Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-04-07
MAKING UP LOST TIME.

Half Il dozen railroad men were standing
by tho Union depot lunch counter the other
night, waiting for II train, drinking coffee
and telling stories about their experiences in
railroading. An engineer was making cam
el tracks in half OLA pie, aud between swal-
lows he was entertaining The boys about a
fast run he made one day between Milwau-
kee and La Crosse, when the "old man.
was in hurry TO get up there to see about
the bridge that was being built. AS
lie was describing how the engine and cars
fairly blistcred the rails between Portage
and Camp Douglas, a frightened looking
man stepped up and asked for a cup of coffee
and some doughnuts, and, while he was
soaking u doughnut in the coffee, he said
they didn't know anything about fast run
ming unless they had been on the Pennsyl-
yania road The men asked him what he
knew about fast running, and he turned out
some coffee in saucer, blew on it to cool it,
swallowed it und said:
"Well l just got here from the east, and
have witnessed railroading that knocks the
socks off anth!ng that ever was. We started
out of Jersey City one night at eight o'clock,
and up this side of Philadelphia there was
six hours, and when the track was cleared
We started. Well sir, that train flew. fairly
flew. We didn't realize in the car that we
were going fast by any jar, for it was lust as
smooth as u pair of skates on smooth ice,
but if man went out on platform he
could not breath. The ''ngger'' started te
bring u lunch from the hotel car into the
car was in, and while he crossed the plat
form the coffee troze as stiffas ice cream, and
man ate it with u spoon. The "niger'
was afraid to so back into his car and wait.
ed until the train stopped at coal place.
'The conductor told me the train was
going faster than bullet. He said the
engineer often shot his revolver up the track
ahead, and the engine would overtake the
bullet and flatten it against the smoke stack.
Did you ever see passenger train lump
over freight train when both were in mo-
tion ~ asked the doughnut man, as he
filled his empty coffee cup with milk.
"Oh, what are you giving us?" said the
engineer, as he loosened the leather belt
around his greasy overralls, and looked at
the man with disgust.
"Well, you don't have to believe it if YOU
don't want to; but pledge my word our
train jumped right over a long freight train
ahead of us, and we came up to it on a
stralght track and our engineer slgnaled to
the freight conductor to slow up little and
the conductor told us to keep our seats. We
had seen the freight ahead on curve. and
wondered why our train did not stop.
When the conductor told us to keep our
seats asked him what was the matter, and
he said we were going to Jump freight,
and he said five moved around we would
jar the cars so they wouldn't be so liable to
hit the track ahead when we came down.
Just then could feel the train go into the
air, and hear the wheels turn with no track
under them, and in less than ten seconds
we began to descend, and hear the wheels
on the track again, and looked back
and the freight engineer was waving his
hat at us. Why, there was no more jar
than there is in this room now. Of conrse,
they wouldn't attempt to jump u freight
tain on curve or in tunnel,' and the
man scratched a match and lit cigar. stub
| he had been keepinp p-PecEs Sim