Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1871-12-29
RUNNING A TIME TABLE.
a Draksman's story.

many Yeara--as the expression goes.
"grown gray in the service" an certain,
howeVer, in all my experiences, l never
saw . road that was equal 20 the Valley
Air Line, upon which Was al the time
Of the incident about TO be relsted, = brake
man.
The Vslley Air Line was one Of those
roads that sprung up suddenly out Of the
imagination of q few men. One cannot
say that IL sprung from their purses, for
if they had seed 70 grow anything, II was
never put in the Valley. There was, as
/ can now remember, capital stock,
which was never paid up, little town
and village credit, and large amount oil
preferred stock, FIRST and second rate
mortgages, etc. As q result, the road
was built cheAPly, grades were bad road
bed was poor, bridges and culVerss we're
thrown together 10 the worst possible
manner, because the worst was the cheap
est. The iron was light and trail mass
manufactured in England especially for
the American market, while the rolling
stock had been worn out in services for
other roads, aud had been sold 10 the
Valley Air Line on credit and long time.
The reader will see from this truthful
statement that the Valley was not the safest
road for travellers in the country. IL was
not. InnumerAble were the accidents we
had, and il 10 O wonder 70 me that none Of
them were serious. While we had many
marrow escapes we still managed through
sheer good luck, slow time, and great care,
30 get on without breaking bones; but l
positively assure you that time did not ac-
custom US to the road, and We never ran
into the depot at night without feeling
thankful that we we're alive. When l say
we, mean the conductor, engineer, bag
gage master, fireman aud myself. How the
passengers felt, | never knew, but l do
know they ought to have felt 4" thanktn,
as the road men that thssE ftS 70 wax from
good condition. .aassif homes. Ignorance may
Nave been perfse, bliss to them, however.
The engineer of our train-the lightning
express-was one of the most sober, care
fol, thoughtful and industrious men that
ever held throttle. He possessed more than
the ordinary share Of thoughtful prudence
of his class, aud 10 was owing to this fact
that so great degree ofgood fortune came
to us.
A few moment before tho train was to
starr one morning, Gardiner, the engineer,
called me to his cab. He appeared un-
usually doWncA.t that morning, though
At the best he was by no means . gay
fellow
Bob" said Gardiner after few seconds
talk about general matters, bob, want
YOU 10 be very careful to-day. know you
are q good fellow. and always do your duty
well; bat to-day want you TO do more.
want you TO stand by your brake every sec
ond Of the trip-uot TO leave it for . mo
msnt, and whom | signal want you to sci
them up As you never did before, and
promptly, too. | know you will do il foi
me, won't you, Boo?'
| was too astonisbed to speak for q sec
oud, and then / asked, "Why, what in thun
der is the matter with you, Gardiner? Iot
know that the brakes are so nearly worn
out that il IL impossible to set them up, and
you know, too"
IL know it all, Bob, and that is the res-
aon why want you TO be careful. | ar
going TO try TO make the timetable to-day
n tits possible will do so. | feel Just Is
though something WAS going TO happen
aud sm more than half sorry promised
but III do il, though. Now promise me
aud off TO your brakes
promised aud took my post, not q it'll,
mysl6sd q, GARDENERS words, looks and &C
tons.
We left the depot aud went rafting OF
over the iron. Passengers looked ut eact
other 10 surprise, aud wondered what uude
the sun was the matter with the Valley
IL had suddenly awakened from its Ions
sleep, and now proposed to be q railroad il
earnest
When the conductor came through tn,
train and came along by me- | asked;
"What is the matter with Gardiner thi
morning.
"Oh," was the reply, she aud the ole
man have had a blow out this morniug 2
You see our train never makes connection
-pAssenRsrs always lay over, and of cours,
they growl. This morning the old mar
called US into the office and the whole ihInl
was out. Gardiner talked like father tC
them, and as no grew excited, he said II wa
criminal running the road in the condition
IL was He told them the time table ~
made up was fast even for hrst class road
and IL we undertook to run ~ a frlghtful &C
oideni could not be avoided When Gar
diner told him il was criminal to run the
road as it was, Superintendent Brown wA'
very hot. he fairly boiled over. He de
clAred there was no better road in the
country, and that Gardiner was q coward
who ought to go on gravel train, and 1
he didn'l make time he'd have him there
too. The road was losing its business, ant
there had go. to DO change. Brown Als'
said that in VALLEY Creek, where he lived
he had noticed that the train always SLOWED
and lost time enough there to lose the con
neciions. Gardiner replied to this, that a
the creek there was down grade, th
bridge was unsafe, and he was obliged I
slack MP for safety. More than this, tn
track passed through the play ground O
the Creek school, which was not fenced 10
and they could not 90 through at q rapi
rate without danger to the children
"Then Brown burst out with an oath ths
If uArents did not want their children RI
over they must keep them of the track.
would be q good thing to run over one
two Of them, as it would teach them les
on. OF course he didn't mean this, but
was hot you see, and did not know whl
he did say. He added that GARDENERS famil
lived near the track, and that Gardiner
sole cause for slowing WAS to have chAnc
10 chat with them as he went through. III
set GARDENERS anger on FIRE, and he the
and there declared that he would make tint
Ia, the consequences be what they mig h
and IL disaster happened, Brown must n
sumo the responsibility. You see he
keeping his word, but the old fellow fee
very bad though"
We dashed on over the frail iron at
frightful speed. You could almost hear th
bars oraokle As We went. The cars surge
from east to west, forcing passengers to a
most cling to their seats. Not for secon
did l leave my brake.
We were nearly down to Valley Creek o
time. As We approached the long streac
Of the grade, felt by the shaking that GA
diner had slAcksned up, as II the DANCE
we're really too great; and then, rs bis pre-
mise had come full upon Ms mind, ha
again carefully opened his throttle. Down tn
valley we went, our speed startling the birdI
the cattle, and even the staid old for es
trees into new and strange ideas. Rrsspe
the brake firmly; the engine ~histled al