Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1880-05-06
FLYING LIKE THE WIND.
Railroad Racing IN the Vest.
An Exciting 1'r lal of Speed.
Kansas CITY Times.

An Exciting T'r ial of Speed.
Kansas City Times.
When we speak of "hying like the
wind" of course we mean it as
figure Of speech. The wind blowing
at the rate of forty miles an hour is
called gale, at sixty miles an hour
q hurricane, and whenever it falls to
the lot of man to ride on the wings
of hurricane he will realize what
is meant by the expression "fying
like the wind" | have often used
the expression, but until last Mon
day morning never knew what it
meant. L took the six o'clock train
out of Kansas city, over the Chicago,
Rock Island and Pacific, to Trenton.
where / was to lecture in the eve
ming. The train had no through
and hence was very light
with only few passengers. Six
o'clock in the morning is an early
and sleepy start for any one to make.
It was not fairly daylight when We
rolled ont of the Central depot, and
twenty miles out of the city had
hardly realized that the hazy, gray
dawn had widened and frightened
into a brilliant day. I could hear
the roar, and feel the jar of an earth
quake rumbling beneath my feet,
when l suddenly awakened by a
new set of sound waves beating
against the tSmpanum of my ears.
Looking out of the south window of
the car, my first impression was that
train on runners was sliding
noiselessly past us, over the frosty,
grassy pastures. Like cats paw,
as the sailors would say, it had
swept down upon us as still and as
feet as rain spent, drifting clouds.
Then | heard the screech of peo-
pie, saw waving handkerchlefs, and
began to realize that the vision had
passed. Like the swoop of bird
Of prey it flashed upon US, and was
gone before we could look.
"What is it?" l asked OF the
at is the Wabash, st. Louis and
Pacific train, and they're letting out
red hot, and don't you forget it."
Stepping to the window, sure
enough there was another track run
ming parallel with ours, and so the
vision was veritable train of cars,
and they were outrunning US as if we
were standing still.
"Why is this2" / said; for / be-
lieve my pulse had jumped to la0 at
one bound; "why is it that we are to
suffer such lndignity"
"Oh, you wait u few minutes"
said the brakeman. "Hall is black
ing bis boots. You wait till be gets
fixed up, and you will hear from
Did Fifty-three; wait till he gets his
kitchen to rights, and you'll think
that the st. Louis train has stopped
to pick whortleberries." :"
l turned my head to look ont Of
the window just then, and observed
the telegraph poles passing in close
toward Kansas City.
Gould has hitched on to another
line with his engine and Is taking it
in, thought, and then noticed the
forest was filed solid full OF trees,
and then / realized that we we're
'fying like the wind" and the
who was looking out on
Ihe south side clung to the seat and
through his clenched teeth,
sob, we are gathering them up
Old Thad is after them wide open!
Oh, they are fast coming! Old
Fifty three is peeking in her mail
Sure enough, within six
feet of US was the rear coach Of that
train that but a moment ago had
swept past US like an avalanche.
Seemingly they were coming back.
"They have forgotten something"
said.
"Yes," said the brakesman, "they
had forgotten that son of old
Hall, with gizzard full Of
sand, was running old 49, the fast
est engine in the West, but they'll
it now"
The engine of the st. Louis train
was now fallen back abreast of our
rear car, and was slowly losing
ground. But what speed! It
smoothed down all Irregularities in
the track, the usual roar was drawn
down to a fine whistle. and, indeed,
we were then flying like the wind"
I raised the window nearest the
engine and bowed politely to the
engineer. He answered it with
slight curl of defiance upon his lips,
and gave another pull at the throttle.
What 8 sighs was there, What a
sensation? What wild delight that
tingles every nerve-the eyes, the
ears, every pore of the human form
drinking in bliss. l have not an
enemy on earth that l hate 30 bad
that l would deprive him of such 8
sight.
When the horses are coming down
the home stretch, neck and neck, you
hear the patter OF hoofs, the "glang"
of the driver and the whisk OF the
cruel lash; you see the jockeys lean
ing forward over their horses, the
wheels of the sulkies look like solid
spokes and the horse actually reach
ing out with their noses to gain o
victory that their feet feet will not
gain them. Add to this the shout
ing of the crowd Of people, and ]
acknowledge it is quite exhilarat-
ing. But let me say to my sporting
friends such q scene is 9 funeral
procession compared with this race,
AS l looked upon the face of that
engineer, smut-be-grimed. to be sure,
still his white, clear-cut features
shining though it all. The blood
had gone hack to the heart and