The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1874-07-02
JUMPING THE GAL.

Tom Potts, well-kuown locomotive
engineer in England and the States, is
the self.accredited hero Of the following
wonderful story OF successful daring. !
will narrate il as nearly as | can In his
own words. have heard him tell 1t Oft
en-;
Wen, gentlemen, say you'll think it's
a lie, but can't help that; you have
asked me to tell il; and all ! can say is il
you'd been in my place you'd have seen
it,
had been driving the Witch for about
seven months, and sweet thing she was,
never was half as fond OF an engine as
was of her. She was the kind of ma
chine a man only gets once in lifetime.
She made her steam quick, was easy
OH fuel, started off lively and went like a
deer Her cylinders were sixteen-inch,
her stroke twenty-five; aud her drivers
seven feet six, and she was as kind to
handle as baby.
TO see her run of with heavy load,
light aud gay, was enough to shame the
Juno, Venus and Helen, and other eigh-
teen-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 |
don't like, it's an engine that all the time
wants to be tihvated. She was always
ready and willing to work. Why, bless
youl she was only washed out for the
sake of Cleanliness didn't need it a
bit.
She was the tidiest thing | ever seen-
seemed as though dirt wouldn't stick to
| her.
Well, what am going to tell came of
years ago, before left the old country,
and it was one of the best railroads-sin-
gle track then, though it's got three now,
and four in some spots.
Well, the Witch and | were put on the
malone of the fastest trains; and they
went like sixty in them days.
The engineer was fined shilling for
every minute he lost. He burst not 60
slow for fog, unless he wanted to lose his
days pay. lie had to keep going right
along, and see things before he got in
sight of 'em.
We were running north one darkish
wintry day, and were making our best
streaks. / should reckon we were going
about fifty miles an hour.
was saying to myself, she's going hel
prettiest, when we suddenly shot ahead
as if we had been fired out of cannon.
knew what that meant, we had broke
loose, we hadn't car behind us. The
coupling had broken between the tender
and first coach.
How we flew, to be sure! | whistled
the guard TO break up the train. How
we bounded alongl
| could make out no objects alongside
we seemed TO go faster and faster; We
must have got as fast as a hundred miles
an hour.
1t was straight piece OF track for some
miles. did not shut off steam directly
we broke, for didn't want the train tC
run into us, which might happen if they
did not hear the whistle for brakes.
1t was lucky kept her going; for jus
as had about enough Of such flying
man started out about six hundred yard
before us holding red flag
There was nothing in the way, so
knew something must be wrong with tht
track.
You might as well have tried to stop {
whirlwind as the Witch in that distance
Her speed was frightful.
There wasn't much time to think, and
as we could not stop, the faster we weu
the better; so gave her what more
steam there was. She seemed TO hay'
some go in reserve, for we shot past th'
red flag like flash.
saw men standing horror-struck.
Bill, | said, quick! Get on the coke
and see what's ahead.
He looked, and went deadly pale, tot
tered, and fell back In Il faint.
BY this time could see plain cnougI
what was wrong.
There was a gap in the track where
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