Connecticut western news., 1880-08-18
75 MILES AN HOUR.
ALBERT PIKE.

l am railroad engineer. Away along in '57, during the recent panic, I was running on the F. and c. Railroad. The railroad companies were going under in all directions. Every day we heard of new failures, and quite often in a quar- ter where we least expected it. Our road was generally looked upon as one of the most substantial in the nation ]; nobody seemed to have any fears that 1t would fail to survive the general mash up; but yet I did not fully share in the general confidence Wages were cut down, arrearages collected, and great many other little matters seemed to indi- ~seate to me that the road had got into rather deeper water than was agreeable all around. Among other things, the master mechanic had told me in the spring that the company had ordered four first quality Taunton engines for the fall passenger business. The road was put in the very best condition, and other preparations were made to cut down the time and put the trains through quicker than was ever known before, when the new engines should come. We'll, there was but one of the engines came.
 said there was but one engine came :; but she was, in my opinion, altogether the best ever turned out of the Taunton works; and that is saying as much as can be said in praise of any engine. She was put in my charge immediately, with the understanding that she was mine.
 It was Saturday when she came out of the shop, and I was to take a special train up to V. The train was to carry up the president and several off, cers of the road to meet some officers of another road, which crossed ours there, and arrange some important business with them.
 I had no trouble at all in making my forty miles an hour going out. The en- zine handled herself most beautifully. We were just holding up at V, when Aldrich, the treasurer, who had come out on the platform to put the break on, slipped and fell. As we were still under good headway he was much injured and carried off to the hotel insensible.
 According to the Presidents direction l switched off my train, turned my en, zine and stood ready to start back tc C. at moments notice.
 Aldrich's presence was of so much i'm portance that the business could not be transacted without him; so all those had brought out, except the President and Aldrich, went back to c. on the three o'clock express train. This was the last regular train which was to pass over the road until next Monday.
 Early in the evening left the machine in charge of my fireman and went ove1 to an eating house to see if I could no spend the time more pleasantly than o1 my engine. The hours dragged them selves away slowly. I was playing { game of dominoes with the station agen when in came Roberts, the President, il state of great excitement.
 "Harry," said he, "I want you to pu me down in C. at twelve o'clock"
 As it was nearly eleven o'clock then and the distance was seventy-fve miles thought he was joking at first; bu when we got outside the door, he caugh me by the arm, and hurried me along s fast that I saw he was in earnest.
 Harry" said he, If you don't SC me down in C. by twelve o'clock am ruined man, and this road is ru ined road. AIdrich is dead but he tol me, before he died, that he had embez zled from time to time $500, 900 of ou