Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-09-27
Ill MILES IN 1O9 MINUTES.

starting showed a pressure oil eighty
five pounds, a moderate figure for a.
locomotive. Conductor A. B Crawl
ford sang out EAll aboard?" and the
special pulled out from St. Thomas
at 5:27 p. III. A grand hurrah from
the platform signalled the departure.
Once the bridge was. cleared, Ma
eomber ''let her out Bishop Bor-
CESS in the palace-car, after receiving
the salu' ations of the gentlemen Of
the party, sat down, and dinner was
served to him and his travelling conn.,
panions upon a small table. No one
noticed anyparticular 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 u
rain-storm. Otherwise there was no
indication of unusual speed to a per-
son in the car f.s
Presently watches were taken out
and observations made. The. rever-
end clegy, as well as the more worldly
laity, became Interested.
"A mile in sixty seconds.'' eiacu-
lated one.
Shortly after-''A mile in fifty
eight seconds" ..~.
Again-''A mile in ~fiftv-scvcn Sec
onds!'' and the enthusiastic Frank
Moran. with Il cheer that intensified
the excitement, announced that his
stop-watch marked but titty-1ive sec
onds to the mile.
At the real end of the last coach
sat General Manager Muir, his eyes
fixed on the W appearing ever VAN
ishing track with q demeanor philo-
sophie, as if such speed was an eve
Iryday affair on the Canada Southern
On the opposite side~sat Snperintend-
cnt Taylor, and near at hand Train
Dispatcher Noble; Frank p. Taylor
counted miles.
Before one could point out an OBJ
iiect it had vanished. Before Il qucs-
| ton could be asked and answered 4
mile had sped five miles were ira
versed in the interval while cigars
twere handed around and lighted by
as many men. A flock of bIackbirds
flying towards the West, with all their
fieetness In cleaying the sir, were
soon left behind and lost to view.
The wires of the telegraph poles
swung up and down from the move
ment of the train. The bushes on
the side Of the bitches shook as il
swept by a hurricane, and the tall and
gaudy yellow coxcombs that grew be-
side the fences bent to the ground in
Il seemingly overpowcring desire to
get loose from the earth and follow
the rushing train. The dust from
newly ballastcd parts OF the track and
the chips and leaves rose up f~iercely
I,roinc+ Tho for,o ~ c,oIitafion md
whirled and gyrated like vapory
clouds in a tempest. A thin line OF
smoke stretched Unfortunately in the
distance. The impetus Of the train
increased; the v~chcmence with which
it rushed forward created a vacuum
that apparently took nature some sec
onds to overcome, and the spirits Of
the passengers were eNhilerateds by
the unprecedented speed at which
they moved through space.
\ side-track passenger train salut-
ed us with cheers and locomotive
whistles. Neither was heard before
the sound could reach the ears of the
passengers III the special it was be.
yond hearing. One could see the
rushing steam and the waving hand.
kerchiefs. Neutrality-suspicious. Noble
reported that six miles between High.
wood and Ridgeton were made in five
minutes the 81 miles between St.
Thomas and Charing Cross were
/, made in 81 IL minutes. A halt n
LCharing Cross Of four minutes fol-
water, and then on again with the
same oyerppwering velocity. But g
rs fast as it might the Canada South
ern train could not overtake the sun
!, it sank, and nightfall came on. Thel
, could be seen the work of the fire
man. Each time he opened the fur
, mace a volume Of sparks shot out, anC
the trailing fire came down upon th,
track like the p~yrotechnics Of an aeri
al mine. . H..
Finally q sharp twist that sent tn
standing passengers over to the right
AND directly another that sent then
in the; other direction, and the yar(
of Amherstburg station was; reached,
Hurrah! One, hundred and clever
miles in 1o9 minutes! The fastest
time in Anrerica-beating by thres
minutes The remarkable run of Van.
derbilt's special train.
LOVE OF MARRIED LIFE.
The affections that links tobether