was a rare excitement to Dash and the doctor, though it was only riding on a switch engine ; and it is doubtful if those who made a busi- hess of it ever experienced such feelings as theirs, Driving an engine for a livelihood takes all the novelty out of it, though old engineers ad- mit that there is a certain fascination about the business that make them cling to it. : Everything went well with the flying switch engine for several min- utes, and Dash was just congratulating himself that in very brief time now they would be at their destination, when, as he was peering out ahead, he noticed something standing on the track. At first he thought it was only a shadow, but as he rapidly approached the object he made it out to be a two horse team standing square on the road. Though in the hasty glance he had given he could not determine if there was any one with the team, he feared there might be. He haste GOR GOO COLL