Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-11-23
OveramiIe a Minnie.

me tram leaving at 800 III the
morning for New York, over the
Pennsylvania Railroad, is among
the fastest in the world. Indeed a
portion of the distance is made
at a rate scarcely attained by any
road in Europe or America. The dis
lance been West Philadelphia and
Jersey City is eighty-nine miles,
accomplished IN one hour and
fifty-fOur minutes, with a single
stop, while the return is six min
utes less, including two stops. This
gives a rate, in going of nearly fifty
miles and in returning of slightly
more than fifty miles an hour, sur
passing that of the celebrated
Queens mail between London and
Holyhead, where the run of 264
miles occupies seven hours. At
half past Z O'Clock Friday, when a
Times man, by permission, board
ed the engine at West Philadelphia
depot, the steam guage marked 100
pounds and ''still rising" Precise
~ five minutes later the bell cliked
over the engineers head, and
almost simultaneously he gave
slight clutch of the lever and the
train of four cars was off. 1t stop
ped at Germantown Junction thir-
teen minutes later. As soon as the
engineer got clear of the suburbs
she shrieked and bounded away at
greater speed. About twenty min
utes after, it wound its way through
Bristol, and I'm still less time the
iron bridge over the Delaware was
sighted and Trenton was bisected
at the same moderate speed which
had been adhered to through Phil
adelphia. But it was necessary to
dc better in order to reach Jersey
City, nearly sixty miles away, at
the appointed minute. Trenton
was scarcely passed when the en-
gineer touched up his steed. Be
tween the first two mile posts noted
the distance was passed in sixty
three seconds; the next a little less
and the third precisely sixty. Hur-
rah The train was spinning along
at the rate of a mile a minute. And
yet everything proceeded with so
much smOOthnesS that it was i'm
possible to appreciate the amazing
swiftness. There was no unusual
jolting and in the cars the passengers
were smoking, doing or read
ing, Just as though it was an or
binary train in which they were
riding. Just beyond Prince
ton the speed rose to a rate of
mile in fifty-eight seconds and con-
tinued it without diminutiOn, eX-
cept a slight slowing up" at Mon
mouth Junction, until New Bruins
wick was in view. In this neigh
borhOOd, Conductor Silance, with
watch in hand, carefully timed the
train for three miles. The first was
passed in fifty-fOur seconds, the
second in fifty-twO and the third in
fifty. The last was seVenty-tWO
miles an hour. The pufis from the
engine had become II continuous
shuddering roar; the driving wheels
were spinning around four hundred
times a minute-a half dozen times
a secOnd-With centrifugal force
that, it would seem ought to shat
ter their WhiZzing peripherieS to
atoms. The day was hot one and
the air was a dead, calm, but it
rushed through the narrow door in
front of the engine like a tornado.
so quickly that they gave a single
rumble as they whisked out of sight
behind; the express train coming
from the opposite direction flashed
like a meteor in q single hot puff of
air; you might yell to e engineer
two feet distant, and yet he would
only see your lips move, without
hearing anything above the dealen-
ing roar of the engine, which browns
everything, excepting the shrek of
the whistle. All the time the fire
man steadily shovels in coal or
climbs around the engine with oil
can in hand, his clothing fiuttering
so fiercely in the wind that il seems
in danger of being blown off. The
engineer with his hand upon the
lever, watches with cat-like Vigi-
lance, the rails sweeping under his
wheels. The whole train is con-
stantly under his eye, and he never
allows his attention to be diverted
for an instant.