Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-12-09
PUTTING ON STEAM.
A RAILROAD ENGINEERS STORY.

am railroad engineer. AWAY along
in 1857, during the +. cent panic, | was
running on the F. and g. railroad. The
railroad companies were going under in al
directions. Every day were heard of new
failurs s, and quite often in quarter where
we least exlt ed it. Our ruad was gem
orally looked upon as one OF the most sub
stantidl in the alton; nobody seemed TO
have any fears that it would fail to survive
the general smash-up; bat yet did not
fully share in the general confidence. Wa
ges we've cut dow n, arearaseS collected,
and a great many other little matters
Seems d To indicate 10 me that lie road had
got into deeper water THAI, was agreeable
all around. Am ng other things the mas
ter mechanic had told me- in the Sprrg
that the company had ordered four Ijrsi-
quail Taunton engines for the Fall pas
very tesl condition, and other pfepai ations
were made t" Cut down the me and put
t. g trains through quicker than Was evel
ever known b. fore when the rev engiifes
should cnme. Well. there was but one of
the engines came.
/ said that there was but one engine
CANT: b. + she was, in my opinion. alt
gethtr the bt st EVER turned out of tue
Taunton works, and THAT is Say ing as muci'
as can be said Of ary engine. Size was put
in my charge immt diately, with the NJ
d. rs anding that she was mine. 1t was
Sal urday when she came out of the SHOP
and | was to take spt clal train up t.
Y. The train was to carry up the Pres
ldent and several filters of the road t.
meet some Ulcers of another road, @hic
crosses ours there, and arrange sumo in
! O taht business with tn. N. l had no
tro ble at all in making my forty milt s al
toir gong out. The engine hai died he'-
sell most beautifully. We were just hold
ing up at Y when Aldrlch. the Treas
urer, who had come out on the platform
TO put the break on, slipped and fell. As VT
We're ill under good head way he was muci'
Injured and WAS carried off to the hotel
lnsensibIr. According t. the Pres d nt's
directions switched off my train, turned
my engn and stood ia y to start back
to c. at IA ~ oueD S notice.
Aldlch's presence Was of SO m CHI i'm
pnrtance that the business could lot Ge
transacted without him, SO all those l b d
bi ought out, except the Pres ldtIt all
Aidiich, went back to c. Oh the 3 o'cluch
express tr in. his was the only regula'
rain which was to pas, over the road until
next Monday. Early il the evening left
the machine in charge OF my fireman. AN
went over to an eatiug-hOuSe to see II
could not spend the time more pleasantly
than on my engine. The hours draege'
themselves away slowly. | was playing
game Of doninOes with the st ttlun agent
when III care 10 erls, the President, III
sta Of q eat ex ltement.
Harry" saia b >, Il want you to pu
me down III Cat l. o'ci, ck."
AS 1t Was nearly Ii o'cl, OK then, and the
tie distance was sew nty live miles,
thought he was King at first, but wiie,
we got GU side Tie d ,or he Caught me b.
tila ar u and urried me along Sc fast that
saw he Was in earnest.
''Ha. ry,'' said he, ''if you don't set m
down In Cat II O'clocA | AIN d ruineu
mai, and this road is a ulL ed road. an,
ilca is dead; but he told me before he di, u
hat he had eubtZZled fiom time to Tia.
$500 100 Of on money, and his Clerk is 70
Start with it on the l. O'clock in at from
c. for Cauada. Ii we don't have tha
money on Monday morning to make som,
payments with, the road go~s into otl,el
t.ands; and II you put me down in C. al
the hight time, So that Can Save my Ill
ney. you shall have $5,OuU. Understand
ii. Harly-$ SIS 700 -
OF Course | understood it. | saw now
tt e reason why the wages had BEEN Gu
down. l understood it all and my blood
uolled. felt lh.t would save the road
ii lived, and told Robei is so.
''See thai you do it. Harly,' he replied
$ he climbed up on the ST. ps Of the coacl
which Was coupled to my engine.
1sprnng up on to the fuotboard. got up
the switch tendtr to help my fireman
opened the thlottls and, just as we com
memo. moving, look at my watch; II
was just eleven CLOCK 50 that | had the
hour to make my seventy five miles IL.
From Y to B. there were few curves OIL
the road, but there we're several heavy
rades. l WIS pc ect'y acquainted wit
every rod of it, SO that knew exactl,
what had 20 encounter, and when | saw
how the engine moved felt very lit IL
fear for the result. The road for the first
few miles was an air line and so smo pth
that my engine flew along with scarcely
prt C ptlble jar. was so busy posting my
self up as TO the amount of wood and Wa
ter aboard, e c., that we danced by the
first st .tion almost before was aWtr OF
1t, having been five minutes out and hav-
ing five mile, accomplished.
you are losing time!' yelled Voice
from the co sch.
| looked around, and there stood Z %
el ts with his watch in his h md.
knew very well that we would have 10
increase our speed by some means it We
carried out our plans of reaching c. by
,,. n, ,ht and ionkad AnxiOuSlV around t(J