The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-05-20
A MEMORABLE DRIVE.
How Happy Jack" Won the SUI
premacy For the "Long john"
A Steam Fire Engine That Became the
"Rlng" of the Town" to the Chicago
Flremen-Reclkless Driving to
Fire-A "Reminiscences.
[Chlcago Tribune.l

/
''Talkin' about drivin'," said veteran
| fireman as he leaned back In his chair and
lifted his heels to the engine-pole, "the
run that Happy jack Mcclellan made
back in ,6S was about the liveliest / ever
see, and 1t was the talk of the town for
many day. Happy jack sometimes we
called Thumbs Up from the way he had
| of holdin' the ribbons with his thumbs
stickin' straight up-was drivin' four
Young green horses on the John'-now
she's No. on Franklin street-an' In them
days was quartered just south OF where
the old Board of Trade stands on La Sale
street, tween Washington and Madison
streets. Aleck McMonagle was foreman
Of the john and Sandy Shay, after
ward Marshal am now Inspector, was
foreman of the Tits worth, which is now
No. 10, and was located on Dearborn street,
between Washington and Randolph. Bein'
as they was the only downtown COM
panies the way them fellows used
to hustle to git In abe Of one
another was caution. The Tit had
the bulge on 'em a leetle, fer they
only had two horses on their ingine,
while, as I said, they had four young ans
green ones on the john Up to this time
the Tit had the best of the record, an the
tits fellows would pour II into the
Johns fellers until the Johns fellers
would fairly bile. But It was all changed
in one night, an them that rode with
Happy jack that night'll never forgit IL.
At any rate, know mighty well sha'n't.
Il f,,u t..No kn % ,.la.
box up around Van Buren, an old Wells
street come in. The horses was little
slow in comm out, an to mako matters
wuss one Of our pipemen, Arab jack they
called him, was so full he missed his
hookin' on the leaders, an while Happy
jack was rectifyin' the mistake the Tit
went flying by the house. They give 1t to
US bad when they went by, an / could
hear Jack cussin' to himself while climbin'
up on the seat. He grabbed up them rib
bons, threw the CAD into them horses,
an we went out Of the house on q
jump. Insti'd of chasin' the Tit down
La Sale street an glviu' 'em chance to
saw US an keep us back, Jack pulled
round onto Madison street. and, as he
Strengthened out the team, he sung out to
us: Look out for yourselves, for Pm
goin' In ahead Of them galoots, or Pm
goin' to bust somethin'p I never s'posed
he could do II, for they was past Monroe
street before we turned on Madison.
"He never pulled his team down when
we came to Wells street, and we went
round the corner on one wheel. Arab.
jack was ridin' in the 'dinky' that we
was drawing, and when we went round It
slung him an half ton of coal about a
rod Happy jack never paid no 'tention
TO Il, and as soon'as we got down onto
four wheels again he just made that CAD
OF his sing. He throwed IL into the lead
ers and the wheelers, an by the time we
got to Monroe street they was just fyin';
but he kept on givin' 1t to 'em and they
just bumped themselves, now you
hear me. / was on the footboard
along with my pardner, an / was kept
busy tryin' TO persuade him not TO jump.
He thought Jack was crazy. But pretty
soon / had my hands full a-hangin' on,
an let my phrdner run his own ma
chine. never see nothin' like IL. Jack
was a-leanin' way forward with the four
ribbons all in bis left hand an throwing
the CAD in with bis right. He was bare
headed, an cou hear him cussin' a
regular streak. The horses hoofs was
poundin' sparks out Of the road, and the
old engine bounced, an rocked, an slowed,
and jumped till thought she'd go over
sure, an II buckle or snap, or any part
of the runnin'-gear had given out we'd a
been in kingdom coms like fash of
lightnin'. But we didn't tip over, and
what's more, we beat the Tit In, got the
nearest plug to the fire, an put first water
on her. That settled the TIT and the Long
john was the king of the town after
that,