Omaha daily bee., 1874-06-26

"She made her steam quick, was
easy on fuel, started off lively, and
went like a deer. Her cylinders
were 16-inch, her stroke %; and her
drivers seven feet six, and she was
IS kind to handle as q baby.
ITO see her run of with a heavy
load, light and gay, was enough to
shame the Juno Venus and
Helen, and other 1s-inch machines.
"She never wanted fixing up.
Venus was always going in and
out of the shop to be titivated, and
If there's anything I don't like it's
an engine that all the time wants to
be titivated. She was always ready
and willing for work. Why, bless
you! she was only washed out for
the sake of cleanliness-she didn't
need it q bit. -
0sShe was the tidest thing l ever
seen-seemed as though dirt
wouldn't stick to her.
dwell, what 1 am going to tell
came off years ago, before L left the
old country, and it was n of the
best railrOads-s.ngie track, then,
though it's got three now, and four
in some spots.
swell, the Witch and / were
put IN the mail, one of the fastest
trains; and they went like sixty in
them days.
1.-THE engineer was fined a shill-
ing for every minute he lost. He
dare not go slow for fog, unless he
wanted to lose bis days pay. He
has to keep going right along, and
See things before he got in sight Of
'em.
ave were running north one
darkish wintry day, and were
making our best streaks. I should
reckon We ere going about fifty
miles an hour.
81 was saying to myself, she's
going her prettiest,' when we sud-
denly shot ahead, as If we had been
fired out of a cannon.
81 knew what that meant. We
had broke loose, We hadn't a a
behind US. The coupling had broken
between the tender and the first
coach.
"How we few, to b. sure! I
whlstled the guard to break up the
train. How we bounded along!
81 could make out no objects along
side-we seemed to go faster and
faster; We must have got as fast as
1901 miles an hour.
at was q straight piece of track
for some miles. / did not shut of
steam directly we broke, for 1 didn't
want the trail to run into us, which
taiaht happen if they did not hear
me whistle down brakes.
ut was lucky 1 kept her going;
for just as I had had ABOUT enough
OF such fyiRg, -azman started out
about 600 yards before holding q red
flag.
"There was nothing in the way,
so l knew that something must be
wrong with the track.
"YOu might q well have tried to
stop a whirlwind as the Witch in
that distance. Her speed was fright.
full,
"There wasn't much time to
think, and, as We could not stop, |
the faster we went the better; so /
gave her what more steam there
was. She seemed to have some go
in reserve, for We shot past the red
flag like a flash. A
~ saw men standing horror
struck.
"'Bill,' 1 said, quick! Get on
the coke and see what's ahead
"He looked, and went deadly
pale, tottered, and fell back ip a
laiht.0 - N1 W |
uRy tkis time 1 could see plain
enough what was wrong.
There was q gap In the track
whereA bridge had gone down.
"YOu can't imagine my feelings
just then. Going to death-death,
swift and terrible-at about two
miles q manufacturing nearer /!
I thought of my wife and child
nearer! An instant more-the gap!
"'God have mercy l shrieked.
"Well, woulc you believe 1t? that
engine Just cleared the gap!
at was fifteen feet across, and
about sixty feet deep.
"She jumped that gap like a stag,
and, what's more. she struck the
rails all right on the other side, and
kept right along; just as if she had
not noticed the gap, --r
III stirred Bill up, and, with both
of US st the brake. We. managed at
last to stop the Switch"
"She was on a tare that day, but
I never dreamed she'd jump the gap
fhot1S q fact ~ |