The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1883-04-14
MAKING UP TIME.

Psck's SHs.
Half a dozen railroad men were
standing by the Union depot lunch
counter the other night, waiting for a
train, drinking coffee and telling stories
about their experience in railroading.-
An engineer was making camel tracts
in half Of pie, and between swal-
lows he was entertaining the boys about
a fast run he made one day between
Milwaukee and Ia Crosse, when the
"old man" was in 4 hurry to get up
there TO see about the bridge that was
being built thee. As he was describ-
ing how the engine and two cars fairly
blistered the rails between Portage and
Camp Douglas, frightened looking
man stepped up and asked for a cup OF
coffee and some doughnut, and when
he was soaking doughnut in the coffee,
he said they didn't know anything about
fast running, unless they had been on
the Pennsylvania Road. The man
asked him what he knew about fast
running, and he turned out some coffee
in 4 saucer, blew on it, to cool il, swal.
lowed it, and said:
"Well, jus, got here from the East
and have witnessed railroading that
knocks the socks off of anything that
ever was. We started out OF Jersey
City one night at eight O'Clock, and up
this side of Philadelphia there was a
wreck ahead OF us, and we side tracked
for six hours, and when the track was
clear We started. Well, sir, that train
few, fairly flew. We didn't realize in
the car that We were going fast, by any
jar, for il was just rs smooth rs a pair OF
skates on smooth ice, but il man went
out on platform he could not breathe
The waiter started to bring a lunch
from the hotel car into the car was in,
and while he crossed the platform the
coffee froze rs stiff as ice cream, and 4
man ate il with spoon. The waiter
was afraid to go back into his car, and
waited till the train stopped at coal
place. The conductor told me the
train was going faster than a bullet
He said the engineer often shot his
revolver up the track ahead, and the
engine would ovcrtakc the bullet and
fiatten it against the smoke stack. Did
you ever see 4 passenger train jump
right over 4 freight train, when both
were in motion ?" asked the doughnut
man, as he filled his coffee up with milk
"Oh, what are you giving US ?" said
the engineer, as he loosened the leather
belt around his greasy overalls, and
looked At the man with disgust.
"Well you don't have to believe it il
you don't want to, but | pledge you my
word our train jumped right over a long
freight train ahead of us. We come up
TO il on straight track and our engineer
signalcd 10 the freight engineer TO slow
up little, and the conductor told us TO
keep our seats. We had seen the freigh,
train ahead on a 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 if we moved around We would jar
the cars SO they wouldn't be so liable to
hit the track ahead, when we come
down. Just then could feel the train
go into the air, and hear the wheels
turn with no track under them, ard in
less then ten seconds we began to de-
scend, and | could 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
course they wouldn't attempt to jump a
freight on 4 curve or in 4 tunnel" and
the man scratched match on his pants,
and lit Il cigar Os"b hs had h~"n keep.
ing.