The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1886-10-28
BILL NYE ON RAILROADS.

3 that has shown moro marked pro
Q grees in the last century than th
+. railway and it's different auxiliarie,
When we remember that much les
than q century passed since the frs
patent for a locomotive to move IN
on truck was issued. where now "
nave everything that heart can wish
aud, 10 fact, live better on the roa,
than we do at home, with but thirty
SIX hours between New York ant
Minneapolis, aud a gorgeous parlor
bedroom and dining-room, be
tween Maine aud Oregon, with moth,
ing that may go to make life ricl
blessing, We are compelled to OK
press our wonder aud admiration.
To Peter Cooper is largely due the
boom given to railway business, he
having constructed the first locomo
tive ever made in this country, and
put it on the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad.
The first train ever operated must
have been a grand sight. First came
the locomotive, large Babcock fire.
extinguisher on trucks, with a smoke
stack ike full-blown speaking tube
with a frill around the top; tho en-,
glneer at his post in a Plug hat, with
an umbrella over his head AMI his
hand on tho throttle, borrowing a
chew of tobacco now and then of the
farmers who passed him on their
way to town, Near him stood the
fireman, now and then bringing in
an armfal OF wood from the fields
through which they passed, and
turning tho damper in the smoke
stack every little while 30 that it
would draw. Now and then be
would go forward and put pork
rind on hot box or pound on the
cylinder head to warn people off tho
track.
Next comes the tender loaded with
lice, white birch wood, an economi-
cal sty 10 of fuel because it's bark NAV
DO easily burned off while the wood
tself will remain uniniured. Be,
side the 6re-wood '>e f'~d on the
around it, which contains u small
,prig of tansy immersed 10 four gall
ons of New England rum. This the
engineer has brought with him for
use in case Of accident He is now
engaged 10 preparing for the acci'
dent in advance.
Next comes the front brakeman in
a plug hat about two sizes too large
for him. lie also wears q long
wasted frock coat with bustlo to
it aud tall shirt collar with table,
spread tie, the ends OF which hutter
gayly in the morning breeze. As
the train pauses at the first station
he takes hammer out OF the tool
box aud nails on the tire OF the fore
wheel of his coach. The engineer
gets down with long oil can and
puts little sewing machine oil on
the pitmau. lie then wipes it of
with his sleeve.
1t is now discovered that the rear
coach, containing number OF direc-
tors and the division superintendent
is missing. The conductor goes to
tho rear of the last coach, and finds
that the string by which the direc-
tors car was attached is broken.
and that, the grade being pretty
steep, the directors aud one brake~
man have no doubt gono back to the
starting place.
But the conductor is cool. He
removes his bell-crowned plug hat,
and taking out his orlers and time
card, he fnds that the track is clear,
and looking at large, valuable Wa
terbery watch, presented to him by
a widow whose husband was run
over and killed by the train, he sect
) that he can still make the station il
time for dinner. He hires livery
; team to 60 back after the directorsI
coach, and calling "All aboard u he
swings lightly upon the moving
train.
1t is now 10 o'clock, and nineteel
. weary miles still stretch out between
him and the dinner station. To adj
to the horrors Of the situation, tn
front brakeman discovers that YER
q thirsty boy in the emigrant car ho
= been drinking from the water-suppl
o tank on the tender, and there is nc
y acorob lafk IN IN rrv tha train throuO