The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-12

CaiuoS1 dt'cutiON Vi DemOCTdtS.-lu LII.
dianapolis Journal.
# From Taylor's Modern Highways
"GOING HER PRETTIEST."
Tom Potts. the English Engineer.
Tells How HIS Locomotive Jumped
= Gap.
Tom Potts, we'll known locomo.
tive engineer in England and the
States, is the self accredited hero
of the following wonderful story of
successful daring. I will narrate
it as nearly as I can ia his own
words. I have heard him tell it
often:
sWell, gentlemen, I say you'll
think it's a lie, but I can't help that;
you have asked me to tell it, and
all I 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 a
sweet thing she was. I neFer'was
half SO fond of an engine as l was
of her. She was the kind of ma
chine a man only gets once in a
lifetime. y y
az aShe made her steam quick, was
easy on fuel, started off lively, and
went like a deer. Her cylinders
were Is inch, her stroke %, and
her drivers 7 feet 6, and she was as
kind to handle as baby. Sis
ITO see her run off with heavy
load, light and gay, was enough to
shame the Juno, Venus, and Helen,
and other 18-inch machines. az
''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 a bit. ,-,
"She was the tidiest thing I ever
seen-seemed. as though dirt wonld
not stick to her.
swell, what 4 am going to tell
came off years ago, before I 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.
s"Well, the Wich and I were put
on the mail, one of the fastest train
and they went like sixty in then
days. e
The engineer was fined shill
ing for every minute he lost. He
dared not go slow for fog, unless
he wanted to lose his days pay
He had to keep going right along
and see things before he got il
sight Of EN-.
I'VE were running north on,
darkish wintery day, and wer'
making our best streaks. should
reckon we were going about fit,
miles an hour.
Il was saying to myself, she
going her prettiest,' when we sud
denly shot head, as if we hat
been fired out of a cannon.
II knew what that meant w
had broke loose, we hadn't ca
behind us. The coupling had bro
ken between the tender and tn
first coach.
"How we few, to be sure! I whis
tied the guard to break up the train
How we bounded along!
II could make out no object
alongside; we seemed to go taste
and faster; we must have got a
asst as 100 miles an hour.
1{"It was a straight piece of trac
for some miles. I did not shut O
steam directly we broke, for didn
want the train to run into us, whic
might happen if they did not her
me whistle for brakes
1T was lucky kept her goine
for just as I had had about enoug
of such flying, a man started OF
about six hundred yards before III
holding red flag.
s'There was nothing in the wa,
so 1 knew something must b
wrong with the track.
"You might as well have tried t
stop whirlwind as the Witch i
that distance. Her speed we
frightful.
"There wasn't much time to thinl
and as we could not stop, the fastt
we went the better; SO I gave VIII,
more steam there was. She seen
ed to have some go in reserve, fc
we shot past thered flag like Aasl
II saw men standing horrt
/. struck.
"'Bll,' I said, quick! Get G
the coke, and see what's ahead.
, sHe looked and went deadly pal
: tottered, and fell back in a faint.
; ''By this time I could see plai
; enough what was wrong.
There was gap in the trac
where bridge had gone down.
"You can't imagine my feeling
Just then. Going to death deaf
swift and terrible, at ,about tv
; miles a Manufacturing neare
nearer! 1 thought of my wife an
child-nearer! An instant more
, the gapl
, .God have mercy, 1 shrieked.
"Well, would you believe it? th'
engine just cleared that gap!
ssTt vyaa fiftAen feet ACROSS. an