St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-07-12


By this time the fireman, acting as
engineer, had given our engine all the
steam she would take, and we were
slashing along at a lively rate, tell
yOu," said the conductor. ''The good
people along the road who were out of
their beds must have thought that a
railroad Gilpin was riding another race
according to the new style. / was angry
enough to have sent a bullet at the
crazy engineer following us, and de-
termined that my first business the
next day should be to complain to the
uperintendent of his foolhardiness. 1
thought that possibly, being for the
moment his own master and no longer
under the immediate orders of con-
ductor, he was indulging in kind of
railroad spree, and for lark was driv-
ing us to the top of our speed, expect
ing to end the race and his days work
at the same time at Jamaica.
swell, we tore through that sleeping
village without stopping long for re-
freshments, L can tell you, and then
Jake and / looked to see our comical
friend in the rear pull up at the station
ana take lodgings for the night. But
we were mistaken in our guess. Not a
whistle was given as a signal that he
intended to stop not signal of slack
ening was shown, but on the contrary
he was gaining upon us, even when we
were trying to do our very best. Some
times a curve in the road would shut
him moment from our view, but every
new turn brought him more closely
upon us. Jamaica had been left far
behind, and we were out on the wide
Hampstead plain. The old COnstitu-
ton was on her muscle. Our train was
actually swaying and rocking with speed
like yacht on the waves. The tele-
graph poles, upon which the light from
our windows would CLINT in the dense
darkness, were flying behind us at
every second. The sound of our wheels
as they struck the end of the rails was
a continuous hum. But, do the best
that it might, our engine with its heavy
train was no match for the lightweight
ed one behind. That was gaining upon
us, and was not an eighth of mile off.
The glare from its lantern shown bright
ly in our faces; l thought Jake's face
looked little pale, and perhaps mine
did too. Now that our pursuer did not
our reckOnings and could make no guess
as to the cause of our chase nor when
it would end. The prospect seemed
that we might be driven to the end of
the road if we were not overtaken and
smashed before it could be reached.
That's the Franklin, sure broke out
Jake once more. No other engine on
the road could overhaul us as we are
going now. What can that fool of IA
Simpson mean by driving her at such a
rate : He must be drunk. If the boss
doesn't break him tomorrow he won't
get his deserts. He will he into us in
two minutes
You are right, jake said l. GO
forward and see if you cannot get up a
little more headway. Empty IA few of
those petroleum cans OH the wood, and
pitch in and see what can be DONE
While Jake was forward on his errand
| thought over the situation. Here | was
with hundred or two passengers under
my care, all Ignorant of the danger
which L knew they were in. If we
should be overtaken and crushed in the
rear, the disaster would he a serious
one, and would probably cause the
death or injury at least of some of the
passengers. If we were not smashed
in this way, there was another and per-
haps great danger before us. The
train of which have spoken, which left
GreenpOrt when we left Brooklyn was
on its way to meet us on the same track.
1t should switch off at Lakeland in the
middle of the island and allow us to
pass an hour after we started, or at
eleven o'clock. 1t was now half-past
ten, and we were close to Lakeland al
ready, and would pass there long before
the arrival of the Greenport train, which
ordinarily got there first The result
would be that we should meet that train
beyond Lakeland without warning of
our approach, and a collision in front
as well as the rear would be the con-
sequence.
We reached and flew through the
Lakeland depot nearly half an hour
ahead of time. Of course the Green
port train was not there yet, but was
coming down the road. Our speed was
now a little ahead of any ever before
made upon the Long Island road. The
telegraph poles fairly danced behind
us, and the bushes on either side of the
track seemed a continuous wall of fire
as they were lighted up by the flame
which was pouring out of .our smoke
stack. But dangerous as it was for us
to keep on, it was just as dangerous to
slacken speed, aud so on we went.3
The conductor rolled his quid from
one cheek to the other, raised the win
dow by his side and expectOrated into
the outer darkness, and became silent
for several moments as if burned by the
recollection of his former perils. After
waiting reasonable length of time for
him to resume his story | said, "When
the collision occurred, was it with the
train front or in the rear, or with
both 7"
"Oh, the collision !" said the conduc-
tor; "well, now you come to the ridic-
ulOus part of the story. The collision
did not take place at all ;" he said in an
apologetic tone, as if there ought to
have been serious accident after SO
much preparation. "While was stand
ing on the platform, thinking whether
| had better warn the. passengers to
hold themselves ready for shock, Jake
came forward dragging after him two
large petroleum cans, each of which
would hold quarter of a barrel of oil.
"NOw, them" said Jake to me, ''ii
you will oil one side of the track l will
try the other"
81 saw at once what his plan was.
We each brought the mouth of an oil
can as near to the polished surface OF
the rail as possible and commenced
pouring on it the kerosene. In less
than minute half mile of the iron
rails on both sides was nicely oiled and
as slippery as the tongue of Hebrew
| dealer in secondhand clothes.n
"YOu have raised my expectations OF
a catastrophe SO high that you have