Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-07-04
A RAILWAY ADVENTURE.

"A RAILWAY ADVENTURE.
IT was FIVE minutes past seven, p. m, by
the station clock, and, consequently, with
in five minutes OF Tic time at'Wilich the
Dillmouth train was to start. Most
of the passengers had taken their seats, but
some two or three were standing on the
platform near the carriages, bent on having
last word with those they were abouts tc
leave behind them There was the usual
hustle and excitement incident to the start
ing of train. Reckless porters rushing
about with those abominable little trucks
the first notice of whose approach is an
ugly shove, accompanied by "By your
leave" from the heartless porter. A dis
tressed lady in the midst of heap of boxes
and parcels, waiting for some one to put
her and her precious accompaniment safe
ly into the train. Lost passengers looking
vainly about for the train, which is all the
time staring them out of countenance. A
newsboy with a villanous cracked voice,
cryingsout the Lon-mon peps," and the
"New nimmerponch." These, with the
usual lot of idlers come to see the train off;
and the ticket examiners and other busy
satellites of the train itselfm made up scene
of unparalleled life and activity. no.
was mafket-day at Middlesham. The train
was therefore heavy one, and nearly
every compartment was full of passengers.
1t was usually five or ten minutes late in
starting on the Wednesday night, owing to
the extra traffic so that and the other
occupants Of the compartment in which l
had taken my seat were rather astonished
when, the pointer having barely marked
,,t1fo Of Nx,f he 1Sa1 6nt rai
without any preparatory whistle, moved
off. Twas under the impression that we
were shunting for another carriage, for such
thing as starting before time was never
known to have happened at Middlesham /;
but when We moved past the long platform,
past the entrance-signal, and through the
bridge beyond, it became apparent to us all
that we really were d" off,"
There was a simultaneous pulling out of
watches, and surprised looks passed from
one to the other, and to the still open door
of the carriage, as the conviction was grad
ually forced upon us.
well, if this isn't a queer move, | should
like somebody to tell me what is, was the
exclamation of a stout cattle.jobber, who
sat in, the corner opposite to me. AS we
were all pretty much of his opinion as to
the qieerness of the 4" move" nobody of.
fered to tell him what twas ; SO he sat there
staring, as if hewere really quite overawed
by the circumstance.
Once convinced by the increasing speed
of the train that we were fairly on our
journey, Irose from my seat, drew in the
door, which was flying back against the
side of the carriage, and closed it firmly.
In doing SOL put my head out of the win
dow, and looking down the train, saw the
light streaming through three or four
otherdoors which had like my own been
left open. There. had evidently been
some Smismara cement at the starting of the
train, but as i saw twoT arms pub to catch
as many of the doors, and the others would
take no harm before we came to Aokridge,
which was the name of the first station
we would come to, q, i sat down again in ] ",
corner, made myself as comfo rtable as pos "
sible, and prepared myself as was my
habit, to listenfto the remarks of my fellow
travellers THESE were foufI iD ildnBers
The CATTLE obber have already mentioned,
his partner, and Two rMiddlesham mer-
chants, who lived some twelve miles or
thereabouls down the line.
The merchants soon commenced brisk
conversation, the part of which that most
interested me being the following
FIRST MERCHANT" Awkward thing.
this strike among the engine riyers?ns
SECOND M" Well, yes But I must
confess to knowing very little about it. a, l
merely saw the short paragraph abiding
to it lnS this mornings news. Have you
heard anything fresh about it ?"
FIRST NJ" The last | have.heard of ats
is that these men have sent in their months
notice. They demand a considerable adj
vance in the rate Of wages, and an altera-
ton in the system on which their earnings
are calculated. A deputation of them
waited upon old Rasper, the superinten-
dent, yesterday. They stated their griev-
ances, and the terms on which they would
continue to work, and said that if those
terms were not acceded to by the company,
they would strike. At this old Rasper
jumped up from his chair, and told them
that they were lot of ungrateful dogs
that they were better paid than the driv-
ers of almost any other line in the king
dom; that if he could possibly do without
them he would discharge every mothers
son of them at once; that he would settle
with them when the time came, and that
they might be off and get on with their
work in the shops at once and he forth
with turned them everyone out of his Of
fee. Hell settle with them. Ha! ha
Rasper by name, and Rasper by nature,
Ia hal
SECOND M" But this is a very alarm
ing state of things. Is it not dreadful to
think that we poor passengers are at the
mercy of these maicontents, and that they
have 1t In their power to do something
horrible with us, merely to spite their en-
ployers?"
No; don't think there is any fear of
that, for the passenger men have taken no
part in the strike whatever. 1t is only the
drivers of goods-engines who have become
The others have given the
the cold shoulder from the first I"
SECOND M" Still, these goods-drivers,
with their intimate knowledge of the line,
must have it in their power to do an meal
culable injury to their employers, and the
public as well. Why, the mere placing of
a sleeper, or chair, or piece of old iron
on the rails, would be enough to send us