University of Wisconsin Superior - Gitche Gumee Yearbook (Superior, WI)

Page 11 text:

o We GITCHESG UMEE Vol. VIII. COMMENCEMENT NUMBER, 1907. No. 4 ON THE BLACK LIST. It is going to be a bad stormy night, Brown, so I think I shall come back after supper and spend the evening with you. The speaker was Jack Steele, the day operator and Brown was the night man at Wheeler, a little station on the D. S. C. railroad in Northern Wisconsin. Oh yes, here is a letter that came for you today. I almost forgot it. And tossing the letter on the table, jack went out. When he was gone B1'OW11,1JlCliCtl it up, slowly tore it open and when he had finished reading it muttered to himself: Well, it has come again. I presume l ought to be used to it by this time but it is mighty discouraging to a fellow just the same. With that he went to work and was busy when Steele returned. lily the time jack had taken off his dripping rain-coat and poked up the tire a little Brown had finished and they both pulled their chairs up closer to the stove and settled down for a chat. After they had been talking for about an hour Steele remarked: Brown you have something on your mind. Wfas there anything in that letter that upset you P Yes, Jack, they have 'got' me again. 'Got' you? Why what do you mean? just this, they have looked np my record and it will not stand. This is my last night on this jobf' Your record, jim? You never told me anything of that. VVhat is wrong with it? There is nothing in it that I am ashamed of, continued Brown, though for reasons that will be apparent to you I find it best to say as little about my past life as possible. I have been here With you for over a month and 'have' told you nothing, but now as long as the blow has fallen I may as Well tell you the cause of my leaving. My father died when I was quite young and as soon as I was able l went to work in the depot, helping the agent and learning the business. It was not very long before l was competent to hold a position so when the agent was promoted l applied for the place and got it. Wie were getting along very nicely when, because of some difference be- tween the management of the road and the men, a strike was called and I went out with the rest. W'e never got back. 'l'he strike was lost and I was forced to leave home and look elsewhere for work. Since then I have travelled all over the country, but as soon as I have worked about a month or so that bad spot in my record is discovered and I must move on again. I have taken up a course in the correspondence schools and before very long hope to be able to again settle down and live without this thing hang- ing over my head. Why don't you change your name and cover up that spot in your record, 'suggested Steele. jack, old man, james Brown is a common name but it is as dear to me as the title of the proudest llOlJlC in Europe, my mother's name and the one she gave me, a11d death is the only thing that shall take it from me. XV ell, I am sorry to see you go and would like to stay later and visit with you but it is getting so late now that I think 1 shall go, and see you again in the morning. VVith these words Steele put on his coat and bidding Brown good night started home. A short time after he had gone Old Bill Smith, the conductor came stamp- ing into the oiiice. lle stopped growling about the weather long enough to say: Get orders for the 3085 ready to go in five minutes, and proceeded to register his train. X

Page 10 text:

8, GITCHE GUMEE N x I 1 X x MISS BETTES, MISS BENNETT. ....-.pg qi- MR. BERG-EN. MR. GILBERT. X X

Page 12 text:

10 . GITCHE GUMEE After reading and signing the orders he went out and as the engine was go- ing by he swung himself into the cab and seating himself at the engineer's side handed him his copy of the orders. Brown was still sitting in his chair looking at the instruments before him in an absent-minded sort of way when he heard the operator at klflunter, which was the next night office, ten miles further west, report the following to jones, the d-ispatcher: Special 101 East, by at 11 :15. I-Ie glanced at his clock, it was just 11:16 then, and at the same instant he heard his own call sounded as though there were a madman at the other end of the wire. Knowing what was coming he answered quickly. Has the 308 gone yet F snapped the sounder. just going, he returned. God! stop them! They have noth- ing against the 101 eastf, There was one oliice, Wziles, between VVheeler and l-lunter, but there was no night man there. still with the faint hope that perhaps the agent might, by some chance, be in the office at that time jones called desperately: Wa-VVa-Wa . The sounder shrieked, purred. coaxed, plead- ed, begged and rattled wildly by turns but to no avail. ily this time every operator on the line was bending over his instruments breathlessly waiting to see what was to be the result. Special 101 east, com- posed of seven coaches lilledfwith pas- sengers on their way to the State Fair, beyond all human control, was bearing down upon a heavily loaded west-bound freight. As the words 'stop them' came to Brown he snached up his red lantern and ran out on the platform swinging it wild- ly. The conductor is on the other side of the engine and the brakemen are un- doubtedly busy in the caboose, he thought, how can I stop them now? They will not see the lantern. At every revolution of the, wheels the train was gaining more speed. Already it was going at a rate that made it dan- gerous to attempt to get on. By the time the caboose should pass him it would be going so swiftly that it would be impossible to catch it. VVhat was to be done? I-Ie already saw two mighty locomotives piled in a tangled niass and heard in his mind the groans of the dying. There is only one way to prevent this, he thought rapidly. Dare I attempt it? Why should I? jones is to blame. I-Ie failed on his or- der. There can be no blame put upon me. I leave today anyway. lf I stop them no one will ever know of the error that jones has made unless I tell of it. Then my record will be cleared as a re- ward but Jones will have to go. Life or death I must.' He set the lantern down, ran a few steps down the wet slippery platform be- side the train and with one hand grasped an iron round of one of the ladders as it was passing him and with a mighty effort threw himself against the car and clutch- ed it with the other hand. No time was to be lost. He pluckily climbed up a few steps and then worked himself in between the cars. The hammering of the wheels over the joints and the crunch ing of the knuckles was deafening. lie took out his knife and grasping the brake-staff with one hand he caut- iously let himself down until he could reach the rubber air-hose. It was tough but at last he succeeded in cutting a gash in it and he felt a thrill of joy and triumph as he felt the brakes grinding on the wheels as the air was released. The heavy train quickly came to a stop and lanterns appeared outside the caboose and engine. Bring an air-hose, quick, he called. and to the brakeman who came running up with one he said: Put it in there and get back on the siding as quickly as you can. It was but a few moments until the train was back on the siding once more and as special 101 east rolled over the switches at Wheeler in safety little did the passengers dream of how their lives had been saved by an unknown man whose heroism would never be reward- ed by word or deed. . As Brown entered the little telegraph office all was still as death. It seemed as though all life had been cut off the entire division. Not a sounder clicked. He opened his key and said si1nply:' Special 101 east arrived 11Z31Q ex- tra 308 west, departed 11:32. Jones' who had been sitting in his chair as one dead heard this as a con-