Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1885-09-30
LIFE ON A LOCOMOTIVE.
A Veteran Engineer Narrates
Some Experiences.
A Great Improvement in ENGINES Oft O.
day---Some Fast Trips.


hotel, talking to u modest veteran en-
gineer employed on one of Chicago's
leading railroads. For twenty-five
years he had pulled the lever of loco.
motive on the same road, and but for
MS modesty could reel off yarns of
thrilling experiences by the yard.
"This reminds me-" said he, allud-
ing to the storm which was prevail.
ing, "of a night number of years
ago, when very strange circumstance
happened on the train | was running
only mention it to illustrate the ex.
IRENE forethought which it is contin-
ually necessary for an engineer to ex-
erclse, AS we pulled out of the depot
| noticed storm gathering in the
west. Before we had got far beyond
the city limits we were into it. 1t
was gruesome night, with the light
ming flashing necessarily, the thunder
crashing and rolling and the wind
blowing a hurricane, | suddenly
thought ten chances to one, at some
point on the road, l would be likely to
run across some stray freight cars, for
the wind was strong enough to blow
them from the switches on the main
track. The thought made me eau
tlous, and kept a sharp lookout
ahead. My fears proved correct, for
we had not gone far when bright
flash of lightning brought into bold
relief against the black sky number
of freight cars which the wind had
carried off side track and piled up
promiscuously on the main track. But
being ready for just such an emergen-
cy lpulled up in time to avert catas-
trophe"
"Do you find engines in these days
easier to handle than when you first
took hold of the lever?"
'Oh, yes. There has been so many
improvements of late years that To-
connective is much easier to run. 1t is
much easier to get up steam. The
use of coal instead of wood tends to
this result; and then the patent iniec.
tor is great improvement over the
old pump. The automatic air-brake
is a great help, and there are many
minor improvements being constantly
brought forward--all of more or less
utllity--which tighten the labor of an
engineer. Some roads use patent
bell-rlnger, which is run by steam, but
L never took kindly to it. 1t proved a
source of annoyance more than any.
thing else"
81 suppose there has been great
change of style in engines in the last
twenty yearsY
Eyes, they are much heavier, for one
thing. In the old days a locomotive
had only to pull three or four cars.
One with l5-inch cylinder and o.
inch stroke weighing twenty eight to
thirty tons, was sufficient. Now trains
are made up of fifteen to twenty cars,
and the weight of the locomotives has
been increased to about forty-six tons,
with an lS-inch cylinder and a 24-inch
stroke. An engine with the tank all
loaded and ready to start on run
will weigh seyenty-fye tons"
"Have engineers improved as much
as the engnes?'
"Decidedly, yes. In the old days an
engineer was nobody unless he was
one of the boys. He was expected to
be hail fellow, well met with every
body and the amount of whisky a first
class engineer could consume in a
night was something fearful to con-
template. Now, however, drinking is
absolutely prohibited. While the boys
were good in their day, there are
many who would not do for these
times. They are better educated
class Of men in these days than they
were formerly, for they do not spend
their spare time in carousals. But
still you will find them jolly set
withal."
as it necessary to be a practical ma.
chinist to be frst-class engineer?'
"By no means. The very best engi
neers are those who are first 'wipers'
at the round house, next liremen, and
are finally put in charge of the locomo.
tive. By constantly being about an
engine they become familiar with the
different parts and soon learn how to
handle it, provided, of course, that
they take an interest in the business"
"What is the average time of an ex-
press-tran in these days?"
"Including stops, about thirty miles
an hour. There have been some re.
markable bursts of speed, however, but
those were on extra occasions Phil.
ONeil, who runs the Omaha express
over on the Northwestern, carries the
the horns in this regard, believe.
With the Wabash he brought party
of directors from Clinton, Iowa, to
Chicago at an average speed of mile
minute for 1873 miles. This was in
1884. Preston, another Northwestern
engineer, made record when he took
the Jarrett & Palmer troupe from Chi.
cago to the Bluffs when they were on
their way to San Francisco. He left
Chicago at 1890 p. M. arriving at
Clinton, Iowa, lilo a. m.; left Clinton
at LIS Il. NJ, and reached Boone al
6:3l a, M; left Boone at $40 a. m.
and reached the Rlnffs at 10 m