Mexico weekly ledger., 1883-08-23
Some Good Runs,

on the Union Pacific last Sunday, and
the passenger trains which used to
jog along at the rate of twenty miles
an hour now strike a two minute
gait, while freights which were form
erly content to make eight or ten
miles an hour, now cover from eigh-
teen to twenty. This increased rate
Of speed was being talked of the
other evening at the roundhouse by a
party of engineers, who were relating
instances Of fast runs being made,
on special occasions, before the last
change vas made.
"You remember that run I made
to Sherman with DR.. Harris, boys,"
remarked Danny Breese as he bit off
a huge chew Of plug and looked at
his watch to see how soon 8 was due.
THAT was a dandy. You see there
was something wrong with the agents
wife and a telegram came saying to
send DR.. Harris up by telegraph, il
possible. I'd just got in with 4, and
old 155 was feelin' immense; BLOWN
off so loud you couldn't hear yourself
think. Barter, he came out just as
I'd started for the roundhouse, and
says he Danny, you've got to 60 to
Sherman quickern - well, pretty
quick"
81 says all right said I, and
KNOWN he wanted q quick run, /
told the fireman to uncouple the ten
der, so as to make my engine lighter,
and when Harris climbed into the
cab and took a seat on the freman's
box, / threw the reverse over in the
corner and gave her steam. Away
she jumped like q scared kangaroo.
The doctors eyes bulged out like a
pair Of porcelain drawer knobs as we
rushed out over the plains toward the
mountains. Rippity click we smash.
ed along over the switches and frogs
at Fort Sanders, and Harris hanging
on for his life, and looking like an
uninsured man sitting down to his
first dish of cucumbers. We passed
Red Buttles like a ~thunderbolt, and
went flying up the sides Of the noun
tain.
whats that-a postE' asked the
doctor as we passed something in a
jiffy.
sit was the first shed west of Har-
ney, $50 feet long, SO you can see
how fast we was goin'.
"'Who put in that irrigating ditch?'
again asked the doctor.
":That's Dale Creek canon,' an
swered the fireman as he stopped half
minute from shoveling coal, just as
We swept through the last two sheds
this side Of Sherman, and made a fly
stop at the station.
"We'd made the twenty three
miles, up grade, in nineteen minutes !
/ set my coffee bucket on the driving
boxes to boil, they were so hot. and
while 1 was eatin' out comes Harris
and says he:
"'Dan it's twins-two boys, and
as fine little kids as you rel saw
"Yes, that was a pretty fair rum"
remarked Billy Hodgman, "But ]
say, Dan, what a long-armed fireman
you must have had"
SLOWS that?" asked Breese.
why, to shovel coal in Sherman
from q tender that stood on a side
track here in Laramie"
Breese remarked that he guessed
that was 8 pulling into the yard, ant
he'd better be going, and he left.
"Any of you boys remember whel
lightning struck the tank at DALI
Greek, and put a hole clear through
her from side to side?'' inquired Bill
Hodgman of his companions. s-s.z
ALL Of them recollected the tim,
well, and spoke of it as a wonderful
phenomenon-the thupderbolt pass
ing through the building from ont
side to the other, instead of from tor
to bottom.
well, sir, it wasn't lightning a
ALL" responded Billy, lowering biz
voice to a confidential pitch. 81
was a chunk Of coal that did the bus
mess. 1 was pulling freight then, owe
the hill, and Harry Galbraith wa
firm for me. We left Sherman Will
a big train and for some reason tn
brakes-eyes didn't hold her. II
about foui seconds we we're goine
down the hill q mile a minute, ant
faster every second. Harry, b,
climbed back to the tender to Sc,
what was the matter with the boys OF
top-and all this TINE / was whistlint
brakes-and just as We struck Dali
Greek bridge he kicked a big chunl
Of coal off, Dern my buttons if
didn't fly for that tank like a cannon
bail and went right through 1t. w
heard the crash, but didn't know thel
what was the matter. The boys go
the brakes set just as we reached Til
Siding, and we found that we'd mad,
the six miles in four minutes and
half. 1t rained in the mountain
that afternoon, and when we got t.
Laramie they told us a streak o
lightning had struck the Dale Creel
tank and let the water out Of it."
pretty good time" said PER-,
Bickford; shut I don't believe any
one ever beat the run I made dow
the mountain from Granite to Chey
enne, last winter, with four box car
and nary a brake on them that woult
hold a pound. The train broke il
two just after leaving there, and be
fore I knew it We had left the res
Of them way behind. / sent the fire
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