The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-10-22
BILL NYE'S LETTER.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIRST RAIL
ROAD TRAINS TRIAL TRIP.

The Locomotive a Large Fire Extin-
guishcr Trucks-The Tender and
the Front MISUNDERSTANDING Up Time.
Heavy Pushing Behind.
The first train ever operated must have
been a grand sight. First came the locomo-
tive, n large Babcoclz fire extinguisher on
trucks, with n smokcstack like full blown
speaking tube with frill around tho top;
the engineer at his post in plug hat, with an
umbrella over his head and his hand on the
throttle, borrowing n chew of tobacco now
and then of the farmers who passed him on
their way to town. Near him stood the fire
man, now and then bringing in arInful of
wood from the fields through which he
passed, and turning the damper in the smoke
stack every little while so that it would draw
Now and then he would go forward and put
a pork rind on hot box or pound on the
cylinder head to warn people off the track
Next comes the tender loaded with, nice
white birch wood, an economical style of fuel
because it, bark may be easily burned Off
while the wood itself viii remain uninjured.
Beside the firewood we find on the tender n
barrel of rainwater and a tall, blonde jar
with wickerwor!s around it, which contains a
small sprig Of tansy immersed in four gallons
of New England rum. This the engineer has
brought with him for use in case of accident.
He is now engaged in preparing for the acct
dent in advance.
TIE FRONT BRAKEMAN.
Next comes 20 front brakeman in n plug
hat about two sizes too large for him. He
also wears long wasted frock coat with
hustle to it and "A tall shirt collar with
table-spread tie, tho ends of which flutter
Gayly in the morning breeze. As tho train
I,auscs ut the first station nc takes hammer
out of the tool box and nails on the tire Of
the fore wheel of his coach. Tho engineer
gets down with a long oil can and puts lit
tie sewing machine oil on the pitman. He
then wipes it off with his sleeve.
1t is now discovered that the rear coach,
containing n number of directors and the
division superintendent, is missing. The con-
ductor goes to the rear of the last COACH and
finds that the string by which the directors
car was attached is broken, and that, the
grade being pretty steep, the directors and
one brakeman have no doubt gone back 10
the starting place
But the conductor is cool He removes his
bell-crowned plug hat, and, taking out his
orders and time card, he finds that tho track
is clear, and, looking at a large, valuable
Waterbury watch, presented to him by n
widow whose husband was run over and
killed by the train, he secs he can still make
the next station in time for dinner He hires
n livery team to go back after the directors
coach, and calling "All aboard" he swings
lightly upon the moving train.
NINETEEN WEARY MILES.
1t is now 10 o'clock, and nineteen weary
miles still stretch out between him and tho
dinner station. To add to the horrors of tho
situation, the front brakeman discovers that
u very thirsty boy in the eInigrant car has
been drinking from the water supply tank on
the tender, and there's not enough water left
to carry the train through. Much time is
consumed in filling the barrel again at a
spring near the track but tho conductor
finds 'spotter" on the train and gets him to
do it. He also induces him to cut some more
wood and clean out the ashes.
The engineer then pulls out draw head |
and begins to make up time. In twenty min |
utes he has made up an hours time, though |
two miles of hoop-iron are torn from the |
truck behind him He sails into the cating |
station on time, and, while the master me |
Chanic takes several of the coach wheels over |
to the machine shop to soak, he eats hur- !
ried lunch.
Tho brakeman here gets his tim lanterns !
ready for the night run and fills two Of them |
with red oil to he used on the rear coach. Tho |
fireman puts fresh bacon rind on the ecccn- |
trio, stuifs some more cotton batting around |
the aXlcs, puts q new lynch-pin' in the hind !
wheels, sweeps the apple Feelings out of tho |
smoking car, and he is ready.
Then comes the conductor, with his plug |
hat full of excursion tickets, orders, passes, |
and time checks; he looks at his Waterbury |
watch, waves his hand, arr calls "All |
aboard" again. 1t is upgrade, however, and |
for two miles the 'sPottcr" has to push behind |
with all his might before the conductor will |
allow him to get on and ride.
Thus began the history of a gigantic en-
terprise, which has grown till it is u comfort, |
n convenience, luxury, and yet necessity. |
Bill Nye i'll Chicago News.