Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1877-11-08

the Canada SOuthern railroad.
The engineer, Macomb, was sur
rounded by an admiring throng,
and passengers and raiIrcaders
Ecommented on the handsome
appearance of, his iren steed.
The steam guage just before
lstarting showed a pressure of
lS5 pounds, a moderate figure for
a locomotive. Conductor Craw-
ford sang out Cali aboardl" and
ithe special train with Bishop
Borgess. ON board pulled ont
from St. Thomas at 5;27 p. m.
"A grand hurrah from the plat
form signaIled the departure.
Once the bridge was clear,
Macomb 'let her out" Bish-
op Borgess., in the palace car,
after receiving the salutations
of the gentlemen of the party,
sat down, and dinner was served
Ito him and his travelling COM
panions upon a small table. No
one noticed any particular mo-
ttion in the car. There was. no
disarrangement in the dishes,
crowded and small as was the
table. The hum of the train
was somewhat sharper than us
NAL, and the rushing air against
1.-THE windows sounded like the
sweeping of rain storm. 9th
erwisc there was no indication
of unusual speed to a person in
the car.
Presently watches were taken
out and observations made. The
reverend clergy as we'll as the
worldly laity, became Interested.
GA mile in sixty seconds!'
calculated one.
Shortly after-"A mile in fif-
ty-eight. seconds!'
Again-"A mile in fifty-scv-
en- seconds!" and the enthusi-
astic Frank Moran, with a cheer
that intensified the excitement,
announced that his stop-watclI
marked fiity-fye seconds to the
mile.
Before one conld point out an
obiect it had vanished. Before
a question could be asked and
answered mile had sped; five
miles were traversed in the in
terval while cigars were handed
around and lighted by as many
men. A flock of blackbirds
flying toward the west with all
their fleetness in cleaving the
air were soon left behind and
Host TO view
The wires on the telegraph
poles swung up and down from
the movement of the train. The
bushes on the side of the ditch
es shook as if swept by hurri-
cane, and the tall and gaudy
yellow coxcombs that grew be-
side the fences bent to the
ground in n seemingly over
powering desire to get loose
from the earth and follow the
rushing train. The dust from
newly ballasted portions of the
track and chips and leaves rose
up fiercely against the force of
Igravitation and whirled and gy-
rated like vapory clouds in a
tempest. A thin line of smoke
stretched interminably in the
distance. The impetus of the
train increased; the yehemencc
with which 1T rushed forward
created a vacuumthat apparent
tly- took nature some seconds to
overcome, and the spirits of the
! passengers were exhilarated by
rihe unprecedented speed at
which they moved through
space. ~
A side track passenger train
saluted us with cheers and To-
comotive whistles. Neither was
heard; before the sound could
reach the cars of the special it
was beyond hearing. One could
see the rushing steam and the
waving handkerchiefs. Train
Dispatcher Noble reported that
six miles between lIighwood
and Ridgton were made in five
minutes: the fifty-scven miles
between ST. Thomas and Char
ing Cross were made in fifty-six
and a half minutes. A halt at
ECharing Cross for four minutes
for water, and then on again
with the same overpoweriDg ye-
locity. But 60 as fast as they
might the Canada Southern train
could not overtake the sun; it
sank, and nightfalI came on.
Then could be seen the work Of
the fireman. Every time he
opened the furnace a volume OF
sparks shot ont, and the trail
ing fire came down upon the