Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-09-26
Ill Miles in 100 Minutes.

| thS IL HiiiCS Ihdt SCpuIuLcS Cls nom
as from Amherstburg on the Canad,
Southern Railroadl. The engineer
Macomber, was surrounded by al
admiring throng, and passengers anG
railroaders commented on the hand
some appearance Of his iron stced
The steam gauge, just before starting
showed pressure of eighty-fiye
pounds, a moderate figure for loco.
motive. Conductor A. B. Crawford
sang out "All aboard! y and the spe.
cial pulled out from St.Thomas at 5 :21
p. m. A grand hurrah from the plat.
form signaled the departure.
Once the bridge was cleared Ma
comber ''let her out" Bishop Bor-
CESS in the palace car, after receiving
the salutations of the gentlemen OF
the party, sat down, and dinner was
served to him and his travelling CON-
panions upon small table. No one
noticed any particular motion in the
car. There was no disarrangement
Of the dishes, crowded and small as
was the table. The hum of the train
was somewhat sharper than usual,
and the rushing air against the win
dows sounded like the sweeping Of a
rain storm. Otherwise there was no
indication of unusual speed TO per-
son in the car.
Presently watches were taken out
and observations made. The rever-
end clergy, as well as the worldly
laity, became interested.
"a mile in sixty seconds " ejacu-
lated one.
Shortly aftcr-"A mile in fifty-eight
seconds
Again-"A mile in fifty-seven sec
onds!,' and the enthusiastic Frank
Moran, with a cheer that intensified
the excitement, announced that his
stop-watch marked but lifty-five Sec
onds to the mile.
At the rear end of the last coach
sat General Manager Muir, his eyes
fixed on the ever appearing, evcrivan-
ishing track, with a demeanor philo-
sophie, as if such speed was an every
day, affair on the Canada Southern.
On the opposite side sat Superintend-
ent Taylor, and near at hand Train
Dispatcher Noble; Frank r. Taylor
counted the miles.
Before one could point out an object
it had disappeared. Before ques-
tion could be asked and answered a
mile had sped five miles were trav-
crscd in the interval while cigars
were handed around and lighted by
as many mon. A flock of blackbirds
flying towards the west, with all
their fleetness in clcaving the air,
were soon left behind and lostto view.
The wires on the telegraph poles
swung up and down from the move
ment of the train. The bushes on the
side of The bitches shook as if swept
by hurricane, and the tall and gaudy
yellow coxcombs that grew beside
the fences bent to the ground in a
seemingly overpowering desire to
get loose from the earth and follow
the rushing train. The dust from
newly-ballasted portions OF the track
and the chips and leaves rose up
tiercely against the force of gravita-
tien and whirlcd and gyratcd like
very clouds in tempest. A thin line
Of smoke stretched interminably in
the distance The impetus of the
train increased; the vehemcnce with
which il rushed forward created 8
vacuum that apparently took nature
some seconds to overcome and the
spirits of tho passengers were exhil-
Grated by the unprecedented speed at
which they moved through space.
a side-track passenger train saluted
lis with cheers and locomotive whis-
ties. Neither was heard before the
sound could reach the ears of the pas
sengers in the special it was beyond
hearing. One could see the rushing
stoam and the waving handerchiefs.
Train-Dispatcher Noble reported that
six miles between Highwood and
Higdeton were made in five minutes ;
the iifty-seven miles between st.
Thomas and Charing Cross were made
in fifty-six and half minutes. A
halt at Charing Cross of four minutes
for water, and then onagain with the
same oyerpowcring velocity. But
go as fast as it might, the Canada
Southern train could not overtake
the sun; it sank and night-fall came
on. Then could be seen the work
of the fireman. Each time he open
ed the furnace volume of sparks
shot out and the trailing fire came
down upon the track like the pyro-
technics of an aerial mine.
Finally, sharp twist that sent the
standing passengers over to the right,
and directly another that sent them
in the other direction, and the yard
of Amherstburg Station was reached.
Hurrah One hundred and eleven
miles in l09 minutes The fastest
time, in notwithstanding by three
minutes the remarkable run of Van
derbilt's special train.