The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1874-10-31
a NILE 4 MINUTE.
An Interesting Letter from an Old Fire
1nan-speed of American Locomotives.

To the Editor of the New York Sun.
S1R:-In Yesterdays San I read with in
terest the account of the recent extraordi-
nary time made by an engine of the Chicago
and Northwestern railroad, the ''Wabar-
haw," in running from Clinton to Chicago
at rate Of nearly one mile per minute. In
the winter of 1855 | was fireman of that en-
gine On the same road, which then only ran
to Fulton, on this side of the Mississippi.
The engine is q "McQueen," built at the
Schenectady locomotive works, and was put
on the road iii 1853 Since then it has been
thoroughly rebuilt, and is now a first-class
machine [ remember on one occasion
during that winter when we made some
extra time, and over st much poorer track
than there is now. Our usual leaving time
at Turner junction was s p. n., but at the
time in question, we started thirty-iige
minutes late, giving us but thirty-one min
utes to reach Blackberry station, to meet
the down train and make one stop at Ge-
neva. Sam Spear ran the engine, and
though we had three cars, the meeting was
effected, making the wonderful time of
nearly or quite q mile minute.
There was another engine running on the
road at that time called the Nebraska, built
by Rogers, Of Patterson, n J. This engine
once made the run over two bridges, one
mile and eight rods apart, in tifty-six Sec
onds. These bridges are located between
Cherry Valley and Belvidere on the Galena
division, and the engine was then run by
Harmon VeddeE
In the summer Of 1856 [ ran the engine
Ariel from Turner junction to franklin,
| sixty miles, in seyenty-three minutes, and
made three stops, but had no cars, and am
tl,,4 finr. 10 {.
minute was run part of the way.
On the 10Th of May, 1872, Mr.. James
| Wood ran engine 341 of the New York
| Central, from Rochester to Syracuse, cigh-
| ty-one miles, in eighty-two minutes, draw
ing one car, containing Mr.. Vanderbilt and
others of the Central.
The American locomotive is a most per-
feet machine, and with a good track there
is safety in fast time. We arc now using
steel rails and fish plate joints, making,
with proper ballasting, as good track as
can be had, and there is no danger of de-
railing the ssleaders y of locomotive, SC
/ long as the unevenness of the surface OF
4 the rail does not overcome the elasticity OF
the truck springs enough to throw them off,
or relieve the vertical pressure upon the raj
4 te so great q degree as to overcome by the
side thrust, as the wheel inpinges on the
rail, and produces worming of the rail
4 This is very much guarded against by ele
waiting the outer rail on curves, which is
better understood by track-builders now
than twenty years ago, and / have nodoubt
1 but speed of fifty miles an hour can ant
will be safely made over tie new quadru
/ pied track now being put down on the Linz
of the New York Central, a most perfec
/ piece of track work. Our railway managers
are waking up to the economy of steels rail.
! and good road beds, and with these The
! American locomotive can answer any de
mand of the travelling public for fast time
C. i.