Plainfield High School - Hermiad Yearbook (Central Village, CT)

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6 THE HERMIAD The second call, nearer and more impatiently sounded, brought the ejaculation, Keep your shut on I as Williams gave the grate a vigorous shake. The near rumbling of the train drew him back to his duties. He jumped to his table, reached for and pulled the east-bound lever with a jerk. The engineer answered with a short blast and yanked the throttle open again. Williams was not sure, but he thought he saw the engineer against the glare of the open fire-box, shaking his fist at him for being tardy with the signal. The freight had slowed down considerably before the signal had cleared, but now the heavy train was quickly gathering headway. Williams leaned on the table, one hand closed over the spike. Touching it reminded him of the fact that the east- bJund track was blocked-he had failed to spike the lever, which prevented just such a hurried movement as he had made. The heavy train was already proceeding east on the east-bound track to certain disaster. For an instant he stood stunned by the knowledge of his carelessness. Then he plunged out of the office to warn some member of the crew in the caboose when it went past. The biting air mide him think quickly and he realized that there was not one chance in a hundred of any of the crew being on the platform. When it reached him, the speed would be too great to attempt to jump it. Only one chance remained. With- out a moment's hesitation, he stepped quickly to the side of the moving freight, caught hold of the ladder of a car and climbed to the top. He was nearer to the locomotive than to the caboose, so he started toward the front end. Suddenly there swept in upon his mind the thought of the tunnel! He must reach the engine before they came to the tunnel! If he failed, he would have to stretch out on the car roof until they came out on the other side. Then it would be too late to warn the engineer. Williams judged he was about ifteen or twenty cars from the engine as he started forward. The race would be close. The biting wind chilled him to the boneg his ears and fingers quickly became numb. W'hen he had put ten cars behind him, his movements became more and more labored. The gaps be- tween cars seemed to yawn wider and wider. The intermit- tent glow from the fire-box beckoned him on and mocked him by seeming to remain always just so far away. But the tunnel! How near was it? He became aware that the train was entering a cutg he saw the lights of Broad Street, which paralleled the railway, rise higher and higher. He tried to run faster, but his limbs felt immovable, and he seemed like one who tries to run in a nightmare.

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THE HERMIAD 5 FAILING TO SPIKE THE LEVER GLADYS BURDICK AT 9:o5 on a winter night, when the thermometer registered 300 below zero, extra engine No, 1626, east-bound, went off the track three-quarters of a mile west of J. B. Tower, be- cause a rail had broken under the pounding of heavy trailic and the contraction caused by low temperature. The point of derailment was 1o,ooo feet east of the Broad Street Tunnel and a mile from the Seaton block ollice. Often during heavy car movements, when the West Broad Street Yard was full of cars, the east-bound track from the tunnel to the J. B. Tower would be used by direction of the yardmaster for cars soon to be moved, and the dispatcher would issue orders establishing a single track zone between I. B. Tower and the Seaton ofhce. This night, the dispatcher did not establish a zone, but the operator at the tower had orders to hold west-bound trains and to allow east-bound trains to proceed against the current of traffic. When Taylor Williams, the third-trick operator, came on duty at II o'clock, he failed to sign the transfer book, which contained the iniormation that the east-bound track was blocked, but the second-trick operator had told him the news, and, with a warning not to let the fire go out, had de- parted into the dark and biting cold. The warning about the fire was unnecessary. Williams heaped on the coal liberally, but when he had been on duty an hour and a half, he discov- ered that the room was becoming decidedly chilly in spite of the fire. He dropped upon his knees and gazed in the ash pan. It was full of ashes up to the grate and he estimated that the fire-pit was a quarter full. He would have to empty the ash pan before he could shake the grate. Shivering, he went about taking up the ashes, which first meant a hunt out- side for the ash pail and shovel. To prevent mistakes owing to forgetfulness, since trains were controlled by manual block signals. a makeshift arrange- ment was in force at the Seaton office. A railway spike was placed between the latch and the handle of the lever that con- -trolled the main-line signals, which prevented a hurried or improper movement. After lining up the switches for a train movement shortly after coming on duty, Williams had failed to spike the lever controlling east-bound signals. Physi- cally cold, but hot under the collar, he paid no attention to the distant four long blasts of an approaching east-bound freight train calling for the clear board at the Seaton oihce

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THE HERMIAD 7 He was close to the engine now-it was cnly two car lengths away-but the engine Was close to the tunnel. He saw the black hill ahead 3 then the smoke of the engine flew back and enveloped him in its choking fumes. How could he see the tunnel now? lf he failed to see it in time, he would be dashed off the car and killed. He wanted to drop flat, but fought off the impulse and strained every chilled nerve. He was on the last car vshen the warning telltales slapped his face cruelly. One hundred feet to the tunnel! Suddenly its wide mouth was right upon them, swal- lowing up the locomotive. Uttering a hoarse cry, he fell for- ward across the last gap between train and tender, and then, with a roar, the car entered the tunnel. Half unconscious, hatless, blinded and blackened by cinders and smoke, he wormed his way over the coal and rolled down into the cab at the feet of the astonished fireman. Self preservation is an instinct with railway crews. The presence of the frozen operator was all that was necessary to tell the engineer something was wrong. He brought the train to a stop as soon as possible and thus saved the freight from a disastrous wreck. LOST AND FOUND MIRIAM CORNELL MILO Van Wynkoop sat in his kitchen one cold stormy night, playing a mournful tune on his beloved violin. Everything in the kitchen looked poverty stricken, even to Milo himself. His pretty young wife, who was very weak for the want of food, came from the sinkroom, stood in the kit- chen door, and said: Oh, Milo, I am dying of hunger. Won't you please try and get some food to keep us from starving ? Milo arose from his chair, kissed his violin and hung it on a nail which was driven into the wall, and murmured, My friend. He then took his hat and coat, both in a very tat- tered condition, and departed into the stormy night. He went directly to the office of Mr. Bloom, who was manager of the musical department for the Gem Theatre. To his surprise, he found instead of the office boy at the door, who always told him the boss was out or too busy to see anyone, a beautiful young girl, who at once gave him admit- tance. He walked slowly into the office, and found Mr. Bloom seated at his desk. Milo spoke, but Mr. Bloom did not look