The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-03-22
rne r,y,rr congressman.

II + . = . e f.
The Frying congressman
rxsr.sr TINE EVER MADE BETwEES THE VS.
AND THE EAsT--GovEkNoK ,rns,.Tms Tn
woSnEgrrf. nIpE--fRoN FIVE MONTHS ~
FIvE DAYS.
tPI,tsburgh Post, March III
n s,or,nd srom his home II, Main county,
oracon, on Friday, March 18th. in response
- :. ace from the Democratic managers
ssrinm him TO come to Washington imine,
,,;ais,S He took 3 special train and reached
pnrtIand. distant one hundred aud hity
miles from his home, in good time ior the
saesmer. On Saturday the stn Inc
sssamer started down the Columbia ,
river TO Astoria. rhe first ve;satious
delay was had at the bar After a.
xSe.ry wait, the boat started across at
O'Clock Sunday morning. The weatneI M"o
nplv. the water was rough, ana trafei ~as
tedious. The boat should nave Teacueu
San Francisco by : O'Clock on 1aesuss
rnorninp last, but. tossed aoout oy Tue
.raves She was detained over twenty-1ouf
hours. She arrived at San francisco. aus
font AT miles from Portland, at $50 wed
nesdav morning. Governor Whiteaker had
exneeted to take train at the former point
Of 8 O'Clock Tuesday morning. Ibls Train
xyo,,la have taken him through 10 Washing
son by 0 O'Clock Tuesday morning, Aareh
18Th. early enough to be present ut the Or
ganiza,ion OF Congress.
News of his delay was teiegraphed to
Washington, and back went the message
nTake special train and come on at all naz-
ards" The instructions~to the tFaPei!er
were followed up with arrangements LOT
his tourney. The special train was pro-
xi,,ed. A man with light craft was IN
annroached the San Francisco wharf. lie
obeved the instructions, and while otner
Messengers were eagerly awaiting The te-
dious process OF tying up the steamer, Con-
pressman WLitcaker was in the little Doat
cutting through the water 10 Oakiahd.
At 10:35, or less than an hour from the
time OF leaving the steamer, ne had rcached
Oakland, had taken the special tram, ana
was soon aitcrward whooplng across the
country oyer the Central-PacGc at 4 rate OF
forty-fye miles an hour. The intention was
to overtake the train which he had missed:
The specia; consisted OF locomotive ana
sleeper.
A clear track was given the special, and
on she sped ut 4 terrific rate OF speed unt'l
Ogden was reached. Twcnty-oae hours
had now been gained, but the regular train
was sill fur ahead. There was no delay at
Ogden. but the special continued her way
now on the Union-PaciGc, flying Mt an
enormous sneed across the plains. The
traveller was determined to reach Washing
ton in time for organization in spite OF Wind
and tide and railroad schedules, and 20 be
sure OF doing it had given up the idea OF
taking the train which be had missed at san
Francisco. he determined to stick to the
special, and allowed no dlmunlton In the
speed OF his own train. lie swept on
through Wyoming, and then through Ne.
braska, sometimes travelling at the rate OF
fortv-6Ye miles an hour, sometimes less imam
TWENTY-FIVE. but always maintaining Inc
average of over thirty miles an hour.
At half-pst 2 O'Clock on last Saturday
morning bis special pulled into the depot at
Omaha, having made the run from San
Francisco, a distance OF 1928 miles. in SIX.
tv-four hours. The usual time for the fast
est train is orc hundred and one hours.
The usual rate OF speed is an average OF not
unite nineteen miles an hour. The average
rate OF Congressman Whitcaker's special
was something over thirty miles an hour.
There was no detention ut Omaha. The
special continued now over still another
road. She left Omaha on Saturday last at
sos A. NJ. She pulled up in Chicago at
5:15 p. NJ, She delivered her distinguished
passenger at Chicago just in time to take the
The CONGRESSMAN hustled himself into the
Atlantic, and at hali-paSt O'Clock was still
shooting over terra .fr1na, and was now on
the first schedule train since lie left his
home. three thousand miles away. He ar
rived in Pittsburgh at 1927 yesterday after
noon.
THE FASTEST TINE on RECORD.
On the Fort Wayne road he met Hon.
I NTr ba
left here last night at SOC on the Fast Line
over the Pennsylvania railroad, and will
arrive in Washington, D. g., at 9:02 O'Clock
This morning. With wind, tide, and railroad
schedules all against him, Governor White
aker will still reach his destination twenty
four hours ahead CT the time expected when
he left home. His trip from San Francisco
to Washington will have been made in one
hour and twenty-three minutes less than
five DAYS, the fastest time on record from
west to east. The trip OF Lawrence Bar
rett aud other theatrical people from New
York to San Francisco some time ago was
made in something less than six days.
These gentlemen travelled from east to west
with the sun, but Governor Whiteaker trav-
elled in a contrary direction. They gained
three hours, because San-Francisco time is
three hours slower than Washington time.
Congressman Whiteaker lost three hours
for the same reason. BE also lost nearly
eight bours in this city because there was
no through train to Washington before S:0G
=. NJ. The theatrical people had the adj
vantage also Of previous arrangements on
all the railroads. Governor Whitcakcr's
special train was put on the road at the
shortest notice
"Were there any incidents in the trip
worthy OF spention?" inquired the re-
porter OF Governor Wbiteaker during the
afternoon.
No, nothing farther than the time. Diff
iel ent railroad people told me that we were
making the fastest run ever made across the
plains, and this led my mind back to my
experience IN ISa9. first went TO the Pc
cite coos; in that scar. Afterwards came
back to Missouri, and in 1852 I crossed the
plains again. Each of those trips required
five months, and CUR trains made fair time,
TOO. We went With oX-teamS:0
THE ,G0y9RssOR's PERSONNEL.
Governor John Nhteaker, the man who
made THIS break-Deck trip, is tifty-nne years
of age. lie is aboait five feet nine or ten
inches ID, height, Will, massive s9ilareshoul-
,ders, altaep chest, and would weigh proba-
bly, aboue $50 POUNDS. He weas's an iron
gray bcaaa and moQstacbe. wlslch, while
covering nearly the Ehole face, leaves en-
posed n .asir Of rudy cheeks which are
the very picture OF health. His hair is Of
n light brown, and Ibis eyes are sharp
blue. His eounteuance indicates haa, to be
n whole-souksd, Jolly gaod fellow, s7ith an
extraordinary share of good square COM
mon :sense ssd much sound practical
Scfornation. tfas conversation and action