The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1861-10-31
PA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 81. 1861.

we were just holding up at y, When
Aldrich, the treasurer, who had come out
on the platform to put the brake on, slip
ped and fell. AS We were yet under good
headway, he was very much injured, and
was carried to the hotel insensible.
according to the presidents directions,
[ switched off my train, turned my engine,
and stood ready to start back to c. at a
moments notice.
"Aldrlch's presence was OF so much
Importance, that the business could Lot
be transacted without him. So all those
[ had brought out, except the president
and Aldrich, went back to c., on the
three o'clock express train. This was the
last regular train which was to pass over
the road until the following Monday.
'Early in the evening, left the ma
chine in charge of my fireman, and went
over to an eating house, to see if [ could
not spend the time more pleasantly than
on my engine. The hours dragged them
selves away slowly. [ was taking game
of dominoes with the station agent, when
in came Roberts, the president, in great
excitement.
"Harry," said he to me, s<I want you
to put me down in Cat u o'clock"
GAS it was near IL o'clock, and the
distance was seventy-fve miles, L thought
he was joking at first but when we got
outside the door, he caught me by the
arm, and hurried me along so fast that |
saw he was in earnest.
"Harry." said he, eff you don't set me
ruined man, and this road is ruined
road. Aldrich is dead /; but he told me
before he died, that he had embezzled
from time to time fifty thousand dollars
of our money; and his clerk is to start
on the IL o'clock boat, from c. to Can
ada. 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 dollars. Understand
it, Harry2 Five thousand dollars !"
.'Of course, L understood IT. I saw
now the reason why the wages had been
cut down; understood it all, and my
blood boiled. L felt that l would save
the road if L lived, and told Roberts So
''See that you do it, Harry" he replied,
as he climbed up the steps of the coach
"I sprang up into the foot board, got
up the switch tender to help my fireman,
opened the throttle, and, just as she COM
merced moving, l looked at my watch
it was just eleven o'clock, so that had
one hour to make my seventy-fve miles
in.
"From Y to c. there were few
curves in the road but there were sever
al heavy grades. was perfectly acquain-
ted with every rod of it, so that [ knew
exactly what [ had to encounter; and
when l saw how the engine was moving
| felt very little fear of the result.
''The road, for the first few miles, was
an air line, and SO smooth that my engine
flew along with scarcely perceptible jar
[ was so busy posting myself up, as to the
amount of wood and water aboard, etc.,
that we danced by the first station almost
before I was aware of it, having been five
minutes out, and having five miles accom-
plished.
"You are losing timev' yelled voice
from the coach. [ looked around, and
there stood Roberts with his watch in his
hand.
'I knew very well that we should have
to increase our speed by some means, if
we carried out our plans of reaching c.
by midnight, and looked anxiously around
to see what l could do to accomplish that
purpose. She was blowing off steam fercely
at one hundred and ten pounds, so [ turn
ed down the valve to two hundred, for i
know she needed it all to make some of
the heavy grades which lay between us
and c.
''It was three miles to the next station.
With the exception of few curves, the
track was as good as the last. AS we
darted around what commonly seemed to
be rather long curve, at the station, but
which was, at our high speed, short enough,
[ looked at my watch; and we had done it
In two minutes and half
" Gaining l shouted back to Roberts,
who was standing outside on the platform
of the coach.
j " Look out for the heavy grades" he
replied, and went inside the Car.
'The next six miles rose gradually from
a level, the first, to ten and half feet
grade, the last which lay between us aud
the next station. My fireman kept her
full and now she began to get hot. The
furnace door was red and the steam raised
continually, so that she kept her speed,
and passed the station like streak of
light, in five minutes.
"Now came nine miles like the last,