Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-04-23
A NICE LITTLE RIDE.
New York Mercury.

New York Mercury.
was formerly great admirer OF
steam engines, and especially OF loco
motives, but have got bravely over it.
| carried this admiration TO an excess
il became almost monomania with
me, to be around railroad depots and
TO watch the trains coming in and going
out. Net that | am OF "a mechanical
turn of mind, AT ALTAR from it. |
could never make anything in my life,
not even bootjack, although once
worked ON one Tor three days, broke
two saws and gimlet, cut my left hand
nearly of, and had TO give it up after
all
The steam engine WAS always mys-
terry to mel would as soon try TO COM
prehend the principle of the Ryroscope
and | never knew tho name OF any OF
i,s parts. except the piston rod, cyln-
der and governor; yet loved to VII and
watch the thing ut work, wheeling and
clanking with it's slow, even, steady
motion--ah, IL was great fascination
to mel But the greatest pleasure /
knew was To have ~ good swift ride on
~ locomotive. From my almost con-
slant presence at tho depots, knew oil
the engineers on the line Of the Sling.
wheel Il Frepan rairoad--an unbroken
track of 200 odd miles, over level ooun-
try, which | lad often Travelled. in the
cars on the tender, or perched giddily
upon that trembling, snoring, shaky
machine, the iron horse.
My guy season was the close of the
presidential campaign, when the cleo
ton returns had to be carried through
by lightning express-usually m en-
gineer and myself ON single locomo.
tive. Other people were interested in
the election and excited about iis results
Il WAS only interested In my ride, and
excited about my rate OF speed. Once,
| remember, | carried tho dispatches
and made splendid time. left Sling
wheel at 8 O'Clock in the evening, and ut
1915 arrived ut Watterbutt waystation,
Just 1875 miles from Slingwheel. A large
party mad assembled to hear the news
but forgot ii all, and ~ the engineer
Stacked up u little, l only screamed out
in answer to their questions:
"a mile minute, clear through Go
ahead, Jakep
And of we went again, leayirg the
inhabitants Of Watorbutt in total dark
ness M to whether they wera enjoying
the reign of n republican or II demo-
crat.
But my great ride and my last was
about year ago. II was ~ pretty tall
experience of liz kind and has, | am
pleased To say, entirely cured me of my
predictions for making big time"
When compelled to travel nowadays,
always go in quiet little wagon OF
my own, with n pair OF steady mays,
and never calculate anything faster
than eight or ten miles M hour. There
was n young maohinist who lived Mt
Slingwheel, and who was quite an in
ventivo little genius. He had for sov.
eral years been engaged on model Of
IL great engine which was to supersede
all others and create n perfect revou.
ton in the world OF locomotion. II
was IL steam carriage, but on an entirely
new plan and principle, and he was
very sanguine of it's success, il he
could only get money to complete IL.
Having occasion 10 get n small job of
gunsmithing done, called ON this
Young man and found him Mt work on
his engine. We foil into conversation
on the subject, and he represented his
condition and his expectations 40 vivid
" to me that my heart was warmed to.
ward the enterprise. The idea Of taxi
ing trip on that curious.looking skele
ton trunk took possession OF me NJ
once, and learning that he only wanted
about $1,000, 1 agreed to furnish the
monoy il he would allow me to accom-.
pany him on the trial trip. need not
say that he gladly promised, and that
| lived in u state of extraordinary ex.
element from that day forth until the
machine was completed.
Ii was q strange affair To look ut, re.
sembling reaping machine, atrotting
sulky and patent coiiee.mill about
equally. The young machinist ex.
planned to me that this model was mere
~ test of the principle, and that n
larger one, built more carefully, would
60 much faster.
81 do not expect this one TO get more
than 1900 revolutions per minute for
its balance Wheel" said he, and that
would only give speed OF LIS miles
per hour ON good road.
had an idea that this would do for
ordinary travelling, and inwardly prayod
for the night Of the trial to come. II
came--one Wednesday night, when for
some reason or another. there were to
be no trains through either way, and !
FASTENED to the shop where the model
stood in perfect readiness for the track
With little trouble we rolled il down to
the rails and placed its wheels upon