This road had what is known as the block system of signals; that is to say, every mile along the track there was a semaphore which informed the engineer whether or not there was another train in the same block or on the same track.
In the day this signaling is done by painted arms and at night by red, green, and white lights: the red light meaning to come to a full stop until the white light is shown; the green light meaning that the train is in the block and half through it; and the white light meaning that the train is through the block and is at least a mile distant.
It was Mooney’s plan to short circuit two of the wires of the semaphore and make such connection that the red light would show.
When we were on the ground before the track, White, who seemed the mechanic, tried to accomplish this. But the semaphore arm kept turning around and around and would not stop.
It was the ingenious Mooney who found a way out of this difficulty.
“Take off the short-circuit wire,” he said; “climb the semaphore pole and tie the red arm down so it will show all the time.”
When White found out that the semaphore could be thus managed he left it as it was, restoring its proper connections.
Mooney had practically the same outfit we had used on the previous occasion, except that he had invented a new kind of mask. This mask was made so that it was placed in the hat and could not be seen. It had a hem at the bottom, entirely around, and filled with shot so that, immediately on lifting the hat, the mask dropped over the face and stayed there.
There were no holes in it except two round ones for eyes.
We got into our disguises and waited for the train.