Litchfield enquirer., 1861-09-19
nltsfella11D.
SEVENTY MILES AN HOUR,

HAD spent a night in a stage, day in thu saddle, night in sleeping car, half day do ing business, half day in bed, and was, atte supper, enjoying cigar and newspaper in the reading room of the R-- House, in F-- Indiana. The newspaper was uninterestng ol else was rather sleepy-and guess it was little of both so that I soon neglected it tc my fine favored Principle. I didn't feel mucl like talking, and felt still less like reading but did feel as if l would like exceedingly well tc hear good story.
 l had barely come to this conclusion, and com menced wishing for some one of my acquantan ces to amuse me until the time was up for the train which was to take me to C., when recognized in the person who sat next to me, 8 fellow traveller in the sleeping car of the night before.
 He was a very agreeable looking little man with clear gray eye, light hair sandy whiskel and smiling mouth. Indeed, he had so much the appearance of the man that would like to hear tell story, that l thought Dame Fortune had smiled upon me, when he recognized me with genial
 How dye do, stranger?'
 returned his solution, and asked him some common place question about how he had enjoy ed the tide 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 gen eral, for some time. At last I remarked that sixty miles an hour was the most speedy travel ing that I had ever done. Whereupon my friend informed me, with a pleasant but knowing smile that he had travelled considerably 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 he feared his tale would not be interesting, ny friend relieved my anxiety by relating the following story:
 : am railroad engineer. In fifty seyen du- ring the great panic, was running on the r. X C. k. k. The railroad companies were growing tender, i'll all directions. Every day we heard of new failures and quite often in a quarter where we least expected it. Our road was look ed upon as one of the most substantial in the nation; nobody seemed to have any great fear that 1t would fail to survive the general smash up. But yet did not fully share in the general confidence. Wages were cut down arrcarages collected; and great many other little matters seemed to indicate to me that the road had cot into deeper water than was agreeable all around Among other things the master mechanic had told me in the spring that the company had or dcred four first quality Taunton engines for the fall passenger business. The road was put ia
 
 were made to cut down the time, and put the trains tllro Gacker than was ever known before, when the new engines should come Well, there was hut one of the new engines cane : l sad there was but one engine ca!nc aui ! she WAS. in ny oi3nioN altogether tie best CIT turned out at the Taunton Works And this is ;ts much as could Ge said in praise of any engine She Was put in my charge immediately, with the understanding that she was mine.
 It Was Saturday when she came ont of the shop, and was to take a speci train pp to Y -. lh: train Was to carry up the pres- dent, and several of the other officers of the road, to meet some officers of another road which crossed ours there, and arrange some i'm porta!it business with them. 1 had no trouble at all, making forty miles an hour going out The engine handled herself most beautifully We were just holding up at Y---, when Ald- rich, the treasurer, who ha,. come out on the platform to put the brake on, slipped and fell As we were yet under good headway, he was very much injured, and was carried to the hotel inscnsible.
 According to the presidents directions, switched oil my train, turned my engine, and stood ready to start back to C. at d moments notice.
 'Aldrichs presence was of so much import ance, that the business coul,l not be transacted without him. So all those l 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 machine 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 drag ged themselves away. 1 was taking game of dominos with the station agent, when in came bn lo,ti i'm, oP ment.
 "' Harry said he to me, T want you to put me down in C. at l2 o'clock
 As 1t was near II o'clock and the distance was seventy-five 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 ruined road. Allrch is dead but he told me before he died, that he had en- bezzled from time to tme, fifty thousand dollars of our money his clerk is to start on the twelve mt have that money on Monday morning, to make payments with, the road goes into other hands and if you put me down in C. at the right time, so that 1 save the money, you shall have five thousand dollars. Understand it, Har- ry? Five thousand dollars.
 Of course l understood it. I saw now the reason why the wages had been cut down :; un- derstood it all, and my blood boiled. 1 felt that l would save the road if l lived, and told Ro- berts so.
 "' See that you do it, Harry he replied, as he climbed up the steps of the coach which was coupled to my engine.
 I spranged up into the footboard, got up the ' switch tender to help my fireman, opened the throttle, and just as she commenced mOyinu looked at my watch-it was just eleven o'clock l so that had one hour to make my seventy-fve , miles in.
 From - to C- there were few f curves in the road but there were several heavy 5 grades. was perfectly acquainted with every rod of 1t, so that 1 knew exactly what had tc I encounter and when I saw how the engine was 8 moving, had very little fear of the result I 'The road, for the first few miles, was an ai t line, and so smooth that my engine flew along y with scarcely perceptible jar. 1 was so busy Il posting myself up as to the amount of wood anC e water aboard, etc., that we danced by the frs 'r station almost before was aware of it, having been five minutes out, and having five mile accomplished
 ., ou are losing time! yelled voice iron
 tne coach. looked around and there stoo( 'a No9erts With hls watch in his hand. le l Knew very well that we would have to in crease our speed by some means if we carried y out our plans of reaching C. by midnight y, and looked anxiously around to see what coul, a do to accomplish that purpose. She was blow 20 ing off steam fercely at one hundred and ta lg pounds, so l turned down the valve to two hun