Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-10-30
80 that had an hour to make my seventy Ave

1 i. =
had to encounter; and when I saw. how the
engine was moving had very little fear Of the
result.
"The road, for the first few miles, was an eli
line, and 90 smooth that my engine few along
with scarcely q perceptible jar. was 90 busy
posting myself up as TO the amount of wood and
water aboard, etc that we danced by the fret
station almost before was aware OF 1t, having
been fiye minutes out, and having FIVE miles ac-
compIiehed. sh 81 e4h g
"'You are losing time. yelled q voice from
the coach. looked around, aud there stood
Roberts with bis watch in his hand.
| ~ knew very we'll that We would have TO H.
crease our speed by some means, If We carried
out our plans Of reaching c. by miduight,
aud looked anxionsy around TO see what |
could do to accomplish that purpose. She was
blowing of steam fercely al one hundred and
ten pounds, go turned down the valve to two
hundred, for I knew she needed 1t alto make
some Of the heavy grades which lay between Us
aft yas three miles 10 tho nexs sts,ion--
With the exception Of few curves, the track
was as good as tho 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, l looked at my watch, and
We bad done II In two minutes and half.
"GainiDg, I shouted back to Roberts, who
was Standing outside on the platform Of the
coach.
"LoOk out for the heavy grades" he replied.
and went inside of the car.
"Tbe next six miles rose gradually from q
level, the fret. to ten and half feet grade, the
last, which lay between Us and the next station.
My fireman kept her full; and now she began
to get bot. The furnace door was red, and the
| lIu. hat ha ank hor
speed, and passed the station like streak OF
lightning in five minutes.
| "Now came nine miles like the last; over
which she kept pace with her time, and passed
the station in seven minutes.
"Here. for ten miles, We had twenty foot
grade to encounter; bnt the worst of it all was
at this place we would be obliged to stop for
wood. l was just going to speak to Roberts
about it, when | looked around and saw him
filling the tender from the coach, with wood
which had been placed there before starting
while he was gone after me.
~ believe he would have made his ten miles
at the same speed as before; but through the
carelessness Of the fireman the fountain valve
on the left hand side OF the engine got open,
and the water rose in the boiler, 90 far as to run
the steam down. to one hundred pounds, before
be discovered where the difficulty lay.
l "
decrease of speed, and kept at work at the wood
as II for dear life. But presently he looked up
and seeing that the speed had decreased, ht
shouted:
"'Hsry, we are stopping"
"And ihen, coming over to where l was, h
said: F.t r..
| "'Why, here we have been ten minutes on
the last ten miles, and believe we will come
to dead stand If something is not done. The
speed is continually slackenlDg. What is the
matter7' .s.s..,.t a..
81 explained the cause. He was apparently
satisfied With my explanation, and after having
tied down the salety-valve, he climbed back
over the tender, exhortiDg me to put her
through for Gods sake, or we are beggsrs TO-
gether!
"Just then We passed the next station, having
taken nine minutes for eight miles. We were
now more than half over the road. and we had
lost nearly ten minutes' time, and had lett only
twenty seven minutes to do thirty. four mileI
| In. .t.
~ had shut tho waite. off both my pumps
little back, when l discovered what was th
matter, and she was now making steam fne
down q slight grade. From less than one hun
dred, with which we started over that ten mil
stretch, she had two hundred before we finishes
it,; and as the gage indicated no higher thai
that, and the valve was tied down, could no
tell how much over two hundred pounds sb,
carried; but she certainly carried none les
the rest of the journey. And well might sh,
carry such an enormous head of steam; TO
after passing over that ten miles in eigh
minutes, there lay ten miles of five feet n
grade, and fourteen miles of twenty to the mill
depression between us and c., and 1t wa
nov eleven o'clock and forty seven minutes.
"Now the engine was hot in earnest. Th
furnace door, smoke-arch, and chimney, al
were red, while she seemed to fly onward as !
the very evil one himself operated her machin
cry. fF
"Six minutes carried us over that ten miles
and We darted by the last station that had lai
between US and c.. Now We had four
teen miles to 90, and my time showed eleye
o'clock and fity-three minutes.
"Ii live,' said to myself, Il will make IL
and We plunged down the twenty feet grad
with all steam on. Persons who saw the trai
on that wild run say that IL was soon after the
heard the first sound of her approach, when ID
, strange object, which looked ss If 10 was hsm
Of ere, darted by, and then the sound Of il
travelling died away In the distance, that the
| could hardly convince themselves that they ha
seen anything IL seemed more like creAtur
of wild scream than q sober reality.
! "And now let me tell you that no enginet
ever beat the time that We made on those ioul
teen miles. Those great wheels, eleven feet
diameter, spun around 80 swiftly that you coul
not begin TO count the revolutions. The engin
q barely seemed to touch the track as che fe
? along, and although the track was % true as
q could be, she swsyed fesriully, and sometime
made such prodigious jolts that il required som
0 skill for one 10 keep his feet. Noengine woul
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