Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1861-06-25
% MILES AN HOUR.

had spent night in the Stage, q day
in the saddle, q night in a sleeping car.
half day doing business, half day in
bed, and was, alter supper, enjoying a CT
gar and newspaper, III the reading room
of the R House, in p, Ind. The
newspaper was uninteresting. or else was
rather sleepy-and | guess it was little Of
both; SO that soon neglected it to watch
the fantastic curling Of the smoke from my
fine favored Principe. didn't feel much
like talking, and felt still less like reading;
but | did feel as if | would like exceedingly
well to hear good story.
| had barely come to this conclusion, and
commenced wishing for some one of nv
acquaintances TO amuse me until the time
was up for the train, which was to take
me to G., when | recognized In the
person who sat next TO me, fellow tray
eller in the sleeping car Of the night be-
fore.
lie was a very agreeable looking little
man, with a clear gray eye, light hair, san
dy whskers, and smiling mouth. Indeed
he had so much the appearance Of the man
that | would like 10 hear tell q story, that
| thought Dame Fortune had smiled upon
me, when be recognized me with a genial ::
"llOw dye DO, stranger ?"
l returned his salutati0n, and asked him
some common place question about how he
had enjoyed the ride we took together.
lie said something in reply about the
running being too fast for the poor track :
and from this the conversation ran upon
fast travelling in general, for some time
At last remarked that sixty miles an hour
was the most speedy travelling that | had
ever done. Whereupon my friend Informed
me, with q pleasant but knowing smile
that he had tr6ve led considerable faster
than that, and. in fact, faster than he had
ever heard of, beside.
Of course ! was anxious to know where.
when and how he had done it; and after
the modest assurance that be feared his
tale would not he interesting, my friend re-
lieved my anxiety by relating the following
story:
am railroad engineer. In fftvI
seven, during the great panic, was Inn-
ming on the L. & q. Il. r. The railroad
coml anies were growing tender, in all d.
rections. Every day we heard Of new fail
ures; and quite often in quarter where
we least expected II. Our road was gem
orally looked upon as one of the NEST cub
stantial In the nation nobody seemed to
have any great fear that il would fail TO
survive the general smash up. But vet |
did not fully share in the general conf
Gence. Wages were cut down aTrearages
collected; and a great many other little
matters seemed to indicate to me that the
road had got into rather deeper water than
was agreeable, all around. Among ether
things the master mcchapit had told me
IN, 10 10
cred f ar first quality Taunton engines for
the fall passenger business The road was
put in the very best condition, and other
preparations were made, to cut down the
time, ard put the trains through quicker
than was ever knOwa before, when the new
engines should come. Well, there was but
one of the new engines came.
Il said there was but one engine came.
and she was, In my opinion, altogether the
best ever turned out az the Taunton Works.
! And this is as much as could be said in
| praise of any engine. She was put in nv
charge Immediately, with the understand
( ing that she was mine
-" 1t was Saturday when she came out of
the shop. and was to take special train
up to y. The train was to carry up
the president, and several of the other off.
GERS of the read, to meet some officers of
another road, which crossed ours there.
| and arrange some important business with
| them. had no trouble at all, making 40
miles an hour goir cut. The engine hau-
| died herself most beautifully We were
| Just holding up at y, when A1dricb.
the treasurer, who had come out on the
platform to put the brake 90, slipped and
! fell. As we were yet under good headwav
/ he was very much Injured, and was carried
| off to the hotel insensible.
According to the presidents directions,
| switched off my train, turned INV engine.
/ and stood ready to start back to C, Of
| a moments notice.
" Aldrlch's presence was of so much i'm
portance, that the business could not be
| transacted without him. So all those I
had brought ont, except the president and
! Aldrich, went back to C on the tbraa
o'clock express train. This was the last
regular train which was to pass over the
road until the next Monday.
early in the evening, | left the machine
IN charge of my fireman, and went over to
an eating house, to see if | could not snend
the time more pleasantly than on nv en-
CINE. The hours dragged themselves away
| slowly. | was taking game of dominocs
with the station agent, when in came Rob
erts, the president, in a state of great ex.
citement.
as Harry said he to me. l want you tc
| put me down in c. at II o'clock
As it was near IL o'clock, and the dis
lance was seventy-ive miles, thought he
was joking at first; but when he got out
side the door, be caught me by the arm,
, and hurried me along SO fast, that Il saw be
was in earnest.
90 Harry said he, if you don't set me
dtwu at c. by twelve Clock, am a
ruined man, and this road is 4 ruined road
Aldrich is dead but be told me before he
died, that he had embezzled from time TO
time, fifty thousand dollars of our money :
ard his clerk is to start on the twelve
o'clock boat from c. to Canada. If we
don't have that money on Monday morning,
to make some payments with, the road goes
into other hands and if you put me down
in c. at the right time, so that | save
the money, you shall have FIVE thousand