BACK TO THE FUTURE

[nighthawk 0]

This post is the first of several entries that I will be posting periodically in an attempt to bring some of you along

for a journey into the future. It is intended to portray a man with a vision about the past and hopefully the future

of today....I will refrain myself to respond to any and all comments during my writings. In due time and with

deep respect, I will choose which comments I will address in the end.....Enjoy

Nighthawk

It is 10;30 p.m. when I slide behind the wheel of my car for the usual ride to work at my job. My apartment in

Brackettville allows me about twenty-five minutes to reach my third shift post at Spofford.

I am a Telegrapher Operator in charge of the third shift watch for the Southern Pacific Railroad Co. depot at

Spofford. I answer to my dispatcher who is stationed in Houston.

Bracketville, Texas is located on U.S. highway 90, 120 miles west of San Antonio and 31 miles from Del Rio.

The Mexican city of Ciudad Acuna borders Del Rio and is across the Rio Grande. The Mexican Border is 31

miles from where I stand. It is only fitting that the Duke become involved in my story depicting my experience

of Bracketville. You will know you are passing this city by a flashing red light high in the middle of the highway

and a blue colored structure on the right that serves as a restaurant and lodge, and that was it....until the

Duke came upon the scene.

It is here in Bracketville, that the Duke, John Wayne shot his movie "The Alamo" in 1960 portraying Davy

Crockett. Despite apparent poor marketing and low ratings that the movie generated, the city for the benefit

of tourists, constructed the Alamo Village, complete with features and characterizations of the real battle of

the Alamo in San Antonio in 1836. This tiny community not content with the exposure that the movie brought

for local businesses, were unfortunately rewarded with a tragedy that keeps the city in the news even today,

with a little controversial racial issue of that time as a bonus.

During the shooting of the movie, a female part time actress named LeJean Eldridge was murdered on location

in a domestic dispute, according to the press. The tiny community was abuzz by the tourists who flocked the

village. The added bonus for the exposure of this tiny spot in history was provided by Sammy Davis Jr. The

media picked up the scent of a story when it was reported that Sammy Davis Jr., the black member of the

Frank Sinatra rat pack was denied a part in the movie the Alamo by the Duke because Sammy was involved

romantically at the time with white actress May Britt.

I shake my head in disbelief as I look around this tiny city from inside of my car. I have been here for several

years and have yet to see any changes for the better in the community. I have yet to see tourists roaming

around the streets simply because there are no real street here. The narrow roads are dirt and gravel that

create dusty bowls when cars travel at 30 MPH. One of the paved roads that I see other than highway 90 is

the one that I am about to enter.

Highway 131 is my view of an arm from highway 90. It runs south from 90 which runs east to west. It runs

in a narrow twisting road of sprawling forest and brush deep into a wilderness leading to Spofford 9 miles

inland. At the mouth of the entrance to this dark and deserted road is a warning that reads:

WARNING: DEER CROSSING BE WARE

I see the glow that is called shinning as the bright lights from my car pick up several deer standing by the

road near the trees, ready to jump over the car. I turn off my lights and drive at a crawl for a short distance

and turn them back on, repeating this move until I reach my destination. Although I had deer collisions in

the past this time I had none, surviving another night in deer country. I felt my tires over the railroad tracks

and was relieved as I turned left after the tracks and pulled into the vast dusty lot of the Spofford depot that

awaited me.

My Time Master Railroad watch tells me that I am six minutes early for work. I pause to run my eyes over the

depot structure. An old box car erected atop of cement pillars five feet high, was professionally cleaned, painted

and converted into a large office replica. Getting out of my car, by nightly habit I walk into the darkness of the

railroad tracks by the side of the depot. Expecting to find someone hiding in the dark, I see no one. Perhaps

they wait a while longer to come out.

I walk up the flight of five steps and enter the depot holding my lunch box, coffee term and a large bag that

I bring nightly which I place in a side cubicle and out of sight. My colleague on watch for the second shift is

getting ready to leave his post. I walk him to the door and we engage in our nightly ritual of a brotherly

embrace and I wish him luck during his drive home through deer country.

I look at my watch and sit down at my desk. I pull the accordion-like handle of the radio voice transmitter close

to my face and my mouth. I press gently with my foot the pedal under my desk to open communication with my

dispatcher in Houston, using the radio hams operator system and speak:

"O.S. Spofford"

"Go Ahead Spofford", responded my dispatcher.

"Houston, may I have the correct time, please?"

"Sure Spofford, it is 11 p.m. and Five minutes, right....Nowwww!"

"O.S." is the preferred selected code letters used by Texas railroad employees to communicate radio messages

and transmissions.

I set my watch with a click of my finger to the correct time that the dispatcher provided. I was now in the same

time frame as every railroad employee on my side from Houston.

"Thanks Houston", I said to the dispatcher.

"Hey Otto, how ya doing down in darkness country?", joked my dispatcher.

"Hello Uga, its pretty quite right now", I answered.

"Don`t go to sleep on me Otto", he joked again.

"Don`t worry I won`t Uga", I joked back

We spent a lot of time over the air joking during the night. At times other agents stationed on depots far away

from me would join in. Sometimes we engaged in serious talks, but tonight we had come up with these names

to call each other.

I would be idle in this cool box until 3 a.m. when a train was scheduled to pass through Spofford. Another train

would be a passenger train that would arrive at my depot at 6 in the morning. Very rarely would that train pick

up passengers here. I would spend the long eerie nights reading and listening for noises coming from the tracks

that made me think, correctly at times, that illegal immigrants were outside. It was only 30 miles from the

border and I knew they would come. No one was allowed to come into the depot while I was on duty. Any

distraction that would create danger for the railroad in its operations of directing the trains was prohibited.

Many times I was confronted with this prohibition and chose to ignore the rule. In this story I will recount my

personal experiences that compelled me to make an exception to this rule.

The knock on my door was a soft tap. The wooden door with the large glass window pane was always closed

for the benefit of the air condition that was on full blast day and night. I walked to the door and opened it a

crack. A slap of searing hotness of the night hit my face and I stepped out into the porch. A small dirty looking

man stood there trembling even though it was sweltering hot. Besides him was a woman holding a child in her

arms and the hand of a boy about six years old. They looked tired and scared, and begged me with hand signs

not to strike them or call the police.

I had seen this scene many times before and never called anyone. I made signs that I had some food for them

and water inside..The large bag that I hid in the cubicle upon my arrival contained the food I spoke about. Every

night I brought this bag full of small stuff to eat, and jars of drinking water. I directed these people to a spot

where they could remain safe and wait for me. I would come with the food and water and tell them about the

3 a.m . freight train coming through. I would show them where to wait for the train, and show them what they

need to do to hop on it, and........................to continue

I

[eric&gen 0]

Another loooong post bring a snack.

[Ban Hammer 13,625]

bleh, i thought this was gonna be about a helicopter.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

He may wish to copyright his material if he is going to post it on a public forum like this.