Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1879-07-10
should need it all to make some of
the heavy grades which lay between

1T was three miles to the next sta.
ton. With the exception of few
curves, the track was as good as the
last. As we darted around what
commonly seemed to be rather long
curve, at the station, but which was
at our high speed, short enough. /
looked at my watch and we had
done it in two minutes and half.
Gaining I shouted back to Rob-
erts. who was yet standing on the
platform Of the coach.
Look out for heavy grades he re
piled and went inside the car.
The next six miles rose gradually
from level to the first, to ten and a
half feet grade the last, which lay be-
tween us and the next station. My
fireman kept her full and now she
began to get hot. The furnace door
was red, and the steam raised contin-
ually so that she kept her speed, and
passed the station like streak ol
light, in five minutes. Now came
nine miles like the last; over which
she kept pace with her time and
passed the station in seven and half
minutes.
Here, for ten miles, we had a
twenty.foot grade to encounter; but
the worst of it all was, at this place
we would be obliged to stop for wood.
I was just going to speak to Roberts
about it, when I looked around, and
saw him filling the tender from the
coach with wood which mad been
placed there before starting, while he
was gone after me.
| believe we would have made this
ten miles with the same speed as be-.
fore !; but, through the carelessness Of
the fireman, the fountain valve, on
the left hand side of the engine, got
opened, and the water rose in the
boiler so fast as to run the steam
down to one hundred pounds, before
I discovered where the difficulty lay.
At FIRST Roberts didn't appear to
notice the decrease Of speed, and kept
at work at the wood as if for dear
life. But presently he looked up; and
seeing that the speed had decreased,
he shouted : Harry, wa are stopping!
and then coming over to where | was
he said, 'w0y, here we have been ten
minutes on the last ten miles, and |
believe We will come to a stand still,
if something is not done. The speed
is continually Stacking What is the
matter?
l explained the cause. He was ap-
parently satisfied with my explana.
ton, and, after having tied down the
safety valve, he climbed over the ten
der, exhorting me to put her through,
for Gods sake, or we are all beggars
together !
Just then we passed the next sta.
ton, having taken nine minutes for
eight miles. We were now more than
half over the road, we had lost near
ly ten minutes time, and had left on
ly twenty. seven minutes to thirty
four miles.
I had shut the water off from both
ny pumps, a little distance back,
when | discovered what was the mat
ter, and she was now making steam
finely down slight grade. From less
than one hundred pounds before we
finished it; and as the guage indica.
ted no higher than that, and the
valve was tied down, could not tell
how much over two hundred pounds
she carried, but she certainly carried
none less the rest Of tho journey
And we'll might she carry such an
enormous head of steam for after
passing over that ten miles in eight
minutes, there lay ten miles of five
feet up grade, and fourteen miles Of
twenty -feet-to-the. mile depression be.
tween us audC -, and it was now
eleven s'clock and forty.ssven min.
utes.
Now the engine was hot in earnest.
The furnace door, smoke arch and
chimney, all were red; while she
seemed to fly onward as if the very
Evil One himself operated her ma
chinery.
Six minutes carried US over that
ten miles aud we darted by the last
station that had lain hetWesn US and