The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-11-20
Seventy-Five Miles an Hour.
AN ENGINEERS STORY.

I had spent the night in a stage: a day
n the saddle, a night in the sleeping
ear, half q day doing business, half a
day In bed, and was, after supper, en-.
ioying a cigar and o newspaper, in the
readlng-roOm of the Redwood house,
Faye,te, Ind. The newspaper was IN
interesting, or else I was rather sleepy
and T guess it was a little of both-so
that I 60 N neglected it, to watch the
fantastic G .rlIng of the smoke from my
fine favored cigar. I didn't feel much
Ike talking, and felt still less Like read
ing ; but I did feel as if 1 would like
exceedingly well to hear a good story.
/ had barely come to this conclusion,
and commenced wishing for some one OF
my acquaintance to amuse me till the
time was up for the train which was to
take me to Indianapolis, when l recog-
nized, in the person who sat next to me.
a fellow traveller in the sleep1ng-car OF
the night before.
BE, too, had laid aside his paper, and
Was apparently, like me, watching the
smoke OF his cigar, and wishing for alb
sent friends to keep him company.
He was a very agreeable-looking little
man, with a clear, gray eye, light hair,
sandy whiskers and smiling mouth. In
deed, he had 80 much the appearance OF
the man that I would like to hear tell a
story, that / thought Dame Fortune had
smiled upon me, when he recognized me
with a genial: How dye do, stranger?"
I~retu1ned his salutation, and asked
him some commonplace questions about
how he had enjoyed the ride We had to-
gether.
He said something in reply about the
running being too fast for the poor
track !; and from this the conversation
ran upon fast travelling in general for
some time. At last I remarked, that
sixty miles an hour was the most speedy
travelling that I had ever done. Where
upon my friend informed me, with a
pleasant but knowing smile, that he had
Travelled considerably faster than that,
'yRnd,e in fact, faster than he had ever
h8ska of, besides. OF course I was
aDxieus to know where, how, and when
hehsd done it; and, after the modest
Hssnfance that he feared his tale would
not be interesting, my friend relieved
! anxiety by relating the following
story:
1879 am a railroad engineer. Away
z&fQngg in f,ty-seven, during the great
set1ufe. l was running OF the F. & &. r.
FL The railroad companies were going
nudef, in all directions. Every day We
heard Of new failures !; and quite often
b = quarter where We least expected it.
0nr TOAD was generally looked upon as
epo Of the most substantial in the ma
e4iong; nobody seemed to have any fears
That II would fail to survive the general
paashS up. But yet I did not fully share
In tae general confidence. Wages were
ont down ; arrearsges collected !; and a
sxEreav many other little matters seemed
8Eo Indicate to me that the road had got
e5zr8ther deeper water than Was agreea.
s9s all around. Among other things,
master mechanic had told me IN the
ssssp3ing that the company ha6 ordered
four first quality Tauton engines for the
fallpassenger business. The road was
put in the very best condition, and 9TH
er preparations were made, to cut down
the time and fut trains through quicker
than was ever known before, when the
new engines should come. Well, there
was but D Of the engines came.
81 said there was but one engine came;
but she was, in my opinion, altogether
the best ever turned out OF the Taunton
works; and that is saying as much as
!. can be said in praise of any engine.
She was put in my charge Immediately,
with the understanding that she was
NINE.
"It was Saturday when she came out
OF the shop, aud I was to take q special
train up to Y. The train was to
carry up the president and several of
the other officers of the road, to meet
some officers OF another road, which
: crossed ours there, and arrange some
important business with them.
"I had no trouble at all making my
forty miles an hour going out. The en-
CINE handled herself most beautifully.
We were Just holding up at Y, when
: Aldrich, the treasurer, who had come
ont on the platform to put the brake on,
slipped and fell. As we were yet under
good headway, he was very much i'll
iured, and was carried off to the hotel
insensible
according to the presidents instruc-
tions, / switched off my train, turned my
engine, and stood ready to start back to
c. at a moments notice.
"AIdrich's presence was of SO much
Importance that the business could not
be transacted without him; so all those
I had brought out. except the president
and Aldrich. rent back to G. on the
three o'clock express train. This was
Che last regular train which was to pass
over the road until the next Monday.
Early in the evening I left the ma
chine in charge OF my fireman and went
oyer to an eating house to see it I could
not spend the time 0 pleasantly
than on my engine. The hours dragged
themselves sway slowly. was playing
sasgare of dominoes with the station
agent, when in came Roberts, the presi-
dent in a state of great excitement.