Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1849-07-13
dTON CARROLL COUNTY OHIO FRIDAY, JULY 1a 1919

and the brass bound front Of his cap was pulled
down over his forehead, bur I could observe
the bright glare Of his eyes and the clammy
palor Of his cheeks. Aunbutng these appear.
ances, however, TO mere passing ndisposlion,
| took no particular notice 10 them; nor did |
remark with any attention, although il was vi
sible enough, the restless, nervous STATE in
which the man appeared TO be; his hand trem-
bled, he glanced quickly around from face to
face, and then began, in an old fdgeIy manner,
to button and unbuuOn button in his Jacket
These appearances might have alarmed me at
another time, but | was too eager for the start
to attend to them.
81 say Westhorpe," exclaimed the superin.
tendent, 'if this is the way you intend TO treat
your employers, can tell you that you shant
long be one OF their employed, my fine fellow"
The engine.man mutIered something, know
not what, and mechanically got about the en-
glue.
"You'll shun the three o'clock train at Bran
ey's stalion-do you hear Westhorpel-and
the one O'Clock goods train at Thorney.cross;
they will wait for you in the sldings. And,
say, mind you keep a sharp look out; don't
spare the whistle; and go easy through the sta
tons"
"Oh, I'll look after that" exclaimed, nod.
ding to the superintendent, as | clambered up
on the engine. "You know I'm an old rail-
way bird Good night. We shan't let the
grass grow under wheels. Come now, Mr..
Westhorpe, go ahead, and let's have taste Of
the quality ofTartarus."
The engne.man touched his cap, pull cd one
lever down, thrust another back, the driving.
wheels stirred, slid violently round a dozen
times, without advancing, and then "biting,"
according to the technical expression, we NOV
ed along the platform, the superintendent fol-
lowing us and reilerating instructions 10 the
driver.
The loud, painting "chee.chee-chee" of the
engine rapidly grew quicker, and we rolled
along the outskirts of The station-by police.
men with bundles Of red and white flags, and
porters leaning upon switch handles, and, with
trivial jolts from one interlacing line of rails TO
another, grazing long motioness lines Of mas
sive frst-class carriages, and arrays Of trunks;
and by the openings of sheds, from which the
living CLEANS Of furnaces and the ring of ham,
mering, cleaned and raued; and by Kissing,
shreking piot-engnes, now motonless, the hot
cinders dropped all glowingly beneath them,
anon crawling backwards and forwards as en-
gines on the railway stations always do, as if
they had something on their minds, and could
not rest peaceably. And then came the loud
tearing rush with which we flew under bridges;
the whistle and the dismal shrek, and the
smothering blast of steam and the up-rushing
air as we tore through the short tunnel, and
soon we were fairly on our way in the open
country, the lights and high chimneys of the
great manufacturing town sparkling and tower
ing behind, and before us the fields, stretching
away on either side from the long line of rails,
and just losing their dStinctness in the rising
evening mist.
"On, Mr., Westhorpe! crack on! A good
supper, and better bottle of wine for you,
when we get to town."
"Thank ye, sir!" said the man, but without
looking into my face, and then turning away;
he began to grope for something in the mating
on which he stood, muttering all the while to
himself. There was something odd, indescrib-
able in the mans manner; and observed that
the stoker looked at him with evident uneasi.
ness, and addressed him not a word.
All this while the speed of the engine was
rapidly increasing. The cauering Of the open
ing and shutting valves, as they alternately let
on and cut off the steam went ahead faster till
they ratified like the continuous roll Of drum.
The hedges by the wayside flew by in long
dusky line, which might have been shrubs, or
stone wall, or wooden pailings. The swaying
of the engine grew to be quick. swinging jolt.
The white poles which supported the electric
telegraph flew by as though defilng in rapid
procession; bridges loomed a moment before us
like dark stripes cutting the sky, and then with
a steam shrek and bound, were left behind.
On!-along high embankments-down with a
sweep between cuttings--past stations with their
neat waiting rooms, and high signal poles, and
railing platforms! On, on! Milestone after
milestone flew by, The steam seemed instinct
with life. 1t bounded like mad thing on the
rails; the coupling of the tender creaked and
strained; the glare from the furnace and the
lighter glare from our big lamp, flew like flashes
ofaurora borealis along the green slopes of cut
tings; the red hot cinders from the chimney
went sparkling aloft into the air; and although
not breath of wind was stirring, hurricane,
cold and piercing, such as the eyes could hard
ly Withstand; appeared to be tearing by us back
into the lonesome night. So far all was we'll.
We were going at great but not unprecedent-
ed speed, and | was too well acquainted with
railway travelling 10 feel nervous. knew the
line was clear, and the night was quite bright
enough for us to perceive any signal half "a mile
off.
Meanwhile, Westhorpe stood fidgetng away
with the engine, urging backwards and for
wards the handles of the levers as they work.
ed with the mechanism, as though he would in
crease their speed. He was never still for
moment, and kept continually stamping and
shuffling with his feet. The stoker eant a.
gainst the rails, as it struck me, in an alarm
ed, anxious manner. | could observe all this
by the light of very large and brilliant lamp
which hung on hook close to the gague
which tells the height of the water in the boi-