The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-08-31
Setfrt Shrp,
Seventy-fve Miles an Hour.

along in 81, during the great panic, !
was running on the F. & C. Railroad
The railroad companies were going un-
der in all directions. Every day we
heard of new failures and quite often in
quarter where we least expected it,
Our road was generally looked apon as
one Of the most substantial in the ma
ton; nobody seemed to have any fears
that it would fail to survive the general
mash-up; bnt yet did not fully share in
the general confidence. Wages were cut
down, arrearages collected, and great
many other little matters seemed to indi-
cate to me that the road had got into
rather deeper water than was agreeable
ito 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
Well, there was but one of the engines
came.
81 said there was but one engine came
but she was, in my opinion, altogether
the best ever turned cut of the Taunton
works; and that is saying as much as
can be said in praise OF any engine. She
was put in nv charge Immediately, with
the understanding that she was mine.
cit was Saturday when she came out
of the shop, and 1 was to take special
train up to Y. The train was to
carry up the President and several of the
officers OF the road to meet some off,
GERS of another road, which crossed ours
there, and arrange some important busi-
ness with them.
Il had no trouble at all making my
forty miles an hour going out. The en-
CINE handled herself most beautifully
We were just holding up a, Y-,when
Aldrich, the treasurer, who had come
out to the platform to put the brake on,
slipped and fell As we were still under
good headway he was much injured and
carried off to the hotel insensihle.
according to the presidents direc-
tion l switched off my train, turned my
engine and stood ready to start back to
c. at moments notice.
"Aldrich's presence was of so much
Importance that the business could not
be transacted without him; so all those
l bad brought out, except the President
and Aldrich, went back 10 c. on the
three O'Clock express tram. This was the
last regular train which was to pass over
the road until next Monday.
"Early in the evening | left the ma
chine in charge Of my fireman and went
over to an eating house to see if / could
not spend the time pleasantly than
on. my engine. The hours dragged
themselves away slowly. was playing
a game of dominoes with the station
agent when In cane Roberts, the Presi-
dent, IN state of great excitement.
".Harry," said he to me, i want you
to put me down in Cat twelve
O'clock
ssAs it was nearly eleven O'Clock then,
and the distance was seyenty-five miles,
l thought he was joking at first; but
when we got outside the door he caught
me by the arm and hurried me along so
fast that / saw he was in earnest.
".Harry,' said he, If you don't set
me down in c. by twelve o'clock /
am "a ruined man, and this road is ru-
ined road. Aldrich is dead; but he told
me before he died that he had embezzled
from time to time $50O,000 of our mon
ey, and his clerk is to start with it on
the. twelve O'Clock boat from c. for
Canada. If we don't have that money
on Monday morning, to make some pay
ments with, the road goes into other
hands: and if you put me down ir c.
at the right time, so that l save the
money, you shall have $4,000. Under
stand it, Harry? Five thousand dol
lars !!
"Of course / understood It,. / saw
now the reason why the wages had been
cut fiown;I understood it all and my
blood boiled. l felt that l would save
the road if / lived, and told Roberts
so.
t.sSee that you do it, Harryr he re-
piled as he climbed up on the steps Of
the coach which was coupled to my en-
gine.
81 sprang up into the footbosrd, got
up the switch tender to help my fireman,
opened the throttle, and just as she com
menced moving looked at my watch-it
was just eleven O'Clock, 80 that ! had
one hour to make my seventy five miles
in.
"From Y. to C-tthere were few
curves in the road; but there were seve-
raj heavy grades. was perfectly &C
quainted with every rod of it, so that
knew exactly what had to encounter,
and when Isaw how the engine moved
! felt very little fear for the result.
"The road for the first few miles was
an air line, and so smooth that my en-
CINE flew along with scarcely percepti-
BILE jar. I was so busy, posting myself
up as to the amount of wood and water
aboard, that we danced by the first sta
| tlOu HltuOSb- UclO1C i WAS oWdi6 VI
having been five minutes out, and having
five miles accomplished.
"You are losing time! yelled voice
from the coach. / looked around and
there stood Roberts with his watch in
his hand.
81 knew very we'll that we would have
to increase our speed by some means if
we carried out our plan of reaching
c.. by midnight, ,and looked anxiously
around to see what l could do to ac-
complish that purpose. She was blow
ing off steam iercely at ITO pounds; so
l turned down the valve to 200, FOR l
knew we should need it all to make some
of the heavy grades which lay between
US and c..
at was three miles to the next station.
With the exception of few curves the
track was as good as the last. AS we
darted around what commonly seemed
to be rather long curve, at the station,