Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-10-09
HUMPING The GAP.

Tom Potts. II well-known locomotive en-
gincer in England and the States, is tho self
accredited hero Of the following wonderful
story OF successful daring. | will narratc it
rs nearly rs can in his own words, | have
heard him tell it oflen
"wcll, gentlemen, say you'll think its u
lie, bat | cant help that; you have asked me
to tell it; and ali can say is if you'd been
in my place you'd have seen it.
81 had been driving the Witch for about
seven months, and sweet thing she was
| never was half rs fond of an engine AS I
was of her She was the kind of machine II
man only gets once in lifetime.
She made her steam quick, was easy on
fuel, started OF lively and went like deer.
Her cylinders were siXtecn-inch, her stroke
twenty-five, and her drivers seven f. ct six,
and she was rs kind to handle rs II baby.
10 see her run of with II heavy load,
light and gay, was enough to shame the
Juno" Venus and Helen, and other
eglIteen-inch machines.
- She never wanted fixing up. Venus
was always going in and out OF the shop to
he titivated, and il there Is anything don't
| like, it's I'M engine that all the time wants to
be titivatcd. She was always ready and
willing TO work. Why, bless you! she was
only washed out for the sake OF cleanliness
she didn't need ii II bit.
"She was tho tidicst thing ever seen
seemed rs though dirt wouldn't stick to her.
"Wcll, what l am going to tell came of
years ago. before left the old country, and
it was one Of the best railroads-single 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 trlins and they
went like sixty in them days.
1.-The engineer was fined shilling for
every minute he lost. lie burst not 20 slow
for fog, unless no wanted to lose his days
pay. lie had to keep going right along, and
SEQ things before he got in sight of EN-.
I'VE were running north one darkish win
ter day, an were making our best strcaks
| should reckon we were going about lilty
miles an hour.
81 was saying 10 myself, she's going her
prettiest, when wo suddenly shot ahead, rs
il we had been iirod out of n cannon.
81 know what that meant, we had broke
loose, wO hadn't car behind us. Tho coup.
ling had broken between the tender and first
coach.
How We flew, to be sure whistlcd the
guard to break up the train. How we bound
od along
~ could make out no objects alongside
we seemed TO go faster and faster; wa must
have got rs ftst ns ono hundred miles an
hour.
1T was n straight peco Of track for some
miles. did not shut off steam directly we
broke, for didn't want the train TO run into
us. which might happen If they did not hear
my whistle for brakes,
1T was lucky l kept her going; for just
rs | had about enough of suchtlyins man
started out about six hundred yards before
us holding rcd flag.
There was nothing in the way, so knew
something must he wrong with tho track.
"YOu might MS well have tried to stop Il
whrlwind US the Witch In that distance,
Her speed was lrightful
There wasn't much time to think, and,
rs we could not stop, the faster we went the
better; 50 gave her what more steam there
was. She seemed to have some go in re-
serve, for we shot past tho red flag like n
flash.
~ saw men standing horror-struck.
"Bill,' said, quick Get on the coke,
and see what's ahead
lie looked, and went deadly pale, totter-
cd, and fell back In faint.
"By this time could sec plain enough
what was wrong.
"There was gap in the track where a
bridge had gone down.