Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-14
FAST RAILROAD TIME.
SOME OF THE BEST RUNS EVER
MADE IN THIS COUNTRY.

MADE IN THIS COUNTRY.
The Fastest Record on an American Road.
Burst of Speed-A Remarkable Long
Distance Run from New York to San
Francisco.
The hvelfest interest was manifested by
railroad men in the recent account of the
race between the Flying Scotchman" and
the "West Coast Flyer" from London to
Edinburgh, in which 400 miles were covered
by the winner in seven hours and twenty-five
minutes This was an average of something
over ffty-three and one half miles an hour
There was general jogging Of memories and
overhauling OF the records Of fast railroad
trains on American lines. And much COM
fort was found by many in going over those
records
The best run on record in this country
which can be fairly compared with the En-
glish run was made over the West Shore road,
from Buffalo to New York, ON July 9, 1885,
when 426 miles were covered in hours and
q minutes. Quite large number of railroad
men, including officials OF the Baltimore and
Ohio, Wabash, Grand Trunk and West Shore
roads, happened at Buffalo together en- route
for New York 1t was decided to see how
quickly they could move over the new road.
At the start the railroad men had their
watches out, and soon the mile posts were
flying past every 43 seconds. That speed was
held SO steadily that the greater part Of the
run was made at the rate Of IS seconds to the
mile, or from 20 to So miles an hour. From
East Buffalo to Genesee Junction, 81 miles,
took SO minutes; from East Buffalo to New
ark, 90 4 miles, 81 minutes; from Albany to
Genesee Junction, 36.3 miles, 80 minutes.
The 81 minutes to Newark included stops Of
minutes, making the actual running time
for the 1874 miles, So minutes. From Newark
to Frankfort, where the conditions for run
ming were not so good as before, the run OF
1OS.3 miles was made in 1874 minutes, includ-
ing II minutes for stops. From East Buffalo
to Frankfort, 202 miles, the time was $40
minutes, of which 50 minutes were consumed
in stops
On Oct s, 1885, over the same road, q
burst OF speed was tried for II miles, be-
tween Genesee Junction and East Buffalo, to
satisfy Superintendent j. E. Laying, who was
on the train. The run occupied 512 seconds,
ali average rate of "a miles an hour. Three
OF the miles were made at the rate Of 80 miles
an hour, one at n and one at Is.
On the New York Central road q news
paper train with two cars, weighing 60 tons,
hauled into Syracuse, Sunday morning, Aug.
s, 1886, at 10 o'clock, an hour late. The train
was booked to go from New York to Buff
falo in 81 hours. Orders came to try to
make up the time on the further run of 14S.7
miles to Buffalo. John W. Cool, one of the
toSt ar,cr ON tho rood tod his 20 y
bound to obey the order. He started out at
5415 miles an hour At the end Of tie three
miles his speed increased to 66 miles an hour
and then to 7411S He stopped at Rochester
for water, and slowed up after passing Crit
tenden. His average speed from Syracuse
to Rochester was 67L miles per hour; from
Rochester to Buffalo, 1879 miles per hour,
and from Syracuse to Buffalo, 656 miles an
hour. The run Of 14S7 miles was made in
1876 minutes.
The most remarkable long distance run on
record was when the Jarrett-Palmer combi-
nation went from New York to San Fran
cisco in half time, or 81 days. Their train
left the Pennsylvania station in Jersey City
at 1888 on the morning of June l, 1876. They
were not to make stop until they reached
Pittsburg. An engine and baggage car, on
the approach of the special to Harrisburg,
got up a speed of about fifty miles and passed
mails to the special by running along an ad-
joining track for several miles, while the
mail bags were thrown from train to train.
The run to PittsbuTg, 1885, miles, took 10
hours and minutes, an average of 49, miles
an hour, notwithstanding the Alleghanies.
From Pittsburg to Chicago, 45S3 miles, took
II hours and minutes, an average of AL
miles. including 25 stops and 4 changes of
engines. From Chicago to Council Bluffs,
491 miles, took 111S hours, an average
of 42o miles, although there was
record for part of this journey of
62.2 miles. Over the Union Pacific
tue run of 1928 miles from Omaha to
Ogden was made in "a hours and IA minutes
at an average of Al miles and a maximum Of
70 miles an hour The brakes became worn
at Ogden and hand brakes had to be used,
the onward journey somewhat, as
the men feared they might lose control of the
train. San Francisco was safely reached at
1851 on June 4, quite in time for the dinner
that had been ordered for the company for
that day. The last stage of the journey was
run at an average of 81 miles. During the
entire run 20 engines were used, there wers
e stops, and the running time for 3.313j1
miles was 81 hours II minutes, an average Of
40 miles an hour-New York Times
Ine whole Art of war.
We are disposed to adopt the customs
of European nations without taking into
why they exist there, and
the possibility that they are not necessary
in our country. So long as the French
nation was considered the first military
power in the world we used French tao
tics and wore French uniforms. When
the Germans conquered the French we
Gonned the helmet We adhere to rigid
lines In ranks and drills, and to unneces-
salily complicated systems, when every