Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-12-17
Chasing Railroad Trains.

Chasing Railroad Trains.
The Rev. ]. Hyatt Smith describes as
follows his experience in trying 10 take .
ttsh in time lNt I. I,H
ave stopped at Syracuse, N. Y, for
dinner. You remember the raiIoad de-
| pot, centrally situated, with its eastern and
western entrances exactly alike-as much
so as the two ends of u car After we had
diped the depot master informed us that
we had seventeen minutes to spare before
the departure of the eastern tram. This
thought /, will give me an opportunity to
see the city and glorious chance for a
smoke, provided q clergyman could be
tempted into such piece Of worldly and
wastefll amusement sauntered forth
and after an absence of exactly thirteen
minutes, having enjoyed delightful and
soothing stroll, was returning, watch in
hand, when, to my sstonishment, beheld
the train slowly gliding out of the other
end of the depot, and increasing its speed
at every puff Of its gigantic locomotive
Here, indeed, was a "call that admitted
neither correspondence nor delay; there
ton" SO, without comforting with flesh
or blood, put off ike a sky.rocket with a
double fuse. For moment l thought
had it all my own way; thought I was
gaining ground, although knew l was
losing wind. was encouraged in the
race by sundry helpful fellows who kept
crying out as l passed, go it gai.
tersrf "plucky boyp "he aint left
O, mop and other well meaning
and benignant exhortations Though
they intended, perhaps, helping me over
the course, / found that the more they
shouted tbeless inclined was to run, and
the more decidedly did the locomotive
make terrible Roadway against me. TC
give up the chase to submit to the chagrir
of being left; to lose my party and my pas
sage; to meet with disappointment and
not to meet with friends, all this was bat
enough; but the thought Of encountering
all the way back 10 the depot, that line o
interested individuals who with theil
cheering exclamations had so feelingly en-
couraged me on my outward journey, thii
was the bitterest pill in this unexpected
dose. But it must be done, so tapering of
gradually gave up the contest and turned
back to meet nv fate, and-if I could fine
him--the depot master whose blunderinl
statements were the cause of all my trouble
| Without search that individual advanced
to greet me with the bland recognition o
a fact that no one could well deny, "Well
you got left, did your" l replied only
with a resentment Of "silencing eye
If L looked as L tried to look, my photo
graph taken at that instant would hardly
| be chosen to grace an album gallery u
eminent divines" Several bystander
seeking information, asked, with q show
of confidential interest in my case, or
what wise the thing had happened
and Others wishing !" to point a NOR
all" advised me to s"be on hand 2 6
little earlier next time" witt
returning breath relief and words came
together, and squarely charged the rail
road official with all the blame. / spoke
of his incompetency, in no measured
terms, recalling how that after l had
placed my party in the car he had assured
me that there were full seventeen minutes
to spare before the train went out while
here" said l, with a triumphant exhibi
ton of my watch, the seventeen minutes
are,eyen now barely up. and yet the train
is gone and out Of sight Alter no little
hot shot cast back and forth, with the
usual variations and, final perorations Of
"you did and you didn't" "you're anoth
er" etc, I asked him whether would be
rlsking another chance of being left if
| depended upon him to give me the exact
hour of the departure of the nept Eastern
train. 7" Easternr' exclaimed he. "Yes
Eastern, !" replied /, with adecided upward
and sarcastic infection. "Why," quoth
he "the train you've just been chasing
with such poor luck wasn't an Eastern
train, but the Western Expressp With
much and increasing confusion and ex.
citement stammered out, "Then where
in Joppa is the Eastern trainr" "Why,
there it is" replied he, "just getting
under way at the other end Of the depot.
Leg it. or you'll lose that" II ever 1 did
make Dexter time l made il then. |
passed right through that depot like
the wind. felt as If was all legs
One glance, however, at the rear door Of
the last car as | was nearing it, came near
being too much for nae. ! discovered the
group of my long lost friends, whose
forms and faces. seemed bursting with
poorly Suppressed and ilttimed niifth. AS
reached safely the platform, the fire that
opened upon me could only be equalled
for its merciless effect by the fire in the
rear, from which had providentially fed.
| heard jibes, and jokes, and je0rs; heard
the hoarse laughter of full-chested men,
the hysterical efforts of mirth exhausted
women. They had all witnessed my chase
after the wrong train ], noY fearful lest in
deed / should overtake It, and then re-
joiced at my evident lack of what Jockeys
call "bottom," as my speed began TO
slacken and my CHANGES with the lOcomo-
tive began to grow "small by degrees
aud beautifully lessy They, had, witnessed
the blowing up administered the depot
master, the strange procrastination in
starting for the right train, until at length
it had actually started aadTI had entered
upon alseeond" stern 6hhee.n Ylhsn they
feared was left again, as they looked
with breathless interest at the unequal
contest OF legs 0srsas a locomotive They
had witnessed my final triumph, but how
gracefully was welcomed, and with What
feelings I reciEsd their peculiar congratu-
laions, l leave my hearers to imagine,
2H7ac--~H~rT7TnOH
The heavy gold head Of the gold
spike which fastened the last rail Of the
P6cind RSilroad has ,beSn manufactured
I into rings, miniature hammers, spikes and
rails, as mementoes of the event. One OF
these meinenGoes has been or soon will
be presented to each of the following per-
SONS President Grant, William II. Sew.
ard, Leland Stanford, President of the
Central Pacific; Col, John B. Turner, Di-
rector, George L. Dunlap, General Super
intendent, and William b, Ogden, ex Pres
ident OF the Chicago g. Northwestern
George M. Pullman and A. B. Pullman,
of The Pullman palace cars, John Duff,