The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-26
A LIGHrN1NG-LIKE JOURNEY.
How Vanderbilt Was Hauled from Erie
Cleveland in Eighty-Eight Minutes.

How Vanderbilt Was Hauled from Erie to
Cleveland in Eighty-EiGht Minutes.
Cleveland Leader.
1T was a pretty fast run" said engineer
John Gill lin fact trife the hvelest | ever
made over the Erie division, and thatis saying
quite good deal 1t was the Sd Of May,
1874, the date of the annual meeting of the
stockholders of the Lake Shore in this city.
vanderbilt not the present owner of the Lake
Shore, but his father, had left New York the
previous eveningon their special train He had
telegraphed to some of the officials here that he
would arrive att o'clock the following night
The special train met with bad luck the first
twelve hours of the trip. Up the Hudson River
division way trains and accommodations per-
sisted in getting in front of it, and Albany was
reached forty minutes behind the schedule ar
Buffalo was hardly more satisfactory.
Hot boxes, danger signals or blocks
kept the train continually changing
speed There was something the matter at
Utica something moro at Rochester, and some
thing else at Syracuse. Buffalo was reached
few minutes late and here the party stopped for
dinner, The special finally pulled out of that
city at o'clock and headed for Erie. This run
was also made under disadvantages, aud Erie
was reached at exactly $50 o'clock 1t had
taken two hours and thirty minutes to make the
ninety miles between Buffalo and Erie, when it
had been expected that it could be done in
thirty minutes less at least My engine was
waiting in the Erie depot to bring the special to
Cleveland, and we had on great head of steam.
John said the conductor to me, the old man
wants to reach Cleveland at o'clock. Make it
if you cam l backed down and hitched on, the
conductor waved his hand, and at precisely 5:3l
we pulled out of the depot. There were two cars,
the special and a long, heavy baggage car put
on to steady the train We went out
of the station at great rate and started for
Girard, fifteen miles away. We reached it in
fourteen minutes precisely, and had climbed up
hill portion of the way Then we skipped for
Ashtabula, twenty-six miles further Here we
went for all were worth. The old engine
rolled, tossed, and leaped around, and the cars
swayed back and forth like boat in storm.
1 expected every minute TO hear the bell ring to
slow up but it didn't Round curves and over
bridges we went at the Same awful speed, and
slowed up at Ashtabula at precisely COG. We
had como forty-one miles in precisely thirty-f five
minutes 1t took us about minute and half
to drop enough water in the tank to last us
until we could getto Cleveland, and my watch
'recored sos o'clock when we pulled away from
Ashtabula. The track was clear. Away we
rushed regardless of everything but fast time.
We had fiftyfour miles to make in ffty-two
minutes, including the stop at the target in
gainesville. There was great head of steam
on and the throttle was wide open. 1t seemed
as if the wheels didn't touch the track more
than half the time. 1t was balmy
day in May, without breath of air stirr-
ing but the current created by. the speed
of the train was terrific. Stones the size
of hickory nut were caught up and whrled
against the buildings with great force, and the
whole train was covered with dense cloud of
black smoke, dust and cinders, We passed
gainesville at $50. and, after losing minute at
the crossing headed for Cleveland. 1t was
race against time had promised to get here
on schedule time if it could be DONE and was de-
termined to do it. We came up the home stretch
at lively gait. The track is pretty straight
and there are few heavy grades 1 don't think
would have failed reaching Cleveland by O'clock
if 800 would have prevented it, and yet we were
doing something that had never been attempted
before Ninety-fve miles in eighty-five minutes
was what we started out to do, with three stops
in our way. We didn't slow up much when we
reached the city limits, and sailed through the
yards at rate of speed that made some Of tho
men think it was a runaway train. Whea |
brought the train to standstill in the depot
here, the station clock pointed to exactly 6:59.
Vanderbilt was as happy rs a child. There was
quite party of railroad men with him. and he
wanted them to know, as he knew, that the Lake
Shore was daisy. guess that was the fastest
time ever made over that road"