The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 22, 1904, Page 7

THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL. HERE had been rumors all winter that the eng'neers were going to str Certainly we of department had Yet in radlroad friction in some man sleeps like ear alert—but for with wak- rond a men we had on a e Cameron; at L e wus one of the hard- because he Was young £ Andy, u big, power- lix Kennedy require runs 11 notice you neer on a n; even a young man years of that ed on a loco- of nerve and en- of flood ¢ blood “Yo don't think of this K Mr said Andy going to be d a wife urs ought to laughed 1l right. closed slightest attempt sound on it was a pocket. A wreck?” verything’s I floun- ern to the was al- the mas- minutes g trains aha wired, the s Vhen uation, but It meant either rder to the en- Eir to the death. For our only to wait for or- ders. 1 s just 6 o'clock when the 1 her, who was tap- rag ing from headquar- His ose around him the mes n superin- at the end ely saw in ra; epeated the su- trains can’t be by main with the t rm. ex- ty blue around the the Denver flier— with the su- power n- eman. The f second vice omised to deliver the train t vision on time the next Can you get it time to De ked at each other. At last all ravitated toward Neighbor, our echanie. dispatcher was 1 I say? he asked. n chief of the motive pow- er was a tremendously big Irishman, a voice like a fog horn. Without ation the answer came waiting. of us started. It was g the gage of battle. Our word bad gone out; the division was pledged; the fight was oa. strikers, through got word that ut 9 o'clock to gather round 1 o'clock when No. 1 man of the r 1dhouse swung do motive cab. The round the engin ht, though ty of jeering, there was tual violence. W ther saw or climb into the cab to take un west there was a sullen si- a committee of strikers, ameron, very cavalier lled on me. e come to notify “we'v y o through at spoke. you _men commift ¥ perintende ment of ¥ to you, and to 3 t I take my orde rotted in more rs grew : new men burned up on or into open switche: I kept tab for a week. a diner ha dish in ting two ta freight de; D the w selling wir h ended by runn ys later and set- m fire that burr > W What do you Are you Mr. Re “What do you want “1 want to spe “Well, what is it?” “Are you Mr. Reed?” “Confound you, yes! What do you want? “Me? I don't want anything. I'm just asking, that’s all.” His impudence staggered me so that I took my feet off the desk. “Heard you were looking for men,” he added: 1 snapped. men.” “Wouldn’t be any show to get on an engine, would there?” A week earlier I should have risen and fallen on his neck. But there had been others. here’s a show ke,” 1 suggested, I don’t mind that, if I get my time.” “What do you know about running an engine?” “Run one three years.” “On 2 threshing machine?” “On the Philadelphis and Reading.” ““Who sent you in here?” “Just dropped in.” 5 down.” 1 eyed him sharply as he dropped into a chair. “When did you quit the Philadelphia and Reading?” “About six enonths ago.” “Fired?” “Strike.” I began to get interested. After a few more questions I took him into the superintendent’s office. But at the door 1 thought it well to drop a hint. “Look here, my friend, if you're a spy you'd better keep out of this, This mar would wring your neck as quick as he'd suck an orange. See?” “Let's tackle him, anyhow,” replied “I don’t want any to get your head the fellow, eying me coolly. 1 introduced him to Mr. Lancaster, and left them together. Pretty soon the superintendent came into my office. “What do vou make of him, Reed?” said he. “What do you make of him?" Lancaster studied a minute, “Take him over to the roundhouse and see what he knows.” . I walked over with the new find, chatting warily. When we reached a live engine I told him to look it over. He threw off his coat, picked up a plece of waste and swung into the cab, “Run her out to the switch,” said I, stepping up myself. : He pinched the throttle and we steamed slowly out of the house. A minute showed he was at home on an engine, “Can you handle it?” I asked, as he shut off after backing down to the roundhouse. “You use soft coal,” he replied, try- ing the injector. “I'm used to hard. This injector is new to me. Guess I can work it, though.” “What did you say your name was “I didn’t say.” “What is it?” I asked, curtly. “Foley.” “Well, Foley, if you have as much sense as you have gall you ought to get along. If you act straight, you'll never want a job again as long as you live. If you don't, you won't want to live very long.” “Got any tobacco?” “Here, Baxter,” said 1, turning to the roundhouse foreman, “this is Foley. Give him a chew and mark him up to go out on 77 to-night. If he monkeys with anything around the house, kill him.” Baxter looked at Foley, and Foley looked at Baxter; and Baxter was not getting the tobacco out quick enough, Foley reminded him he was waiting. We didn’'t pretend to run freights, but I concluded to try the fellow on one, feeling sure that if he was crooked he would ditch it and skip. So Foley ran a long string of empties and a car or two of rotten oranges down to Harvard Junction that night, with one of the dispatchers for pilot. Under my orders they had a train made up at the junction to bring back to McCloud. They had picked up all the strays in the yards, including half a dozen cars of meat that the local Board of Health had condemned after it had laid out in the sun for two