Mexico weekly ledger., 1881-04-07
The next six miles rose oradual

grade, the last which lay between us
and the next station.
My fireman kept her full, and now
she began to get hot. The furnace
door was red, and the steam raised
continually, so that she kept her
speed and passed the station like
streak of lightning in five minutes.
Now came nine miles like the last,
over which she kept pace with her
time, and passed the station in seven
and half minutes.
Here for ten miles we had twenty
foot grade to encounter, but the worst
of it all was, at this place we would
be obliged to stop for wood.
l was just going to speak to Rob-
erts about 1t, when looked around
and saw him filing the tender from
the coach with wood which had been
placed there before starting, while he
had gone after me.
believe we would have made
these miles with the same speed as
before, but through the carelessness
of the fireman the fouRtain-valve ON
the left-hand side of the engine got
opened, and the water rose in the
boiler so last as to run the steam
down to 100 pounds before I discov-
cred where the difficulty was.
At first Roberts didn't appear to
notice the decrease of speed, and
kept at work at the wood as for dear
life. But presently he looked up,
and seeing that the speed had de-
creased, he shouted:
"Harry, we are stopping and
then coming over to where I was, he
said: "Why, here we have been ten
minutes on the last ten miles, and l
believe we will come to dead stand
if something is not done. The speed
is continually Stacking. What is the
matter?''
explained tt /, cause. He was
apparently satisfied with my explana-
tion, and after having tied down the
safety-valve he climbed over the ten
der, exhortlng to me to "put hel
through, for Gods sake, or we are
all beggars together. -
Just then we passed the next sta
ton, having taken nine minutes fol
eight miles. We were now more thar
half over the road, but we had lost
nearly ten minutes time and had
only left twenty-seven minutes to dc
thirty-seven miles in. / had shut tht
water off from both my pumps little
distance back when / discovered wha
was the matter, and she was nov
making steam finely down a ligh
grade. From less than one hundred
with which we had started over tha
ten-mile stretch, she had two hun
dred pounds before We finished it
and as the guage indicated no highe
than that, and the valve was tie,
down, l could not tell how mucl
over two hundred pounds she car
ried :; but she certainly carried non
less the remainder Of the journey.
And we'll she might carry such Al
enormous head of steam, for afte
passing over that ten miles in eigh
minutes there lay ten miles OF five
feet up grade and fourteen miles c
twenty-feet to the mile depressio
between us and c., and it wa
now thirteen minutes to twelv
o. clock.
Now the engine was IN hot earnest
The furnace door, smoke-arch, an
chimney. were all red, while sh
seemed to fly onward as if the yer
evil one himself operated her ms
chinery.
Six minutes carried us over ths
ten miles, and we darted by the la.
station that had lain between us an
/ c..
: Now we had fourteen miles to q
5 and my time showed fifty-three mil
3 utes past eleven O'Clock. "If 1 live,
l said I to myself, Il will make it,"
, And we plunged down that twent,
8 foot grade with all steam on. Pc
e sons who saw the train on that vii
. run SAID it was so soon after the
: heard the first sound of her approach
8 when the strange object, which lool
!, ed as if it was a fame of fire, darte
e by, and then the sound of it's trave
!, ing died away in the distance, tn
d they could hardly convince themselv'
that they had really seen anythin,
v 1t seemed more like the creature of
it wild dream than sober reality.
y And now let me tell you that I
d engine ever beat the time we mat
d on those fourteen miles.
Those great wheels, fully sew,
e feet in diameter, spun around
s swift that you couldn't begin to cou
o the revolutions.
The engine barely seemed to tou,
1t the track as she few along; and, I
: though the track was as true as
IT was possible for it to be, she sway
< fearfully, and sometimes made su
n prodigious 9jolts that it required co
o siderable skill for one to keep
feet. No engine could hold togeth
e if crowded to greater speed.
'e Well, just as came to a standst
IS in the depot at c. the big clio
d doomed out twelve, and the steal
l boat was getting her steam on. Prt
W ident Roberts got on board in til
t. and nothing to spare. But he saw
the money. He found it hid away
as some old boxes, as Aldrlch had
y rected him.
r Nor was I forgotten for my sh.
of the work in the return of the e
Up bezzled funds Of the railroad conn
er ny. A short time after received ,
ne reward of S., 900 promised me by
re President in the event of my feachi
ut c. before the departure of,
d. midnight boat; and that sum, plas
a In the bank as 3 foundation-sto
now enables me to live at ease 8
ID comfort in my old age.
d. .
Id Clarence vivion.
ne New Bloomfield Cor. Galloway Gazette.
OIL ] Our six months term taught
nd Prof. Clarence Vivion, of Mexi
lat has been one of the most success
re. in the entire history Of the school.
.iyj For the purpose of stimulating I
I encouraging the school in their
IN bors, the teacher generously offe
it handsome gold medal, 70 the "a,