Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-08-23

This was the last regular train which
was to pass over the road until the fol-
lowing Monday.
early in the evening, I 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 pleas.
antly than on my engine. The hours
dragged themselves away slowly.
was taking game of dominos with the
station agent, when in came Roberts,
the president, in state of great excite
ment.
"'Harry, said he to me, I want you
to put me down in C at u o'clock.
As it was near II O'clock and the
distance was seventy-6ve 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, 'if you don't set
me down in c. by twelve o'clock am
ruined man, and this road is a ruined
road. Aldrich is dead, but he told me
before he died, that he had embezzled
from time to time, fifty thousand dol
lars of our money; and 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 I save
the money, you shall have five thousand
! dollars. Understand it, Harry? Five
thousand dollars
''Of course l understood it. l saw
now the reason why the wages had been
cut down; l understood it all, and my
bleod boiled. felt that would save
the road if l lived, and told Roberts
so.
"' See that you do it, Harry he re-
piled, as he climbed up the stops of the
coach which was coupled to my engine
sprang into the footboard, got up
the switch 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 to make my seyenty-fve miles in.
| From y to C there were
few curves in the road but there were
several heavy grades. 1 was perfectly
acquainted with every rod Of it, so that
| knew exactly what | had to encoun-
ter; and when | saw how the engine was
moving, l had very little fear Of the re-
suit.
.'The road, for the first few miles, was
an air line, and SO smooth that my en-
gine few along with scarcely percepti-
Bile 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 [ was aware of it,
having been five minutes out, and hav-
ing five miles accomplished.
"'Io ou are losing time!' yelled voice
from the coach. | looked around and
there stood Roberts with his watch in
his hand.
Il knew very we'll that we would have
to increase our speed by some means, if
we carried out our plans ofreaching c.
! by midnight, and looked anxiously
around to see what | could do to accom-
plish that purpose. She was blowing
off steam fercely at one hundred and
ten pounds, SO [ turned down the valve
to two hundred, for knew she needed
it all to make some Of the heavy grades
which lay between US and c..
ut was three miles to the next sta
ton. With the exception Of a 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 1t in two minutes and
a half.
"'Gaining, I shouted back to Rob
erts, who Was standing outside, on the
platform of the coach.
"'Look out for the heavy grades he
replied, and went inside the car.
The next six miles rose gradually
from level, the first, to ten and hall
feet grade, the last, which lay between
us and 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
over which she kept pace with her time
and passes the station in seven minutes
"Here, for ten miles, we had twenty
foot grade to encounter; but the worst O
it all was, at this place we would b.
obliged to stop for wood. was jus
going to speak to Roberts a bout it, wher
| looked around and saw him filing the
tender from the coach, with wood which
had been placed there before starting
while he WAS gone after me.
Il believe he would have made hi
ten miles at the same speed as before
but through the carelessness Of the fire
man the fountain valve, on the left-hanG
side Of the engine, got open, and tn
water rose in the boiler, so far as to rul
the steam down to one hundred pounds
before | discovered where the difficulty
lay.
cat first Roberts didn't appear to no
tice the decrease of speed, and kept a
work at the wood as if for dear life
But presently he looked up, and seeinj
) thatth speed had decreased, heshouted
Harry, We are stoppingp
| "And then coming over "a HAers
was, he said:
why, here we have beea tsn min
utes on the last tea miles, and I believ
, we will como to dead stand, if some
thing is not done. The speed is con
tinually siackening. What is the mat
ter?'
: II explained the cause. He was ap
parently satisfied with my explanation
and after having tied down the safet
l valve, he climbed back over the tender
exhorting me to put her through, fo
/, Gods sa ke, or we are beggars together
"Just then We passed the next station
: having taken nine minutes for eirb