weeks, and a car of butter we had been shifting around ever since the beginning of the strike. ‘When the strikers saw the stuff com- ing in next morning behind Foley they concluded I had gone crazy. “What do you think of the track, Foley?” said L . “Fair,” he replied, sitting down on my desk. “Stiff hill down there by Zanesville.” “Any trouble to climb {t?” I asked, for I had purposely given him & heavy train. “Not with that car of butter. If you hold that butter another week it will climb a hill without any engine.” “Can you handle a passenger train?” “I guess so.” “I'm going to send you west on No. 1 to-night.” “Then you'll have to give me a fire- man. That guy you sent out last night is a lightning-rod peddler. The dispatcher threw most of the coal.” “I'll go with you myself, Foley. I can give you steam. Can you stand it to double back to-night?” “I can stand it if you can.” ‘When I walked into the roundhouse in the evening with a pair of overalls on Foley v/as in the cab getting ready for the run. Neighbor brought the fller in from the East. As soon as he had uncou- pled and got out of the way we back- ed down with the 448. It was the best engine we had left and, luckily for my back, an easy steamer. Just as we coupled to the mail car a crowd of strikers swarmed out of the dusk., They were in an ugly mood and when Andy Cameron and Bat Nichol- son sprang up into the cab I saw we were in for trouble. “Leok her: partner,” exclaimed Cameron, lay heavy hand on Fo- ley’s shoulder; “you don’t want to take this train out, do you? You wouldn't b honest workingmen out of a job?” “I'm not beating anybody out of a job. If you want to take out this train, take it out. If you don’t, get out of this cab.” Cameron was nonplused. Nichol- son, a surly brute, raised his fist men- acingly., “See here, boss,” he growled, “we won't stand for no scabs on this line.” Get out of this cab.” “I'll promise you you'll never get out of it alive, my buck, if you ever get into it again,” cried Cameron, swinging down. Nicholson followed, muttering angrily. I hoped we were out of the scrape, but, to my con- sternation, Foley, picking up his ofl can, got right down and began filling his cups without the least attention to anybody. Nicholson sprang on him like a tiger. The onslaught was so sudden that they had him under their feet in a minute. I jumped down, and Ben Buckley, the conductor, came running up. Between us we gave the little fellow a life. He squirmed out like a cat and backed instantly up against - the tender. “One at a time, and come on,” he cried hotly. “If it's ten to one, and on a -man’'s back at that, we'll do It dif- ferent.” With a quick, peculiar movement of his arm he drew a pistol, and, pointing it squarely at Cameron, cried, “Get back!” I caught a flash of his eye through the blood that streamed down his face. 1 wouldn’t have given a switchkey for the life of the man that crowded him at that minute. But just then Lan- caster came up and before the crowd realized it we had Foley, protesting “CONFOUND " YOU: Y=S' _, WHAT D0 YOU WANTYT angrily, back in the cab again. or heaven’s sake, pull out of this before there’s bloodshed, Foley,” I cried, and, nodding to Buckley, Foley opened the chocker. It was a night run and a new track to him. I tried to fire and pilot both, but after Fol suggested once or twice that if I would tend to the coal he w 1 tend to the curves, I let him find them and he found them all, I thought, before ot to Athe He took 3 but there w his bursts of fast runne At Athen to rest before never tired in my his r orb confldenc 1 marked erienced o rely two hours back. I was till I struck the pillow that but before I got it warm th uted me out again. on t to t ling on. “Did you get a nar pulled out. “No; we slipped an eccentric coming up and I've been under the engine ever " I asked as we since. Say, she's a bird, isn’t she? She all right. I couldn’t run her coming but I've touched e motion a bit, and TI'll get acquainted on her as soon as it's daylight.” “Don't mind getting action on my account, Foley. I'm shy on life insur- ance.” He laughed “You're fe with me. I never killed , woman or child in my life. When I quit the cab. Give her plenty of diamonds, if you please,” he added, letting her out full. Day broke ahead, and between breaths I caught the glory of a sunrise on the plains from a locomotive cab window. When the smoke of the Me- Cloud shops stained the horizon, re- membering the ugly threats of the strikers, I left my seat to speak to Foley. “I think you'd better swing off when you slow up for the yards cut across to the roundhouse,” I cried, get- ting close to his ear, for we were on terrific speed. “In that way you won't run into Cameron and his crowd at the depot,” 1 added. “I can stop her all right.” He didn’t take his eyes off the track. “I'll take the train to the platform,” said he. “Isn’'t that v crossing cut ahead?” he added, suddenly, as we swung round a fill west of town. “Yes, and a bad one.” d for the whistle and gave arning screams. I set the or and stooped to open the fur- nace door to cool the fire, when—chug! I°'flew up against the water gauges like a coupling pin. The monster engine reared up on her head. Scrambling to my feet, I saw the new man clutching the air lever with both hands, and every wheel on the train was screech- ing. I jumped to his side and looked over his shoulder. On the crossing just ahead a big white horse, dragging a buggy, plunged and reared