Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1881-02-24
A RAILROAD STORY.

A RAILROAD STORY.
Running seventy-nve Miles In One Hour,
and Saving q Railroad Company
From . Loss of t5O0,00O
[ am railroad engineer. Away
along in 1857, during the recent
panic, I was running on the F. & c.
Railroad. The railroad companies
we're going under in all directions. i.
Every day we beard Of new failures,
and quite often in q quarter where we
least expected it. Our road was gen
orally looked upon as one of the most
substantial in the country; nobody
seemed to have any fea1s that 1t
would fail to survive the general
mash-up; but yet l did not fully
share in the general confidence.
Wages were cut down, arrearages col
lected, and great many other little
matters seemed to indicate to me that
the road had got into 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 quail
ty Tauton engines for the fall passen-
ger business. The road was pu, in
the very bet possible condition, ani
other preparations were made to cut
down the time and put trains through
quicker than was ever known before
when the new engines should come.
Well, there was but one of the en-
gines came.
I said there was but one engine
came; but she was, in my opinion,
altogether the best ever turned out
of the Tauton works, and that is say
ing as much as can be said of any
engine. She was put in my charge
Immediately, with the understanding
that she was mine. 1t was Saturday
when she came out of the shop, and
l was to take special train up to
y. The train was to carry up
the president and several officers OF
the road to meet some officers of an
other road. which crosses ours there,
and arrange some important business
with them. I had no doubt at all in
making my forty miles an hour going
out. The engine handled herself
most beautifully. We were just
holding up at Y, when Aldrich,
the treasurer, had come out On the
platform to put the brake on, slipped
and fell. AS we were under good
headway he was much injured, and
carried off to the hotel insensible.
Under the presidents direction, /
switched off my train, turned my en-
gine, and stood ready to start back
to c. on the 8 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 engine in charge oi
my firemen, and went over to an eat.
ing house to see if / could not spend
the time more pleasantly than on the
engine. / was playing a game o
dCminoes with the station agent
when in came Roberts. the president
in state of great excitement.
Harry" said he, ~ want you te
put me down in c. at II o. CLOCK. y
As it was nearly IL O'Clock then
and the distance was sevea.y-tivs
miles, thought he was joking a
first; but when we got outside ths
door he caught me by the arm an6
hurried me along so fast that saw
he was in earnest.
Harry said he, ''if you dom
set me down in c. at II O'Clock
am ruined man, and this road is {,
ruined road. Aldrich Is dead; bu
he told me before he died that he hat
embezzled from tine to time $500,
600 of our money, and that his clerl
is to start with it on the II o'clocl
boat from c. for Canada. If ",
don't have that money on Monda,
morning to make some payment
with, the road goes in.o other hands
and if you put me down in c. a
the right time, so that l save m,
money, you shall have $4,000. Un
derstand it, Hsrry-five thousan'
dollars"
| OF course, understood it. / sa,
now the reason why the wages ha'
been cut down. / understood it all
and my blood boiled, l felt that
would save the road, if L lived, an
told Roberts 80.
"See that you do it, Harry" h
said, as he climbed upon the steps G
the coach which was coupled to m
engine.
l sprang up into the foot-board
got up the switch-tender to help m
fireman, opened the throttle, and
just as she commenced moving. iool
ed at my watch; it was just /
O'Clock, so that l hal one hour t
make my seventy-five miles in. Fro1
y to there were few curve
on the road, but there were sever,
heavy grades. l was perfectly az
quainted with every rod of it, so
knew exactly what l had to encour
ter, that when saw how the engir
moved I felt very little fear for tt
result. The road for the first Fl,
miles was an air line, and so smoo,
:. that my engine moved along vii
scarcely perceptible jar. l was {
busy posting myself as 10 the amour
of wood and water aboard, etc tn
we danced by the first station almo
: before l was aware of 1t, having bee
five minutes out and having five mil,
D accomplished.
"You are losing time" yelled
voice from the coach. l look.
' around, and there stood Roberts wi
his watch in his band.
. / knew very we'll that we wou
have to increase our speed by SOC
means if We carried out our plans
!, reaching c. by midnight, al
looked anxi6usly around to see wh
I could do to accomplish that pu
: pose. She was blowing off stea
: fiercely at 1l0 pounds, so 1 turh'
y down the valve al 200. for knew I,
: should need it all to make some
L the heavy grades which lay betwe'
US and c.. 1t was three miles
IL