When she left Sandia as 61 on her return trip
south, she again went off the track and the result was sixteen hours'
more delay. We wouldn't send a wrecker up from the main line, and they
had to work out their own salvation. When they finally appeared at
Alexis they were running on the time of 62. That would never do, and the
conductor asked the operator at Alexis to get him orders to run to
Bentonville regardless of No. 62. Burke, my second trick man, was on
duty at the time, and it so chanced that he did not know the Alexis man
was a convict. He was about to give the order asked for when something
on the main line diverted him for a moment. When he was ready again,
Alexis broke him and said, "Wait a minute."
To tell a despatcher to wait a minute when he is sending a train order
is to court sudden death, and Burke said, "Wait for what?"
"For whatever you blame please, I'm going out to weigh this coal."
Burke's Irish blood was all up in his head by this time, and he said:
"What do you mean by talking that way to me? No. 61 is waiting for this
'9'; now you copy and I'll get your time sent you in the morning.
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