Catoctin clarion., 1881-08-25


"Look out for the heavy grades"
be replied and went inside of the
coach.
/ The next six miles rose gradua lily
from a level the first, to ten and a
half 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 twen
ty-foot grade to encounter; but the
worst Of it all Was, at this place we
should be obliged 10 stop .or wood.
| was ust going to speak to Roberts
about it when 7 looked around and
saw bim filing the tender from the
coach with wood which had been
placed there before starting, while he
waa gone after me.
believe we would have made this
ten miles with the same speed as be-
fore, but, through the carelessness Of
the fireman, the fountain valve on the
leit-hand side OF the engine got spen-
ed, and the water rose in the boiler
go fast a. to run the steam down to
100 pounds before I discovered where
the difficulty was
At first Roberts didn't appear to
notice the decrease Of speed, and kept
at work at the wood IS if for dear life
But presently he looked up, and see
ing the speed had decreased, he shout
ed Harry, We are stopplng!' and
then coming over to where | Was he
sud: "Wby, here We have been ten
minutes on the lest ten miles, and !
believe we wi come to dead stand
if something is not done. The speed
is continually Stacking What ls the
matter
| explained the cause. He was ap-
parently satisfied with my explana-
ten, and after having tied down the
satety-valve, he climbed back over
the tender, exhcrtlng me to put her
through, tor Gods sake or we are all
beggars together =
Just then we passed the next sta
/ ton, having taken nine minutes tor
eight miles. We were now more than
half over the road, but We had lost
ncary ten minutes time, and had left
twenty seven minutes to do thirty
four miles ln
| had shut the water off from my
pumps little distance back,
when discovered what was the mat
ter, and she was now making steam
finely down slight grade. From
less than 100, with which we started
over that ten mile stretch, she had
200 pounds before we hnIshed it; and, *,
as the guage indicated no higher
than that, anl the valve was tied
down, could net tell how much
over two hundred pounds she carried
but she certainly carried none less
the rest of the Quincy. And well
might she carry such an enormous
head Of steam, for, after passing over
that ten miles in eight inmates, there
lay ten miles of fve.eet upgrade,
and fourteen miles of twenty feet-to
the mile depression between Us and
C, and it was now thirteen min,
utes to II clock.
Now the engine was hot in earnest,
The furnace door, smoke arch and
chimney all were red; while she
seemed TO fly onward as if the very
Evil One himself ,perateI hcr ma
chlnery.
Six minutes carried rs over that
ten miles; and we dartpd by the ast
station that had lain between rs and
&. Now we had fourteen miles
to 60 and my time showed ifty-three
minutes past II o'clock.
eff live, said | to myself II will
make It, And we plunged down
the twenty foot grade with all steam
on. Persons who saw the train on
that wild run said it was soon alter
they heard the first sound of her APP
proacb, when the strange object,
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