CHAPTER II
THE RAILROAD WRECK
The boys grabbed up their hats, raced down the steps, and along thestreet in the direction of the railroad. While they are on their way,the reader may care to ascertain a little more about the three chums,and something of their doings, which have been set forth in previousvolumes of this series.
Jerry Hopkins was the son of a well-to-do widow, Bob Baker theoffspring of a rich banker, while Ned Slade's father owned a largedepartment store.
The first volume of the series, entitled "The Motor Boys," told howthe lads took part in bicycle races, and how one of them won a finemotor cycle. They incurred the enmity of Noddy Nixon, a town bully,and his crony, Bill Berry. The chums had many experiences on theirmotor cycles, and in a race they won a fine touring automobile.Their adventures, and exciting ones they were, which followed theacquisition of the car, were told of in the second volume, "The MotorBoys Overland." They went west to search for an old mine, of which aprospector they had befriended had told them. They found the claim,with the aid of Jim Nestor, though they had a close race with NoddyNixon and Bill Berry to get formal possession.
On their western trip the boys had become acquainted with an old man,Professor Uriah Snodgrass, a naturalist, and he told them of an ancientburied city in Old Mexico. The boys resolved to search for it, andhow they succeeded was set forth in the third volume, "The Motor Boysin Mexico." They had several fights with the Mexicans and Bob waskidnapped, but escaped. The ancient city was found, very unexpectedly,as the auto sunk down through a concealed road and coursed along anunderground passage. There many strange things occurred, including thediscovery of the disappearing reservoir, and a valuable box of jewels.
The boys decided to visit their mine, on their way back to the UnitedStates, and it was a good thing they did, as it had fallen into thepossession of the plotters, as related in "The Motor Boys Across thePlains." An old hermit, who lived near a lake, proved to be the fatherof a boy the three chums rescued from a desperate gang and, later, thehermit was of much assistance in retaining possession of the mine forthe motor boys, since he was one of the original prospectors.
The boys returned home after that. They had saved quite a sum of moneyfrom their share of the mine profits, and invested it in a fine motorboat, the _Dartaway_. As set forth in the fifth volume of the series,entitled "The Motor Boys Afloat," the three chums transferred theirenergies to river and lake, and took part in races, foiled the plotNoddy Nixon laid, and solved the mystery of a strange schooner and therobbery of Mr. Slade's store. They had an exciting chase after thethieves, rendering the police much assistance.
All their adventures took place during their school vacations. Nowanother one was at hand, and, naturally enough, the boys wanted to haveas much fun as had fallen to their lot in the past. But, while theywere racing to the railroad wreck, their minds were more on that thanon what the summer might hold for them.
"I wonder if many are killed?" Bob said.
"Looks as though some were, as there goes the morgue wagon. There mustbe a number injured, too," Jerry replied. "There go Dr. Bounce, Dr.Jones and Dr. Hardy," and he pointed to the carriages of the threephysicians. The medical men were urging their horses to a gallop.
Following the crowd the boys soon found themselves near the railroad,which swept up to Cresville in a long curve, after passing through adeep cut. It was in this cut where the wreck had occurred. The boyscould see, from the top of a little hill, a great crowd gathered aboutthe entrance to the gorge.
"Come on!" cried Ned. "Maybe we can help!"
It was a terrible sight that met the boys' eyes as they entered thenarrow cut. As they learned later a defective rail had caused thesmash-up. The engine had jumped the track, and crashed into the rockysides of the defile. The cars had piled on top of the locomotive, andthere was a mass of wreckage.
Wheels and trucks were scattered about. The top of one car had beensliced off, and was resting on the coach in front of it. Another carwas almost inside of another, and the smoker had mounted the enginetender, the wheels being buried in the coal and water tank.
Fortunately it was summer, and there was no fire in the cars, so thewreckage did not ignite. The coals from the engine boiler had starteda small blaze, but this had been put out.
The train was a through one, not scheduled to stop at Cresville, andthere had been comparatively few passengers aboard.
The rescuers were already at work. Several bodies had been carriedfrom the wreck, and placed on beds made from the car seats. One or twosilent forms, under shawls and blankets, told, better than words, thatdeath had come swiftly to the unfortunates.
There were several badly injured, and it was to them that thephysicians gave prompt attention. The majority of the hurt were womenand children, though there were some men. Only the fact that travel waslight, just preceding the annual vacation rush, prevented a terribleloss of life.
At first the boys did not know what to do to assist, though they feltthey should help, as far as possible. They stood in the front of thecrowd, which the railroad men were endeavoring to keep back, and lookedon, their hearts palpitating with the terrible sights they witnessed.As they stood there Dr. Bounce, who had just finished bandaging up aman's leg, came past. He knew the three boys, and, as he saw them, hecalled:
"Here, Jerry, you and your friends come in here and help me, will you?I've got my hands full. One of you carry my medicine case, and theothers rummage around and get all the cloth you can for bandages. Tearup the sheets in the sleeper. That is the last car and didn't smash upas badly as the others."
Anxious to take part in the work, and glad to be called on by Dr.Bounce, the boys slipped through the cordon of railroad men, who, at anod from the physician, let them pass, and followed the doctor.
Jerry took the medical man's valise, containing its grim instrumentsand also the healing remedies, and the merciful chloroform to relievepain. Ned and Bob found their way to the wrecked sleeper. No one was init, and they got an axe and broke open some of the berths, which werejammed shut. They took out pillows, sheets and blankets, which willinghands soon distributed among the wounded.
The two boys tore the sheets into long strips that Dr. Bounce and theother physicians used to bind up the cuts and bruises of the wounded.As fast as the passengers were taken from the wreck they were put onimprovised stretchers and carried out of the dark and gloomy gorge tothe level land beyond, where the doctors could work over them.
Jerry was kept busy attending on Dr. Bounce, handing him thisinstrument or that, and pouring out the medicines under the physician'sdirections.
The scene was one of confusion and terror. Cries and groans of thewounded mingled with the weeping of those who had lost loved ones inthe crash. Then came the noise of axes, hammers and saws on wood, theimplements being used to free some imprisoned victims, held down byheavy timbers.
It seemed that all were now rescued who could escape by their ownefforts or be carried out by the workers. There only remained thepossible dead under the wreck and those who might be held fast in it.The boys had a brief respite from their strenuous labors. They werestanding together, hardly able to realize what they had seen and takenpart in.
Suddenly a small boy rushed up to where the chums were standing. Heseemed greatly excited.
"Come here, quick!" he called.
"What is it, Andy Rush?" asked Bob.
"Man--pinned under a big beam--groaning awful--makes me have theshivers--I tried to get him--couldn't--head hurt I guess--comeon--help me--we'll save his life," and finishing his usual disjointedand rapid-fire remarks Andy hurried off, followed by the three chums onthe run.
He led them to the rear end of a telescoped car. There, pinned undera pile of seats, was a gray haired man, his white locks stained withblood. He was groaning feebly.
With a quick eye Jerry saw one particular plank that was holding theothers like a wedge. He caught up a hammer and, with a few heavy blows,knocked the splintered timber out of place. T
hen he and the other boyswere able to lift the man out. As they carried him to where the otherwounded were lying on improvised cots, the wounded passenger murmured:
"Jess!--Jess!--Where are you? Jess! Jess!"