Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1875-03-20
A RIDE ON a LOCOMOTIVE.
PecuIIaritIez of the Men Who DrIVe
Iron Horses.

From the New York sun.
The nine o'clock day express stood
on the track ready for a long journey.
l walked the length of the train for i
glance at the engine that was to draw
Us; for l have an especial admiration
for the powers Of this, the greatest of
all mans inventions A stalwart, rus
set-bearded man, clad in a blue denim
overall and jacket was going about her,
poking the long nose of an oil can now
in over the drivers, now into the for
ward trucks, or again into some of the
intricate parts which operate the valves
the link motion believe it IS called;
he filled the cups on the guide bars,
and then passed around 10 the other
side and was lost to sight.
The fireman sat on q seat inside the
cab looking out of the window. The
furnace door stood open and revealed
a sea OF fire within, and a subdued sort
of hiss and slumber as Of a huge kettle
boiling smote the ear to the exclusion
of all other sounds. 1t was scarcely
possible in looking at this magnificent
machine, resplendent with glittering
brass and polished steel, t. realize that
il was not possessed of vitality The
columnar smOkestack res red its head
with a lordly air. The drivers seemed
gathering together under it ready for a
spring. The steam eXhaling from its
nostrils was like the breath of 4 charg-
er smarting under the spur; when it
gave preliminary snort or two, back
ed down, and was attached TO the train
the likeness was cOulPiotC, and nothing
could dispel the feeling that it was not
a fiery dragon breathing forth threat
enings and slaughter" Suddenly a
desire seized me to mount upon the
engine and ride with the engineer, and
l made known my desire 10 that per-
son at once.
THE PERMIT.
"Well, sir he said, civilly enough.
despite his stern countenance, Il have
no objection, but il is against the rules
of the road, and as much Is my place is
worth to allow it. Please step over TO
the Superintendent Office and ask
him for permit. He viii give you
one, and then it will be all right
There he is now coming down the plat
form; ask him, and if he gives me a
nod it will be as good as 4 permit" I
started for the uperintendent at once
and told him what l wanted, he gave
the desired nod and l mounted the en-
gine. The fireman gave me his seat,
the engineer took his place at the right
and we were all ready The fireman
looked out toward the end of the train
for the conductors signal, which he
conveyed to the engineer, and we got
under way so gently that no one could
have said at what moment we began
to move. The bell tolled until we
cleared the city limits and we ran slow
", but once out OF the streets we be-
gan to quicken our speed until we
fairly flew over the ground. No one
spoke. The fireman had as much as
he could do to attend to his own bust
ness. So had the engineer; with his
eye on the track and his hand on the
throttle to shift it as occasion required,
he had not ouch time to entertain
company. Unused as I was to such a
novel experience, the details of il as
they now recur were far different from
what l had expected. l had supposed
that the noise of the exhausts or puffs
of the engine would be perfectly deaf
ening in such close proximity, but
they were not; when the furnace door
was opened to supply fuel, the fire box
was a resonant cavern that repeated
the noise of the exhaust thrown into
the chimney in one unending chucka-
chuckachuck, that ran into kchkchkch,
as we quickened our speed until they
were finally almost undistinguishable.
\ thrill ran through my frame: | be-
gan to culver and tremble in unison
and responsive to the strokes of the pis-
I h. tho D. 4
miles am sure / had as much steam
on me a the boiler himself Il was
not so much the exhilarating current,
might say cataract, of air that came
in through the Opeu window as the
sense of peril to which | was exposed.
Despite a stout heart and a system de-
void of nerves, the thought that there
was only an inch or so between US and
a horrible death (and that inch on the
fanges Of the wheels, until l resOlute-
" dismissed it from my mind and be
gan TO look about me.
FASTER AND FASTER
we went with every stroke of The pis-
tons Looking out sideways was 10
encounter fences, telegraph poles, and
stations blending together like the fg-
ures in moving water. There was a
roar of iron rolling upon iron, the clinE
of metal vibrating from jar and strain.
There were sque2ks and grindings
when we whirled over some pro-
! iecting rail head, and an occasional
muttered grunt as if the noble machine
! labored under its tremendous strain
and suffered. 1t was alive all over
Every part and portion quivered and
shook incessautly. When we ran over
/ frogs or switches, the smoke stack wa
vered from side to side, the window
| sashes shook in their frames, the pic
ture of the pretty girl over the boiler
chattered against the cab, the index of
/ the steam gauge was in fine tremor
/ constantly. The FIRE tools clattered a
| gainst the iron floor of the foot board.
and the chain on the furnace door rat
/ tied to and fire. The seat beneath me
wreathed and twisted like a snake. %
/ The wreuches in the tool box on the
| tender beat a tattoo; the coal kept roll
I ing down towards Us, and the water in
the tanks splashed high in air, now and