New-York tribune., 1888-08-26
COMING FROM THE RACES.
HOW THE TRIP LOOKS FROM THE CAB OF a
LOCOMOTIVE.

HOW THE TRIP LOOKS FROM TIE CAB OF A
LOCOMOTIVE.
Can you imagine anything moro glorious on .
pleasant August afternoon than snug berth on top os
the hot end Of locomotive bolcr going sixty miles sn
hourf Or did you ever loso handsome sum on tho
races in single afternoon and find consolation In
chicken sandwich and ride over tho frebox1 That
was my luck the other day. When the last race IL run
at Monmouth Park the people in the grand stand scatter
In three directions. handful go mournfully toward
the betting ring to cash their winning Tickets few
hundred take their way to carriages and hacks and
carts and busgcs and wagons and thousands run sprns
races for the trains, dozen of which drawn up st
tho entrance tho engines painting II already tired IN
anticipation Of the loads they haul Hero Is tho
special for Sandy Hook; adjoining It the way train for
Long Branch and othcr points tho coast; next the
brown Pennsylvania parlor cars: beside them ths
yellow coaches Of the Jersey Central With big old e2"
at the fron thcn the black and gold jersey Central
parlor cars, with the press and Jumbo engine No. 35
at the business end further another Pennsylvan4a
train beyond thas still another all brown and all
bound for Jersey City then the Jersey Central way
train, for al points along the main line and branches
An army Of trainnen In blue coats and white
caps direct the vast crowd which way to Co.
Tickets over ono road good all the others.
and hundreds who 20 down by the Pennsylvania
return by tho Jersey Central Sandwiches, cakes
sarsaparila, ginger ale-all sorts Of eatables and
drnkables in baskets and trays crowd tho platforms
and bar progress. People rush this way and thas
for seats Couples are divided and do Dot meet
again until they reach tho ferry Every single man
tries to occupy Q whole cushion. Coats arc 1erked
of and ladies' have to promenade through aisles
fankcd either sfde by white and striped shrt-
sleeves and dusty boots. 1t Is not uncommonly re-
gardcd q personal insult to ask ono Of these gen.
to III
But all have to succumb later yot even
then the aisles arc filed with standing people,
while the platforms packed to the coupler bucrs
Eight persons out Of ten arc gnawing and sucking
at wings and dumsticks as the long procession Of
trains starts on the homeward journey.
Tho Pennsylvania and Jersey Central take turn
about as to which shall pull out first All tho
tracks converge like the ribs Of fan at q point
nearly opposite tho head Of tho homestretch Hero
stands q man beside . rcd flag which is planted
between tho rails. No train may pass that nag
until the picks It up and steps to ono sidc-
To-day tho Pennsylvania Is first off, and away she
goes with scream Of tho whistle have climbed
into the ceb Of No. 35, the mammoth Baldwin
which pulls tho parlorcar train the Jersey
Central. To sit beside the throttle is like being on
the crater of q young vesuvius. The world looks
small from that dizzy height Tho roar Of tho furnace
the rumble OF the angry exhaust the terrible quiver
caused by slipping drivers, the shrek OF the WHISTLE
the hiss Of steam escaping from tho cylinder cocks
the thump thump chcw-chew Of the air pump, tho
gurge Of tho injector as tho thirsty boiler drinks its
full from tho tank-thesc sounds comminged sing
lullaby that blots oat all sorrow for fortune lost
because 1t not won.
We follow hard upon tho Pennsylvania and ind
that she has to grief being hopelessly stuck on
tho sharp at Shrewsbury River. Tho one
small engine can do nothing with eighteen heavy,
crowded cars We stop within twenty feet OF tho
coach and Engineer Jackson does some vigorous
talking with his whistle. The Pennsylvania man
shouts back angry retort No. 35 asks II help
is wanted "Yes, yes" toots the stalled engine, and
putting our pilot under the eighteenth car we clear
our throat, give mighty yell and shove train engine,
passengers and all out Of the way. When they get
we'll agoing pull up and let them open gap OF
a mile. Then the race begins. Jackson does not
hustle his mount. Throwing the lever forward to tho
lowest notch ho gives the engine steam. Slowly.
almost impcrccptbly, the immense drivers begin TO
bite the rail. A tremor runs through tho great
machine the funnel beches forth the black smoke ana
we are of. Jackson then takes gentle pull on tho
favorito raises the lever few notches, opens tho
throttle little wider and with master hand settles
No. SO into her stride. She moves with wonderful
case and power. No thoroughbred ever exhibited
finer action And such a glutton! sho eats coal
and drinks water necessarily. Never was thero .
Democrat more hungry and thirsty
In front, disappearing over the summit OF steep
rrade I sec the rear Of the flying Pennsylvania
special, kicking up powerful dust She must Do
travelling. for going mile minute. and therc
she is always the same distance ahead Looking back
as ve sweep round a sharp curve-Pummer vows
that go around it on ono wheel-I see behind us
third special and behind that Speeds fourth, and
fifth and a sixth. We dash through humble towns and
villages like the wind, stopping for nothing but req
fag We blow a good deal, and ring our bell consd-
eraby white board rises before on the right of
ifc tom tn n
means whistle for crossing. So we toot away-two
long and two short blasts. Another board flashes IN
on the track at every crossing and white naes.
We toot . all right and before they can wink we arc
suddenly as We swing around sharply to the right:
aud touching short vsr aRps ns sc vine
dSS ao%Ss and nc I murmur goes through the train lho
draws open!' No record breaking to-day. But tho
the far beyond It is positively distressing to sit thero
and :he br dee gate swing ertn s. slowly Far
down the .o bay 0s small Sas ns seR Which ss
signaIled for the draw and got It Must thousand
WEs That pSSpg Sai tub WITH three lazy
e dozen trains could cross the bridge in the time &
takes that craft to DO II ! But walt we must such
The weary minutes drag by. Tho only patient
onS ge Sn oS oS fa s ana the oe on the
post while his left hand never leaves the throttle
denly drops, the keeper of the draw waves his whto
flag and We pass over. No. 35 rolls like ship In
storm when strike . bad piece Of track on tho
other side, but once over Il we 60 so fast that a.
Plummer says, the telegraph poles look like picket
fence / have half mind to shout to jackson to
pull her wide open, but he is too careful man to fool
with. The wind coming into tho cab window
that garment Tho fireman comes to the rescue In
time to my wastcoat and shirt. We see tho
Pennsyly ania special more for when reach tho
junction she is passing through Newark. The
trains behind have closed with US. though. owing to
the delay at the bridge, and We have our hands full
10 shake them of. They gradually dropping QUE
of sight when another arm is raised horizontally.
bringing us to halt. IL Is only coal train
Ing the line. but 1t seems to consist Of thousand
cars.
At last We reach Elizabcthport freight train
stands on the main line and we stop again until
IL switches into siding. Never there
such nun OF iluck On to the long trcstlc wo
creep looking hard at the signals 1t Is dusk and
none but trained eye can detect the flash Of light
far down by tho draw.