Providence Technical High School - Review Yearbook (Providence, RI)

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52 T E C H R E V I E W He closed the throttle and jammed on the emergency. The brakes shrieked and sparks flew from the rails. Dozing passengers were thrown headlong from their seats. The whistle blew and the (lilt Edge Elver came to a stop not a hundred feet from the “Devil's Creek. “Elsie! Jackson! Look! See what we missed! cried Allan, pointing toward the river. The head-light showed the waters of the creek on a level with the road-bed and the bridge WAS GONE. CHAPTER FIVE Conclusion Trainmen, passengers and stockholders came running forward to find out what had happened. Allan pointed to the creek. As soon as some of the crowd began to realize how near they had come to death, they fell on their knees and thanked God for their deliverance. Mr. Drew came up to Allan and said. “West, this road can never repay you for what you have done tonight. You have saved the lives of more than three hundred passen- gers. Neither can 1 ever repay you, for you have saved my daughter’s life. The conductor gave orders to return to Lakeside Junction. There any passengers de- siring to do so could transfer up the branch line to the P. O. and thence eastward. Elsie decided to ride back in the “Special with her father. Just as the train was readx to start, Allan turned and looked toward the river. There was that same waving form! He got down from the cab and walked toward the river, hoping to see what it was. but as soon as he got near there, it vanished. He turned around, and glanced at the head-light. Something was causing it to flash. He walked back and climbed on the cow- catcher. Then he saw. A bat was shut in the head-light, and, as it flapped its wings in front of the light in an endeavor to escape, made the waving shadow which had been seen on the track. Allan opened the door of the head-light and took the bat in his hand, as the heat had affected it somewhat. “The Danger Signal, lu murmured, and, opening his hand, he let the bat fly away into the darkness. While riding back in the “Special” with her father Elsie said, “I think that 1 shall invite him to my birthday party next month. “Do so. by all means, her father replied. Two weeks later there were in Allan’s mail two letters that we are interested in. One was small and white, and addressed in a neat feminine hand. The other bore the stamp of the B. L. E. R. R.

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TECH REVIEW 51 Great clouds of black smoke belched from the smoke stack, only to float away and be lost in the darkness. Jackson was working like a trooper. Would you like to run her, Miss Drew?” asked Allan. “Yes, I should love to,” she answered. Allan helped her across the cab and into his own seat. “And you must call me Elsie,” she whis- pered, as she sat down. “Put your hand on here,” said Allan, plac- ing her hand on the throttle. “Now you arc a real engineer.” He stood beside her for a few minutes and then went over on the other side of the cab. There was no use to deny it, Elsie Drew was certainly a pretty girl and she had asked him to call her Elsie! Get up here on your scat and keep a sharp look-out. I’ll fire a few minutes for you,” said Allan. “I'm not a bit tired,” said Jackson. “I don’t need a rest.” “Well, I guess you wouldn’t mind hugging that seat for a few minutes,” was Allan’s re- tort. “Well, remember it’s only for a few min- utes,” said Jackson. Allan had been firing only a short time when Elsie cried, “Allan! Allan! come here a minute. What is that waving its arms ahead there?” “Why, I don’t sec anything,” said Allan. “Well, 1 saw something big and black waving at us, but 1 don’t sec it now,” said Elsie. “Here, Jackson, I think 1 had better stay here a few minutes,” said Allan, as he handed hack the shovel. “All right, Allan. Say,” he whispered, “I’m pretty sure saw something waving at us back there.” In some respects railroad men might be called superstitious. Allan had heard of en- gineers who had seen strange signs and then either had been wrecked or had just stopped their train in time to prevent a wreck. What could that waving have meant? And then there came to his mind what the conductor of the accommodation train had told him about the bridge over the outlet of Millville reser- voir. This outlet was known as the Devil’s Creek, and the bridge over this creek had been the scene of more than one terrible accident. But now the train was approaching Ches- ter. Elsie, with Allan’s help, shut off the steam, applied the air, and brought the train to a stop in the Chester station at 9:03, one minute late. At 9:05 the conductor gave the signal to start. The “Flyer” was due at Lakeside Junction at 9:40, and as this was a stop for water, did not leave until 9:48. Allan stood beside Elsie as the train rushed on. Suddenly he closed the throttle, and cried, “Look! someone is waving us down. Jackson, do you see it? I did, but whatever it was, it’s gone now. Open her up again or you’ll have them up here looking us over. There’s a couple of trainmen looking to sec what the trouble is, already,” said Jackson. Allan opened the throttle again and the train soon pulled into Lakeside Junction, still on time. Lakeside Junction is a country sta- tion at a point where a short branch line con- nects with the B. L. E. It has a water tank and many trains stop there every day to take water. While the train was stopped here, Elsie decided that she had run the train enough, so she went hack on the fireman’s scat, and Allan got tip on his own scat. At 9:48 the train started once more. North Adams would be the next stop. North Adams is seventy-two miles from Lakeside Junction and the time for this distance is eighty-two minutes, making the “Flyer” due to arrive at North Adams at 11:10. From Lakeside Junction there is thirty-five miles of level track to the top of the “Devil’s Grade.” The “Devil’s Grade is fifteen miles long and at the foot of this grade is the “Devil’s Creek.” From this point the track is level all tin way to North Adams. Allan opened the throttle wide and kept it open. 'File train, running on the level track, was going at a mile a minute clip. The thirty-five miles to the “Devil’s Grade” were covered in almost as many minutes. On the grade the train increased its speed to nearly seventy miles an hour. Five miles of the grade were covered, then ten. In a minute the dreaded bridge would be crossed. And now Allan, peering ahead into the darkness, suddenly saw that same waving shadow. It was waving faster now. as if to sav STOP! DANGER! STOP! DANGER! Allan could stand it no longer. He would not go over that bridge until he knew it was safe. “Elsie! Jackson! Hold on for your life!” he screamed. “I’m going to stop her.”

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CROSS COUNTRY Stand In —Barber, Dorcay, Macrae (Manager), lladdleton (Coach), Chandler. Arnold. Seated—Day. Fort (Captain), (Mark.