The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-08-31

"'Look out for the heavy grades he
70 pnliod opd ruopt f,eiJ n tho oor

Tepileu ana went lnSlQe tne car.
The next six miles rose gradually
from level the first to ten and half
feet grade the last, which lay between US
and the next station. Nv fireman kept
her full and uow she began to get hot.
The furnace door was red and the steam
raised continually, so that she kept her
speed and passed the strtion like streak
of'lightning 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 a
half minutes.
"Here for ten miles we had 20-foot
grade to encounter; hut the worst Of il
all was at this place we would be obliged
to stop for wood. 1 was just going to
speak to Roberts about it when saw
him filling the tender from the coach
with wood which had been placed there
before starting, while be- was gone after
me. ~-0
81 believe we would have made this ten
miles with the same speed as before, 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 100 pounds before l dis.
covered where the difficulty was.
CAT first Roberts didn't appear to no.
tice the decrease of speed, but kept at
work at the wood as if for dear life
But presently he looked up and, seeing
that the speed had decreased, he shout
ed: Harry, we are stopping! and then
coming over to where l was he said :
Why here we have been ten minutes on
the last ten miles, and 1 believe we will
come to dead stand if something is
not done. The speed is continually
Stacking. What is the matter2'
/. 81 explained the cause He was ap-
parently satisfied with my explanations,
anG after having tied down the safety
valve, be climbed back over the tender,
exhorting me 'to put her through for
Gods sake, or we are all beggars to-
gether.'
"Just then we passed the next station,
having taken nine minutes for eight
miles. We we're now more than half
over the road, but we had lost nearly ten
minutes time, and had left only twenty
seven minutes to do thirty -four miles
in.
81 had shut the water off from both
my pumps little distance back, when I
discovered what was the matter, land now
she was making steam finely down a
slight grade From less than one hun
dred with which we started over that ten
mile stretch, she had two hundred pounds
before we finished it; and as the gauge
indicated no higher than that, and the
valve was tied down, I could not tell
how much over two hundred pounds she
carried, but she certainly carried none
less the rest OF the journey. And well
might she carry such an enormous head
of steam, for, after passing over that len
miles in eight minutes, there lay ten
miles of five feet upgrade and fourteen
miles of twenty-feet-to-the.mile depres-
sion between US and g. and TO- was
now thirteen minutes to twelve o'clock.
"Now the engine was hot in earnest
The furnace door, smoke arch and chin
ney were all red; while she seemed to
fly onward as if the very Evil One him
self operated her machinery.
Six minutes carried US over that ten
miles; and we darted by the last station
fhot bod Ioio hotuoon no op5
Now we had fourteen miles to 60, and
my time showed fifty three minutes past
eleven o'clock.
"'If live,' said to myself, 4 will
make it. And we plunged down that
20-foot grade with all steam on. Per-
sons who saw the train on that wild run
said that it was so soon after they heard
the first sound of her approach, when
the strange object, which looked as if it
was flame of fire, darted by, and then
the sound Of its travelling died away in
the distance, that they could hardly con.
vince themselves they had really seen
anything. 1t seemed more like the crea-
ture of wild dream than sober reality.
"And now let me tell you no engine
ever beat the time we made on those
fourteen miles. Those great wheels
seven feet in diameter spun around so
swift that you couldn't begin to count
the revolutions. The engine hardly
seemed to touch the track as she flew
along; and although the track was as
true as it was possible for it to be, she
swayed fearfully, and sometimes made
such prodigious jolts that it required
considerable skill for one to keep his
feet. No engine could hold together if
crowded to greater speed.
swell, just as l came to standstill
at the depot in c. the big clock
doomed out twelve, and the steamboat
was getting her steam on. Roberts had
got on board in time aud nothing to
spare. But he saved the money. He
found it hid away in some old boxes as
Aldrich had directed him."
Tuesday, October 18th is election
day.