The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-07-31

! According 10 the presidents directions,
switched eff my train, turned my engine, and
stood ready TO start back 10 Cat a moment :
notice.
"Aldrich's preser Zee was of 80 much impof-
tauce, that the business could not be transacted
without him. SO all those | had brought OUT,
except tie president and Aldtich, went back TO
G on the three o'clock express train.
/ This only was the regular train which was TO
/ pass over the road uatil the following Monday.
/ "EaIly in the evening, ] left the machine in
charge OF nv fireman and went over 90 an eat
ing house 10 see il | could not spend the time
. more pleasantly tEau on my e'.gine. The hours
dragged themsey,s away slowly. | was taking
a game of toHnoes with the station agent,
when in came Roberts, the president, in a state
Of great excitement.
Il" Harry said he to me. / want you to put
me down in az IL O'clock
As il was near u O'Clock. and the distance
was seventy five miles thought he was joking
at first; but when We got outside the door, he
caught NE by the arm, and hurried me along 20
fast, that saw he was il earnest.
! Harry said he, If you done set ne down
| in C - by twelve O'clock, am a ruined
man. and this is ruined road Aidrich j. dead ;
I but he told me before be died. that lie had en-
hezzlei from time to time, fity thousand dollars
of our money; but his clerk il to start on the
| twelve O'Clock boat, from C To Canada.
/ If We don't have that money oil Monday morn
/ ing, TO make some payments with, the road goes
/ into other hands; and If you put me down in
/ Z - at the right time, so that | save the
| money, you shall have five thousand dollars.
/ Understand ii, Harry? Five thousand dollars "
"Of course, | understood it. ! saw now the
reason why the wages had been cut down: ! un-
derstOod il ALL and my blood boiled. felt that
| would save the road If lived, and toni Rob
erts so.
"'See that you do it, Harry lie replied, as he
climbed up the steps OF the coach which was
coupled to my engine.
! Il spraug up into the foot-board, got up the
switch tender TO help my fireman, opened the
! throttle, and, Just as she commenced moving,
looked at my watch-it was Just eleven o'clock,
so that | had one hour 10 make my seventy.f five
miles in.
/ "From y to there were few
curves in the road: but there were several heavy
grades. was perfectly acquainted with every
rod OF it; so that l knew exactly what had 10
| encounter; and when | saw how the engine was
moving felt very little fear of the result.
THE road, for the first few miles, an air
line, and SO smooth that my engine flew along
with scarcely perceptbe jar. ] was so busy,
posting myself up, as to amount Of wood and
water aboard, etc. that we danced by the first
station almost before was aware of it, having
five miles accomplished.
"IOu are losing timer yelled voice from the
coach. looked around, and there stood Bob
erts with his watch in his hand
Il knew very well that we would have TO in.
crease our speed by some means, if We carried
out our plans Of reaching - bv midnight,
ard looked aIxiously around to see > hat could
-, t,f,u.
ing off steam tercelv at one hundred and ten
pounds, so ! turned down the valve to two hum
dred, for knew she needed it al To make some
of the heavy grades which lay between us and
C
II was three miles TO the next station. With
the exception of few curves, the track was rs
COED as the last. As we darted around what
commonly seemed to be a rather long curve, al
the station, but which was, at our high speed
short enough, looked at my watch and we had
lone it in tive minutes and 4 half
Claiming / shouted back TO Roberts, who
was standing outside on the platform OF The
coach.
"Iook out for the heavy grades he replied
aud went inside the car.
THE next six miles rose gradually from level
the first to ten and a half feet grade the last
which lay between us and the next station. VI,
hot The furnace door was red, and the s,ea.;
raised continually so that she kept her speed
and passed the station ike a streak OF Hight, il
five minutes.
"Now came nine miles like the last; owe
: which she kept pace with her time and paSsc
, the station in seven minutes.
"iiere, for ten miles. we had twenty foo
: grade to encounter; but the worst of il al! was
at this place we would be obliged to stop 60
= wood. | was Just going TO speak to Robert
about it, when looked around and saw him I'll
t ing the tender from the coach, with wood whic
/ had been placed there before starting, while J!
was gone after me.
al believe he would have made his ten mile
: at the same speed as before but through til
: carelcssness of the fireman the fountain valve
e on the left hand side OF the engine, got opened
and the water rose in the boiler, so far as TO
{ the steam down to one hundred points, before
discovered where the difficulty lay.
"At first Roberts didn't appear to notice IT,
decrease Of speed, and kept at work at the woo
as if for dear lie. But presently he looked VI
and seeing that the speed had decreased, l.
] he shouted:
a "Harry, we are stopping"
"Aud then coming over to where / was, }
said:
e why, here we have been ten minutes O
= the las; ten miles, and believe We viii come
a dead stand if something is not done. Th
q speed is continually slackening. What is ii
: maiter?'
i q explained the cause He Was appareRt
It satisfied with my explanation, and after haviD
/ tied down the safety valve, he climbed back ov,
Y the tender, exhorting me TO put her throusl
g for Gods sake, or We are beggars together,
II Just then we passed the next station. havir
i taken nine minutes for eight miles. We wei
Tow more than half over the road and We ba
n lost nearly ten minutes time, and had left on
It twentv-seven minutes to DO thirty-four miles j
e az had shut the water of both my pumps
y little back, where | discovered what was Il
matter, and she was now making steam fine
D, down slight grade. From less lhan one hu
/. drei, with which we started over that ten Eli
" strentch she had two hundred before We frisht
7e it; and as the gage indicated no higher th'
r. that, and the valve was tied down. could n
as tel. how much over two hundred pounds s.
in carried, but she certainly carried none less q
at rest of the journey. And well might she car
al such an enormous head of steam for, sitter 2;
le sing over that ten miles in eight minutes, the
r. lay ten miles of 6ye feet up grade, and fol
lie teen miles OF twenty-tC the-iGile depression |
ID tween Us and c., and il was now eleven ocio
e. and forty-seven minutes.
er Now the engine WAS hot in earnest I
ne furnace-door. smoke-arch and chimney, all We
n red; while she seemed TO fly onward as if /
ad very evil one himself operated her machinery.
er six minutes carried us over that ten mile
e, and We darted by the last station that had ];
er between US and c. Now We had fourteen mi
Id to 60, and my time showed eleven o'clock a
n. tftv-three minutes.