Danger Signals

Signals, by John A. Hill and Jasper Ewing Brady

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Title: Danger Signals Remarkable, Exciting and Unique Examples of the Bravery, Daring and Stoicism in the Midst of Danger of Train Dispatchers and Railroad Engineers
Author: John A. Hill and Jasper Ewing Brady
Release Date: August 8, 2006 [EBook #19007]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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[Illustration: "Quick as a flash the Kid had my arm."]
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DANGER SIGNALS
Remarkable, Exciting And Unique Examples Of The Bravery, Daring And Stoicism In The Midst Of Danger Of TRAIN DISPATCHERS AND RAILROAD ENGINEERS
By
JOHN A. HILL and JASPER EWING BRADY
ABSORBING STORIES OF MEN WITH NERVES OF STEEL, INDOMITABLE COURAGE AND WONDERFUL ENDURANCE
Fully Illustrated
CHICAGO JAMIESON-HIGGINS CO. 1902
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Copyright 1898, 1899 By S. S. McClure Co.
Copyright 1899 By Doubleday & McClure Co.
Copyright 1900 By Jamieson-Higgins Co.
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CONTENTS

PART I. PAGE
Jim Wainright's Kid 7
An Engineer's Christmas Story 35
The Clean Man and the Dirty Angels 57
A Peg-legged Romance 75
My Lady of the Eyes 97
Some Freaks of Fate 151
Mormon Joe, the Robber 191
A Midsummer Night's Trip 227
The Polar Zone 253

PART II.

CHAPTER
I.
Learning the Business--My First Office 1
II. An Encounter with Train Robbers 11
III. In a Wreck 12
IV. A Woman Operator Who Saved a Train 25
V. A Night Office in Texas--A Stuttering Despatcher 33
VI. Blue Field, Arizona, and an Indian Scrimmage 42
VII. Taking a Whirl at Commercial Work--My First Attempt--The Galveston Fire 52
VIII. Sending a Message Perforce--Recognizing an Old Friend by His Stuff 62
IX. Bill Bradley, Gambler and Gentleman 68
X. The Death of Jim Cartwright--Chased off a Wire by a Woman 80
XI. Witnessing a Marriage by Wire--Beating a Pool Room--Sparring at Long Range 87
XII. How a Smart Operator was Squelched--The Galveston Flood 96
XIII. Sending My First Order 104
XIV. Running Trains by Telegraph--How It is Done 111
XV. An Old Despatcher's Mistake--My First Trick 125
XVI. A General Strike--A Locomotive Engineer for a Day 137
XVII. Chief Despatcher--An Inspection Tour--Big River Wreck 147
XVIII. A Promotion by Favor and Its Results 160
XIX. Jacking up a Negligent Operator--A Convict Operator--Dick, the Plucky Call Boy 168
XX. An Episode of Sentiment 185
XXI. The Military Operator--A Fake Report that Nearly Caused Trouble 192
XXII. Private Dennis Hogan, Hero 203
XXIII. The Commission Won--In a General Strike 222
XXIV. Experiences as a Government Censor of Telegraph 237
XXV. More Censorship 246
XXVI. Censorship Concluded 257
XXVII. Conclusion 269
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List of Illustrations

PART I.
"Quick as a flash the Kid had my arm." Frontispiece
TO FACE "I noticed his long, slim hand on the top of the reverse-lever" 22
"It was a strange courting ... there on that engine" 70
"We carried him into the depot" 100
"He was the first man I ever killed" 176
"'Mexican,' said I" 236
"What seemed to be a giant iceberg...." 282
"A white city ... was visible for an instant" 292

PART II.
Facsimile of a completed train-despatcher's order 1
"Two of the men tied my hands in front of me" 16
"After many efforts I finally reached the lowest cross-arm" 30
"One of them picked up the lantern, and swaggering over to where I sat all trembling...." 38
"He looked at me ... then catching me by the collar...." 100
"... Half lying on the table, face downward, dead by his own hand" 128
"'See here, who is going to pull this train?'" 144
"Are you not doing it just because I am a woman?" 190
"... Dennis, lying under the telegraph line. His left hand still grasped the instrument" 219
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DANGER SIGNALS.

PART I.
JIM WAINRIGHT'S KID
As I put down my name and the number of the crack engine of America--as well as the imprint of a greasy thumb--on the register of our roundhouse last Saturday night, the foreman borrowed a chew of my fireman's fine-cut, and said to me:
"John, that old feller that's putting on the new injectors wants to see you."
"What does he want, Jack?" said I. "I don't remember to have seen him, and I'll tell you right now that the old squirts on the 411 are good enough for me--I ain't got time to monkey with new-fangled injectors on that run."
"Why, he says he knowed you out West fifteen years ago."
"So! What kind o' looking chap is he?"
"Youngish face, John; but hair and whiskers as white as snow. Sorry-looking rooster--seems like he's lost all his friends on earth, and wa'n't jest sure where to find 'em in the next world."
"I can't imagine who it would be. Let's see--'Lige Clark, he's dead; Dick Bellinger, Hank Baldwin, Jim Karr, Dave Keller, Bill Parr--can't be none of them. What's his name?"
"Winthrop--no, Wetherson--no, lemme see--why, no--no, Wainright; that's it, Wainright; J. E. Wainright."
"Jim Wainright!" says I, "Jim Wainright! I