F. Lovell Coombs

“ Two smoke-enveloped figures emerged from the ditch. “Is any one hurt?” Scott asked, running forward.
“No,” replied the engineer, grimly.
“But we all stand a good chance of being smothered,”’ added his companion, the fireman; “engine gone, track gone, wires gone!”
Here the conductor appeared, with one of the brakemen. “Stop that kind of talk, boys,” he said sharply. “You ’ll have the passengers in a panic. There is a young wireless operator on the train, with a set of instruments, and he—”
“I ’m right here, sir,” Scott interrupted. ”

“ Keep to the cars, and you will be in no danger whatever.”
Instead of returning to the cars, however, the majority of the passengers fell in behind the trainmen, followed them to the rear coach, and there waited while Scott and the station-master scrambled aboard, to reappear quickly with the cells and the set of instruments. These were passed down to willing hands, and all hurriedly continued on up the track until two standing poles were found. ”

“ By this time, the crowd of anxious and curious passengers had been doubled. When the young operator, seated on the ground in the middle of the track, had at length completed the connections at the instruments, a large number of passengers and trainmen were gathered closely about him.
Without loss of time Scott adjusted the receivers on his head. “Will every one please keep very quiet?” he requested. “The sounds I ’ll get will probably be pretty weak.” ”

“ But if the smoke gets too thick, he will slow down a bit.”
On the train rushed, and soon the haze of smoke almost concealed the trees a hundred yards from the track. The car itself was faintly blue, although the ventilators had been closed. With his face close to the window, the station-agent began watching the telegraph-poles as they swept by, for signs of a break in their number, or trailing wires.
“If the fire has reached the tracks, and burned some of the poles down, it ’s probably near the Junction,” the conductor remarked. “The smoke would be heavier here if the fire was much nearer.” ”

“ There is a boy at Timberton Junction who has a wireless receiving outhit—with aërials, of course—but no sending instruments. I could borrow Cass Johnson’s portable set, take that along, and connect it with the Junction boy’s aërials—and so send word back from there. ”