Connecticut western news., 1873-07-25
our Western Trip.
Continuel1

ol ulounCalns, and the very generally leve
 country. Here are established repair shop
 for the Ft. Wayne road. and although nc
 as extensive as those ot the Penn. Centrs
 road at Altoona, mention of which W
 should have made while passing that plac
 m our article last week, these works a
 Crestlne are of no mean importance.
 While on the train between Pittsburg an
 Alliance, Conductor Theodore Gray invi,
 c'l us to a seat in the locomotive, where w
 could perhaps get better view of tn
 country. We find Engineer Robert Jack
 son to be one of those substantial and relia
 blc sort of men. whose honest, intelligen
 couEtenance speaks peace to the nerves O
 all passengers. He opens the throttle valy
 and we move along, faster. yes and stil
 faster. Is he not yet satisfied! We fl,
 along at the speed of the wind, and hur
 ricane at that! His is one of those fas
 through express trains which ''make time. The wheels ahead, behind and under us roa1
 so that we forget to hear aught else. The
 cab shakes and we grasp with the tenacity
 Of drowning man, to whatever will holt
 us from tipping over The furnace k
 constantly being opened and the sturdy
 fireman shoyels in continuous stream of
 coal. A dog is ahead and determined he
 won't give the road. He rnns,-Oh how
 he does ''peal it," but We are coming right
 up to him. Engineer Jackson doesn't want
 to kill even dog, and he gives one of
 those peculiarly startling whistles, (toot t-o-o-t toot tooD which are given at all road crossings, and the dog dodges off as we fly past him. To have prolonged his race five seconds longer would have made it ''tAe tast cf hts rnce" Pigeons, quails, rabbits, and all manner of everything are constant
 y being chased away from the track, and in this ride of twenty miles or more before we make the first stop, we have seen enough to convince us that the business of an engi- neer is one that requires no little amount of nerve, as something, from people walking on the road, and are SO foolish as to stick to the track till the last second, or a drove of cattle, down to dogs, cats and chickens are constantly being footed off. Our expe- rlence the next day riding with Engineer Thomas Kelley, as we were getting nearer Chicago, was similar to what we had the day before, except perhaps he ran faster and we are inclined to think he did-the road being very straight for many miles without the slightest turn. if he didn't 20 at the rate of two miles minute, he went ''like streak O lightning, anyhow. There's woman ahead on the track! She pays no attention to our approach and we are getting right up to her so rapidly! Wny ao"t she know enough to get out of the way! We shall run over her sure as the world! Foot t-o-o-t toot toot, the engineer whistles and she steps off, just at the very latest instant of time to save her liAe; and when we flew past, she probably was sur prised to find we were SD near her. One instant longer hesitation and she would hardly have been able to do very large washing the next Monday. Engineer Kel- ley steps across and hOllers in our ear as the engine roars along: "A woman is the s'd-dest fool in the world when she gets Ion the track. She won't start off till the Hast second, when, if she makes the slight test hesitation. we've got her." The above of the engineer is indeed harsh in it's general sweep of the sex, and we should be far from indorsing it, profanity and all, but in this individual case if he wanted to be little expressive, we would scarcely be one to deny him the privilege.
 Becoming tired of the rattle and tear of locomotive riding. we resume our seat in Conductor John N. McCoy's palace car, the department of which in the rear
 $ Admirably adapted to an extensive view of the country through which we are pass- ng, having 8 continuous series of windows which admit of view embracing an angle 't l8O degrees. To give detailed descrip- Ion of the country as seen by us seems hardly necessary, ,as the great West has been written and rewritten, till it is familiar to 'll' but at the conclusion it may not be out 'f place for us to give in few words, | ort or Summing up of all that we saw; of | ne Cops, general appearance of the coun-
 y, &c., &c, which we may debut here
 we are flying along, (if it were possible we l should say at an increased rate of speedy and for the last 700, 900 miles the road has l been as straight as two candles, and-stop | he Doctor says it's not SO far back as that since there was a curve, and in difference 70 his most excellent judgment and for the | sake of perfect accuracy have concluded to | deduct quarter of mile from the above | figure as to the air line we have left behind | IS, but we are usually right in those things. |
 When our fathers first went west, they were quite content to rush along through he country at the break.nec pace of 'eam of oxen; hving in their covered wagons and consuming months to get as far AS Ohio or Indiana. Now. when they % with us they ride in elegant palace coaches, surrounded with everything the genius of Pullman can suggest in the way of com fort, elegance and luxury, and their every want studiouslY attended to by the polite md gentlemanly conductors and porters making as many miles in twenty four hours IS they at first made in month of their te, } 1ious OK team travel. When they realize shis new order of things and exclaim in .heir astonishment. 'Times have chaneedn we know what they mean. Conductor Mccoy of the palace car, and Conductors Theodore Gray and J. s. Moore of the Ft. Wayne road have our sincere tb anks for the many coultesies extended to us, and for the valuable information they were constantly giving us. These gentlemen gave evidence, 1y their accommodating and gentlemanly department toward all under their charge, 't being of that class of public servants with whom it is real treat to ride.
 On our arrival in Chicago, we were met 'y lot of chaps who were evidently wait ng for us, and who manifested degree of s,Ho A..