The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-01-21
EMPORIA NEWS.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 81, 1876.
CREASED LIGHTNING.
An incident Of Hallway Trav
cling

An incident Of Hallway TraV-
cling.
"What time docs the train go
south on the Missouri, Kansas Il
Texas, from Scott?"
eleven O'Clock tonight, SIR"
"And there's no train going out
from here till morning."
''None, SIR"
"What time is it now?"
ga quarter to nine."
"Look here" said the Texan, an
give you q cool hundred to land US
two, my friend and me, in FIT. Scott
in time for that connection"
"I'm afraid it cannot be DONE"
said the agent, 'but / will telegraph
the superintendent"
In less than five minutes the or
der came:
"Send No. IL and a single coach
for 500, connection TO be made or
money refunded"
"Will you go along for com
pany 2" said the Texan, Tor is Your
life insured 2" At five minutes to
nine the bell rang and we were of.
The special consisted of an engine
and one coach, with a crew of the
conductor, engineer, fireman and a
brakeman, with the two Texas
drovers and myself as passengers.
Orders were telegraphed to side
track all trains till we passed. Be-
ing coupled directly 10 the tender
the coach felt every jerk and jar as
the engineer gave his iron horse
the steam.
Olathe, twenty-five miles out,
was reached in thirty-nine minutes.
AS the depot with It's lights shot
past the conductor said to the
brakeman: "Mike, you had better
crawl over that tender and tell Jim
he must tear her wide open, this is
no freight train" Nike obeyed,
and q minute afterward we seemed
to leave the track and cut straight
through the air. The lamps blew
out and left us in the darkness ex-
cept as the showers of spark blew
back against the windows and re-
vealed four men gripping the seats
and trying to smile, although the
situation distorted the effort into
CHASTITY grins, as we thought of the
odds against us in that dark ride.
Three times the conductor re-
lighted the lamps, only to have
them extinguished q moment after
ward. At last he gave it up and
sat down, and we were alone in the
darkness. The war of the wheels,
and the screaming of the steam pre-
vented q word of conversation or q
jest-tEere was no help for it, we
were elected.
A prolonged whistle, Kissing of
the brakes, and we stopped at Paols
to take water.
The engineer took his oil can and
lamp and made hasty examination
of the journals and oil cups, while
the conductor went round TO the
headlight to consult his watch. We
had moment to get up and shake
ourselves before the spout swung
up with creak, and we were on
the go again.
"Do you think we shall make il ~
one ventured to inquire of the con-
ductor.
Certainly, unless we have a hot
box, or the engine slings her babbit,
or something of that sort happens
we ask no odds, she hasn't stretch
ed herself yet; dye see that, and
that, and that ?" he exclaimed, as
pent up steam was turned with
tremendous force into the machin-
cry, and we bounded away US when
a spirited horse feels the keen lash.
"Jim is on his mettle, this is run
for reputation, you know" His
last remark was shouted at us, al
though he was only step away.
Station after station, bridge after
bridge, train after train, deep cuts
and high embankments and crack
ing tressels were passed in twink
ling, and far back into the night
hung a tunnel of fire and smoke,
through which our train had sped.
at last shrill whistle to the east of
us, which was quickly answered by
a triumphant blast from our engine
and we drew mp to the platform just
in time for our drover boys to catch
the Texas express. "One hundred
miles in two hours and four min
utes, with one stop for water. 81
told you So" said jim, as he affec-
tionately patted his painting engine.
A. l..