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Updated: May 27, 2025
An electric spark has touched off a charge of giant powder under the roadbed. The rails have been blown skyward and a big hole torn out of the roadbed itself. Even if you had a wrecking crew at the spot at this moment the road couldn't be prepared for traffic inside of twenty-four hours. NOW, will your through train reach Lineville tonight? Can your road save its charter now?"
As the train passed out of sight the engine sent back a screeching whistle. "The engineer is laughing at you, Black," jeered Tom. "Let him," sneered the other. "I have the good fortune to know where the laugh belongs." Toot! toot! too-oot-oot! Something else was coming down the track from Lineville. Then it passed the beholders in the thicket -a full train of engine and seven cars.
Your road has to get a through train all the way into Lineville before midnight. We'll blow out the roadbed here, and then where are you?" At these words even the brief hope that had been in Tom Reade's mind, died out. With the roadbed gone at this point also, he did not see the slightest chance for the S.B. & L. to save its charter or its property rights.
On the morrow, in Wall Street, the value of the road's stock jumped by some millions of dollars. Let us not forget the pilot train. That returned to Lineville in the rear of the passenger train. Though the pilot train had a conductor, Harry Hazelton was in real charge.
Once more Tom Reade had brought his work within sight of Lineville. In fact, the track extended all but the last mile of the line. Ties were down nearly all of the way to the terminal station. This was the state of affairs at two o'clock in the afternoon. Before midnight the last rail must be laid, and the first through train from Stormburg must run in.
It was not the same train that had left Stormburg, for that train had been halted, safely, just before reaching the scene of the disastrous blow-out. At that point the passengers had alighted and had been conducted on foot to the other side of the gap caused by the explosion. Here Hazelton's Lineville special stood ready to convey them into Lineville.
Tom, inwardly consumed with fever, outwardly as cheery as human being might be, stood watching the laying of the rails over that last stretch. The men who could be prevented from dropping in their tracks must work until the last rail had been spiked into place. Away up in Lineville Harry Hazelton was personally superintending the laying of the last ties.
The sound that had started the crowd to cheering was repeated again. Too-oo-oo-oot! "It's the train!" cried Reade joyously. "It can't be more than two or three miles below here, either. It will get through on time!" With nine minutes to spare, the train rolled into the station at Lineville.
By six o'clock Tom felt as though he could hardly stand up. Be wondered if his teeth were really chattering, or whether he merely imagined it. To take up his time Tom tried a brisk canter, away from the railroad. At seven o'clock he rode into Lineville. "Tom, Tom!", bawled Harry, from the centre of a group of workmen. "We've been looking for you! Come here quickly!"
As Lineville was to be the western terminus of the new railroad the work of the field party was very nearly finished. President Newnham, who was all anxiety to see the first train run over the road, remained with the field engineers.
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