frantic- ally. Standing on the buggy seat a baby boy clung bewildered to the lazy- back; not another soul in sight. All at once the horse swerved sharply back; the buggy lurched half over; the lines seemed to be caught around one wheel. The little fellow clung on; but the crazy horse, instead of running, began a hornpipe right between the deadly rails. I looked at Foley in despair. From the monstrous quivering leaps of the great engine, I knew the drivers were in the clutch of the mighty air brake; but the resistless momentum of the train was none the less .sweeping us down at deadly speed on the baby. Be- tween the two tremendous forces the locomotive shivered like a gigantic beast. I shrank back in horror; but the little man at the throttle, throwing the last ounce of air on the burning wheels, leaped from his box with a face trans- figured. “Take her!” he cried, and, never shifting his eyes from the cut, he shot out through his open window and darted llke a cat along the running- board to the front. Not a hundred feet separated us from the crossing. I could see the baby’s curls blowing in the wind. The horse suddenly leaped from across the track to the side of it; that left the bu, quartering with the rails, but not twelve inches clear. The way the wheels were cramped a single step ahead would throw the hind wheels into the train; a step backward would shove the front wheels into it. It was appalling. Foley, clinging with one hand in a headlight bracket, dropped down on the steamchest and swung far out. As the cow-catcher shot past Foley's long arm dipped into the buggy llke the B TRIVF sweep of a connecting-rod and caught the boy by the breeches. Tha impetus of our speed tahrew the child in the air, but Foley's grip wasgon the over- alls, and as’ the youngster bounded back he caug it close. I'saw the horse giveé : whee boy in his into the ca again, I tried t it? Well, I think ‘Hi! there, 1S little engineer. ing pair of breeches caught the kid right t pants,” he called bver t hysterically. “Heav 1 wouldn't have struck gold in Alaska. I've a boy in Reading as mu as a twin brother. What ¥ do- ing all alone in that kid do you suppose it name, son?” At this question I looked child again—and I started. I certainly seen him before; I not, his father’s the had and, had features were too well stamped on the childish face for at me to be mistaken.® “Foley,” I cried, all “that's Cameron’s boy—little A He tossed the b higher; he looked the happler; shouted the louder. “The deuce it is! W I'm mighty glad of it.” was ad In fact, pressed it, depot a wi mighty glad wh torted Fo from the to bulge. “I ged some—all instant, pante state. Andy, laying a ba fe s w Only boy’s The sweat stood out gineer's forehead like I told story. Cameron tri ak, but he tried again and again before he could find his voice. “Mate,” he stammered, * through a striké your what it nféans, dom't you've got a baby— boy tighter to his shoulder. I have, partner; th n the big en- the ou've been e know “Then you know w said Andy, huskily, putting ou hand to Foley. He gripped the man's fist hard, and, tur away through the crowd. Somehow it put a damper on the Bat NichoTson about the y man left who loo as if he wanted to eat somebody, and Foley, slinging his blouse over nis shoulder, walked up to Bat and tapped him on the shoutder. “Stranger,” sald he, = you oblige me with a chev Bat glared at him an Foley’s nérve won. Flushing a bit, Bat stuck his hand into his pocket; took it out; felt hur- riedly in the other pocket, and, with some confusion, acknowledged he was short”’ Felix Kennedy intervened with a slab and the three men fell at onge to talking about the accide A long time afterward some of the striking engineers were taken back, but mone of those who had been gullty of aetual violence. This barred Andy Cameron, who, though not worse than many others, had been less prudent; and while we all felt sorry for him afterfthe other boys had gone to work, Lancaster repeatedly and positively re- fused to reinstate him. Several times, though, I saw Foley and Cameron in confab, and one day up came Foley to the superintendent’s office, leading Httle Andy, In his over- alls, by the hand. They went into Lancaster's office together, and the door was shut a long time. When they came out little Andy had a plece of paper in his hand. “Hang on to it' son,” cautioned Foley; “but you can show it to Mr. Reed if you want to.” The youngster handed me the paper. It was an order directing Andrew Cameron to report to the master me- chanic for service in the morning. I bappened over at the roundhouse one day nearly a year later, when Foley was showing Cameron a nev engine, just in from the East two men were become great croni that day they fell to talking over the strike. “There was never but one th really laid up against this man, Cameron to me. “What's that?"” “Why, the way you shoved that pls- tol into mv face the first night you took out No. 1.” “I mever shoved any pistol into your face.” So saying, he stuck his hand into his pocket with the identical mo- tion he used the night of the strike, and leveled at Andy, just as he had done—a plug of tobacc “That’s all I ever pulled on you, son; I never car- ried a pistol in my life.” Cameron looked at him, 2 turned to me, with a-tired expres: . ve seen a good many men, with a good many kinds of nerve, but I'll be splintered if I ever saw any one with all kinds of =erve till I struck Foley.” tly, “could of tobacco? instant, but then he