Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-07-16
THE DAILY REC0RD-UNI0N.
WITHOUT STEAM.
A Story for Boys Exclusively, this Time

Story for Boys Exclusively, this Time
Once upon a time rich man built a
school for boys, in which they might study
surveying, engineering, mechanics and the
sciences one needs to know to be a rail
road man. This man began life as a train
boy, and steadily pushed his way
up to be fireman, engineer, master
mechanic, and finally President of a
railroad. He often said his own chance
In life would have been better if he could
have gone to school when boy, and
learned from books about steam and en-
gines, levels, inclines and curves, before he
undertook to fire boiler or take loco
motive over the road. As it was, he got
his education by hard knocks, heavy work
on the engines foot-plate and weary toll in
the machine-shop. So it happened ne built
the school close to the repair shops
of the road of which he was
President He put good teachers and
good books in the school, and then
opened it, free, to the sons of the brake
men, conductors, engineers, and other men
employed on the line. In the school the
boys were to study the science of the rail-
road and locomotive, and then, if they af-
terward went to work on the road, they
would not have such hard time as the
train-b boy who became President.
Twice every year the President offered
Waltham watch as prize to the boy In
the school who should write the best COM
position on any subject connected with the
things they had been studying, or anything
IN relation to engines or railroads.
Tom Stayboltt, whose father was con-
ductor on the night express, had been in
the school three years, and had tried
five times for the prize, and lost it every
time. Tom was regarded by all the
scholars as the brightest boy in the
school. He suffered in his speech, and
his handwriting was as stiff as a switch
rod, yet he was always at the head of his
class You could never trip him on any
knotty question as to whether the cyl
inders were on the top of the boilers or
under the tender. He knew the name
and use of every bit of metal in an en-
CINE, and it was believed by all the boys
that he was a good engineer, and could
take his fathers train right through to the
JRnction without running past red light
or wasting steam on the down grades.
The semi annual prize had beel an.
nounced. and nearly every boy in the
school was busy over his composition.
Lifts no use, b-b-boYs; l shall not
try for the .p-prize. 1 can't write, and
never can t-t-tell-tell what l know. If
they would give prize for doing some
thing, l think l might g-g-get-get it.
Tom was great favorite in the SCHOOL
and not one OF the boys laughed at this
speech. They were taught manners, as
well as mechanics, in that school, and the
boys well knew that what Tom said was
true. They might write compositions and
get prizes, but when it came to doing the
fhIngs. why, Tom Stayboltt would beat
them all
The day of the prize. giving drew near,
and every boy save Tom was hard at work
over his composition. He had tried five
times, and each time the teachers had said
his composition was very bad indeed, with
the wrong words, awkward sentences, and
punctuation that was truly awful. Now
1t happened that the day before the prize
was to be given new locomotive arrived
on the railroad, and stood, without wood
or water, on the track of the repair-shop
yard. 1t had been hauled up on the freight
train, and had never been used on the road.
After school number of the boys went
over to the yard to see the new engine, and
among them was Tom Stayboltt
1t was a tirst-class passenger engine,
built for high speed, and looking very
handsome in its new paint and shining
brass work. There were several men look
ing at the engine as the boys came up, and
they gathered round to hear what might be
said.
An empty engine" remarked one of
the men, always seems to me very
helpless thing. 1t is so big and heavy it
Is impossible to move it without steam
power, and yet it will not only move itself,
but viii drag many times its weight at
forty miles an hour over the line"
81 1t is not the engine that moves" said
another man" at is the wood or coal or
water-the fuel and steam. If it were not
for the fire and water inside it would never
move at all. "
Sc can make her go without w-w-wood
wood or water.
This remark caused laugh from the
boys, and even the men smiled at the ab-
surd statement. One man came over to
where Tom stood and said
How would you do that, my boy?'
''I'd rather mn not-not tell. p"
"Why not q
Because Ia-n.nevert TT tried-tried it.
"0h, you mean you think you could,
but you have never proved your theory by
experiment.
"Y-y-yes-yes, sir"
The men and boys became wonderfully
interested IN this conversation, for it was
clear that Tom Stayboltt knew what he
was talking about.
Doyou belong to the Railroad School?"
Y-y-yes-yes, sir"
g You mean to try for the prize,
suppose"
mo, sir. My handwriting is as crooked
as a r.r-ram's h-h-horn-ram's horn.
After that nothing more of Importance
was said, and the boys, having looked over
the engine to their hearts content, went
home.
The next day at 10 o'clock the entire
school was marched into the lecture-room
of the school building to see the prize
watch given by the President to the boy
who had written the best composition. All
the teachers were there, together with the
fathers and mothers of the boys, visitors
and people connected with the railroad.
This prize-giving was regarded as a great
event along the line, and every man, from
engine-wipers TO directors wanted to be
on hand to see whose son carried off the
prize. At 1915 railroad time, the Presi-
dent and the honorable Directors, with
their wives and daughters, marched in
and took seats on the platform, while
all the boys stood up as a matter of respect
to the founder of the school. 1t was al
together quite a grand and ceremonious
affair, and was, for the boys, an impressive
occasion. When the directors and the
ladies were seated, the boys sat down.
Then there was speech from the head.
master, followed by one from director.
and one from the Presidents wife. Then
it came the Presidents turn to give out the
prizes. All the compositions, neatly tied
up in red tape, were laid on the desk, and
when he stood up he brushed them all one
side, as if he did not care much for COM
positions. His speech was short and very
peculiar: