The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-11-21
ON a LOCOMOTIVE.
A We TERAN RAILROAD ENGINEER RE.
LATES A LITTLE EXPERIENCE.
Strange Circumstances on q Stormy
Eight-Englnes Easier tn Handle Now
sdays Improvement In Enginosrs
"A Few Fast isuns.

The other night II rep rter at in tie mod
st parl1r Of a modest hotsl talking Co
modest though veteran engineer employed
on one OF Chicago's leading railroais For
twenty two years Ia had pulled the lever of
a locomotive on the Same road, AMI but for
his moiesty could reel or yarns OF thrilling
experiences by the yard. E9
"Tnis reminds me-" said he, abiding 20
the storm which WIS prevailing, "of night
n number Of years ago when worry strange
circumstance hapoeael On the train | was
running only mention it to illuarats ;ss
extreme fore houyEt which IL continually
necessary for an ngineer to exercise. A. we
u u'le out Of tho depot l noticed a storm
gathering in tho west Before w and got
far teyord the city limit, wa wers into it.
1t was graesone night with the lightning
h.shiny inces antly. the thunder crashing
and rolling ana the wind blowing hurri.
cane l suilenly thought that ton chances
TO one, at some point on the roai would bo
likely to run across soma stray freight-cars,
for tho wind was strong enough k-tbl.w
them frpin the switches on the MANI track,
Tae thou lit made me cautious, anI / kept
"A sharp outlook ahoad. My fears PROVED
correct. for we had not gons far when
br.gAt fash Of lightning brought into bold
relief against tho black sky . number OF
freight cars which the wind had carried of
81 le track and piled up promiscuously ON
the main track But being ready for Just
such aa emergency puilsi up in time 10
avert catastrophe
ADO you hni enginss la thsss days easi,r
10 handle than wien you first took hold On
tho lever,'
"Ol, yes There have been so many inn
proven nts OF late years that locomotivs
is much easier to run. II Is much easier to get
up steam The use OF coal In teal Of wood
tends 10 this result; and than the patent In
jsctor is great improvement over tho old
pump. Tho automatic a.r.braks is great
help, and there are nany minor inprov
ments being constantly brought forward -
ell OF more or less utility which tighten the
labor Of an engineer. SONS roads uss
patent beii-ringer which is run oy st,ani,
nut never took kindly to it II provel
source of annoy ance mors than anything
elsa.o
ii suppose there has besn q great change
of style IN engines in the last twenty yearsT
"Yes, they ara much heavier, for ons
thing. In the old days q locomotive had to
pull only three or four cars. One with Ic-
inch cylinder and 22-inch stroke, weigh ghinf
70 to 30 tom, was sufficient NowtrainTars
made up Of fifteen to twenty cars, aud tho
weight Of tho locomotives has boon increased
10 a bout As tons, VITA an lSinch cylinder
and a 24-nch stroke. An engine with the
tank oil loaded and ready to start en- . run
VIII weigh IS ton'." =
"Haye engineers Improved rs much as IN
enyinesT
"Dsci ledly. yes. In the old day, an en-.
gineer was nobody unless he was one OF the
Toys. He was expected to lie hail fellow,
we'll met with everybody. and the amount
Of whisky a frst-class engineer could con-
sumo in night was something fearful to
contemplate. Now, however, drinking is
absolutely prohibited While the Toys
were good in their day, there are many who
would not 10 for thee times They ara
Letter educate class OF men In these days
than they were formerly for they do not
sIeai their spare tina in carousals. But
stiil you viii End them q Jolly sot withaL" y
as il necessary Co be iractical machinist
TO be Erst-ciass engneerP
"By no means Tho very best engnsers
ere tlose who are ifs. 'wipers' at the rouad.
hou e, next fremen, and are finally pat In
charge OK tho Locomotives. BY constantly
being about an engine they become familiar
WITH tho different parts and sooa learn how
10 handle il, provi!el, OF courss. that thoy
take an interest in tho business"
"What Is the average time Of an express.
train in tnese daysP
"laclnsliny stops about thirty miles m
hour There have been soma remarkably,
burst, Of speed, however, bat thoss were on
extra occasions Phil O'Nsil. who runs the
Omaha express over on tho Northwestern,
carries the horns in this regard, ] believe.
With the Wabash hs brought q party uf
directors from Clinton. Iowa, 70 Chicago as
an average spsed OF a mile . minuts for l3y'
miiss Tai, was in 1854 Preston another
Northwestern engineer, made rscar1 whsn
he took the Jarrett ~ Palmer troupe from
Cica 20 to tie Blafis when they were On
sneir way to San Francison He left CHI
~ 20 at 1879 p IN, arriving as Clinton.
.owl, at :l0 a. m: left Clintn at l:1da.
m. ani reached Boone at 6:sl q. m; left
Boone ~ 6;sO a m, aud reached the Bluffs
at 10 a. m. That means that no made ths
run o. 4SI5 miles at an average speed q
u - mlss psr hour. That was gross r0A.s
k1g
Florence Msrryat's Light. Haired useses>
New York TiaeAl \
aWhy are your heroes always lize1
! hairedw asked New York adrnirsr g xtn
| Marryat, the novelist few eyenlnSs ~
/ "Caiefiy because they are not light@heiro4,S
was the reply. .Whsn write. write an1M
| somebo body--somsbody I've seed, eoN,(
! I've known. nark-hairsd msA hoS1
the onos always 20 impress mps
| hue of their hair has hesn,
. sss~a xo covsy uu uer3c01