Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-07-25
Going her PretuIest.
From Tailer's Modern Highways
n III

tive engineer in England and the
States, is the self accredited hero of
the following wonderful story of
successful daring. 1 will narrate as
nearly as I can in his words. l have
heard him tell it often:
"Well, gentlemen, l say you'll
think its lie, but l can't help that;
you have asked me to tell it, and all
l can say is, if you'd been in my
place you'd have seen it,
81 had been driving the Witch for
about Z months, and a sweet little
thing she was. I never was half so
fond of an engine as was of her.
She was the kind of machine man
only gets on once in a lifetime.
s'She made her steam quick, was
easy on fuel, started off lively and
went like deer. Her cylinders
were 16-inch, her stroke %, and her
drivers I feet 6, and she was as kind
to handle as a baby.
"To see her run off with heavy
lead, light and gay, was enough to
shame the Juno, Venus and Helen,
and other le-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 1 don't like it's an en-
CINE that all the time wants to be
tivitated. She was always ready and
willing to work. Why, bless youl
she was only washed out for the sake
of cleanliness--she didn't need a
bit.
"She was the tidiest thing I ever
seen-seemed as though dirt wouldn't
stick to her.
swell, what I am going to tell
you came off years ago, before 1 left
the old country, and it was one of
the best railroads-single track then
though its got three now, and four
in some spots.
swell, the Witch and I were
put on the mail, one of the fastest
trains, and they went like sixty in
those days.
F'The engineer was fined a shilling
for every minute he lost. He dared
not go in slow fog, unless he want
ed to lose his days pay. He had to
keep going right along, and see
things, before he got in sight Oi
them.
eve were running north one dark,
ish wintry day, and were making
our best streaks. 1 should reckon
we were 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 beer
fired out of a cannon.
81 knew what that meant. We
had broke loose, we haden't cal
behind us. The coupling had bro
ken between the tender and the first
coach.
'How we flew, to be sure! 1 whis
tied the guard to break up the train
1AOH VIC UOuuuCO oAOASs
81 could make out no object
alongside; we seemed to go faster
we must have got as fast as lOt
miles an hour.
''It was a straigt piece of track
for scme miles. l did not shut of
steam directly we broke, for I didn'
want the train to run into us, whicl
might happen if they did not hea
me whistle for brakes.
''It was lucky 1 kept her going
for Just as 1 had had about enough
of such flying, a man started ou
about six hundred yards before III
holding ared flag.
Z ''There was nothing in the way
SO l knew something must be wrong
with the track.
'You might as well tried to stoI
a whirlwind as the Witch in tina
distance. Herspeed was frightful
''There wasen't much time t.
think, and as we could not stop tn
faster we went the better; so / CAV
what more steam there was. Sh
seemed to have some go in reserve
for we shot by the red flag like
fash.
81 saw men standing horror
struck.
"Bill' 1 said,' quick Get on tn
coke, and see what's ahead.
'sHe looked, and went deadly pale
tottered, and fell back in a faint.
"By this time 1 could see plail
enough what was wrong.
''There was a gap in the tracl
where a bridge had gone down.
"You can't imagine my feeling
| Just then. Going to death-deatl
swift and terrible, at about tw,
miles minute-getting nearer! Al
instant more-the gap!
"God have mercy / shrieked.
"Well, would you believe it? that
engine had just cleared that gap!
at was thirteen 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.
al stirred Bill up, and with both
of us at the brake, we managed at
last to stop the Witch.
"She was on a tear that day, but
1 never dreamed she'd Jump the
gap-that's a fact.''