Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-07-24
A THRILLING RIDE.
THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY MILES on
APULLMAN TRUCK.
A Young Nan Makes the PsrilOus Trip on the Lin
tied" Prom FOt Wayne to RtSburg- Sixty
Miles An Hour JuA Over the Ties.
His Vivid Description.

PITTsBURG, July 23.-Peter Shell, a
young man about Is years of age, arrived
here this morning on the truck of one of
the Pullman sleepers attached to the
New York and Chicago limited Express,
having ridden from Fort Wayne, Ind, in
that way. He stated he was en- route to
Washington, D. c., to see his
mother VINO was seriously i'll. The
story of his thrilling ride is best told in his
own words: 81 knew it was foolish for
me to try it, but then after all l got
through all right The fact is, before
/ started / did not take time 10
consider what were the dangers of the I'M
dertaking, but last evening got letter
stating that my mother was very sick in
Washington, ID. c. / had been working
in a foundry at Ft. Wayne. My first i'm
pulse was to hasten TO see my mother rs
quickly rs possible. | knew the limited
would be along at 9 o'clock that night ]
quit work in the evening and then sold
my time for the amount due me, but it
was not enough to buy my ticket to Wash
ington. / waited around the Fl Wayne
depot until the limited pulled in from
Chicago.
II watched my opportunity and slid un-
der the train and erawlcd upon top of one
of the trucks after the inspectors had pass
ed by sounding the wheels with their ham
mers. The train started and held on as
no one before clung to any support for
their very life. They say that 4 portion OF
the time the train runs
A MILE A MINUTE,
and to me it seemed rs though never be-
fore had train swept along mile after mile
as did the limited 1t WAS hard work tC
keep stones from striking me in the face,
but succeeded pretty we'll. The worst
ditlicultO was the cOOlneSS of the night
Part of the time it seemed rs though it wa
as cold rs winter, and my hands got 81
numbcd that ! could scarcely hold on TO
the truck. At last, after many miles had
been passed over we stopped
at CreStlinc. ! was afraid when the in
spectOrs went around sounding wheels that
my retreat would be discovered. But
drew my body close up along the truck o
the sleeper and Rugged close tn the wheels.
| got twenty minutes breathing spell a'
Crestlinc. and then the train started and
sped along for another hundred miles until
Alliance was reached, where had to look
sharp again for the inspectors Again
was successful. The train again pulled
out gradually, got up speed to nearly :
mile q minute, rounded the big curves
sometimes
ALMOST THROWING Me UNDER TIL
WHEELS,
| sometimes slowing up a little and agair
seeming to fairly fly over the track. Al
we started with still greater speed dowl
the heavy GRADES on this end of the road
could see nothing The dust was so thlcl
could hardly breathe and had 10 keel
my ewes closed or | would have beer
blinded. 1t was the ride of my life and
am thankful that ut last it is over"
The narration of this thrilling cxPer
ience was listened 10 by spectators, Wh'
stood in brcathless surprise. A subScrip
ton was started by passengers whlcl
netted the young man quite handSom
sum. and after hearty breakfast, he wa
started on his way to Washington
| in Pullman car. Th0ugl
the distance between Pittsburg and TT
Waync is 800 miles, the limited expires
makes but four stops and averages 10 u
40 miles an hour, often attaining speed
of 80 miles II is said that on some OF tn
straight pieces of track it has been KNOW
to run at the rate of a mile each minute.