Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1882-05-11
Running a Locomotive.

/ III IuhhiiS ai engine, Saia . iohS
specimen Of the genius Yankee, put
ting one elbow on the bar counter
and holding his whisky straight up to
the light, "and if it would amuBe you
I'll give you a yarn or two"
''Stave ahead,'' said his compan-
ion, "but I've been there myself. l
used to run an engine from New York
to Philadelphia.
'~.f'Oh, you did," said the Yankee.
"Well, that just amounts to nothin.'
I've been special engineer for the last
ten year, and. there amt mile of
track atween here and Frisco have
not travelled over. You see us spec
ials are obliged to be ready for any
thing at moments notice, and when
We travel we just go right over the
ground, and don't you forget IT," '-''
= %'I've made some pretty good time
myself" said the second engineer.
81 took train through from. New
York to Philadelphia in eighty min
utes.''
"Oh, that's child's play" said the
first engineer. ''Why, man, I've
made that run myself, and with one
piston-rod gone at that. I'd just got
back from special run up through
the coal regions, when word came that
one of the big guns of the company
wished to start at once for Pfiladel-
phia. knew what that meant, so 1
lgot aboard long-legged Jim, hitched
a construction car behind the tender
and drawing-room coach behind
that and reported for duty. 1 knew
my engine, and 1 ran up forty pounds
Eof steam more nor she was marked
to carry. When the word came let
Everything slide and the old boy
just jumped in the air. Then he set
tied down to his work. Everything
was clear before US, and let him out
for all he was worth at the start. In
lessen five minutes you couldn't a
counted the telegraph poles they flew
by so fast. had two firemen and I
just made 'em earn their passage from
the word go. Old Jim must have
eat up two ton o. coal inside. of ten
miles, ~
"What!" calculated the second
engineer. -.-.--
"Sure!" said the first engineer.
"And we hadn't been out of town
fifteen minutes before every blasted
boiler pipe was red hot, and we had
to keep flooding the cab with water
!. ter keep from burning the darn thing
: up. Oh, we was just gettin' there,
Eli, and 1 didn't let up pound
n Everytime we took curve the out
side wheels would be at least foo
p up in the air, and once.or twice the
tender jumped clear off on the ties
r. and old Sim would yank her bach
again, and" ..- ...
"Ain't you kind O. stretching /:
point?" asked the second engineer.
''Not a bit of it," said the first en-
II gineer. "Why, afore we was hal
way to Philadelphia, both of thos'
+ stokers was down on their knee.
praying, and 1 had to do the feeding
l. myself until l swore 'em back to thei
senses again. Well, everything wen
J. well the first two-thirds o. the run
land 1 was just whistling to mysel
over the record 1 was pilling up,whe1
there came a report like a rife, and
knew one of the blasted piston rod
~ had busted. There was nothin' to d
but stop. and lost ten minutes fixin
III up. The big gun left the coach ant
came down to see what was up. 'Wha
Is is to be done?' said he. 'I've 60
one piston rod left,' says J., 'and II
d take you through on time He kne,
me, and he just lit fresh cigar an
10 walked back to the coach as content
ed as lamb. Well, l just set thos
, praying firemen to work for all the
was worth, and l had her up to sixt
pounds over the limit in less 'en n
u time. Then l let her slide. Lord
Harry, thought old Jim would jer
re the stuffin' out of everything benin
him. We just played hop skotch an
oil / don't believe we touched the raj
more than four or five times mile
A. | knew it was a 500 check or nothir
and l was after that check. Wei
j, those firemen got to praying worse'e e
=, ever, and l had to swear I'd thro
'em overheard afore they'd come
~. time. / tell you we was movin
Why, the towns got to running t.
's gether, and We had no more'en got
squint at one station afore we was Fl,
ss miles past the next one
s'Heer! heer!'' said the secor
,r- engineer, ''that's laying it on lit
ng too strong"
"T'rue as you're here said Il
M first engineer. "rd introduce ye
IS to the praying firemen, but they G.
- the business after that run, and ! 10
:. sight of 'em. Well, we got with
~, ten miles of Philadelphia and l beg,
~ to stop her.
Il ,"Stop herr" ............
" s:Yes; 1 knew could not do it i
" side O. ten miles, and / didn't qul
fetch it at that; for when we ran in
me the station we smashed in the bum
ost ers and ripped up about twenty fe
o. the platform before old long-legg
Jim would agree the run was ort
Init 7 GOT the check" and the Yank