f rain, I received a message from the section foreman at Truxton,
saying that Big River was beginning to come up pretty high, and that the
constant rains were making the track quite soft. I immediately sent him
an order to put out a track walker at once, and told the despatcher on
duty to make a "slow order" for five miles this side of the Big River;
the track on the other, or south side, was all right, being on high
ground.

Our fast mail came in just then, and after the engines were changed, the
engineer and conductor came into my office for their orders. I told them
about the soft track, and in a spirit of pure fun, remarked to Ben
Roberts, the engineer, that he had better look out or he would be taking
a bath in Big River that night. He facetiously replied: "Well, I don't
much mind. I'm generally so dirty when I get that far out that a bath
would do me good."

They received their orders, and as Roberts went out the door, he
laughingly said, "I reckon, Bates, you'd better send the wrecker out
right after us to fish me out of Big River to-night."

I stepped over to the window, saw him climb up on engine 232, a
beautiful McQueen, and pull out, and just as he started, he turned and
waved his hand to me as if in token of farewell.

Truxton, five miles from the river, was not a stop for the mail, but I
had them flagged there, to give them another special warning about
approaching Big River with caution. Just then the track walker came into
Truxton, and reported that he had come from the river on a velocipede,
and that while the track was soft it was not unsafe and the bridge
appeared to be all right. Presently, I heard, "OS, OS, XN, No. 21, a
7:45, d 7:51" and I knew the mail had gone on.

The next station south was Burton, three miles beyond the bridge, and I
thought I would wait until I had the "OS" report from there before going
home for the night. Thirty minutes passed and no sign of her. This did
not worry me much, because I knew Roberts would be extremely careful and
run slow until he passed the bridge. In a minute Truxton opened up and
said, "Raining like blazes now." I asked him where the track walker
was, and he said he had gone out towards the bridge just after the mail
had left.

Fifty minutes of the most intense anxiety passed, and all of a sudden
every instrument in the office ceased clicking. As soon as a wire opens,
all the operators are instructed to try their ground wires, and in that
way the break