The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-11-29

The Train Waits While the Men In Charge
Cook and Lat Their Dinner-Ihe Line
One Rail short, but That Only Causes a
slight Delay.
Commuters and others accustomed 10 fire.
quent railway trips in the United States will
find something 10 interest them in the ac-
count given by a well known New York law
yer Of his railroad experiences in Spanish
Honduras. This gentleman had some buSi-
ness which required his presence IN the inte-
rior of Honduras, about three hundred miles
from the coast, and almost the entire dis
tance had To be made on horse or mule back
The only exception TO this tiresome mode Of
travel was at the beginning OF the journey,
where, according 10 the maps, there was a
railroad running between two towns, forty
miles apart, the only railroad in the coun-
try.
On landing in Honduras, the gentleman
took his family 10 the little native hotel
kept 10y a mulatto woman in Central Amer
lean style, with frijoles aud tortilas for the
principal food and canvas stretched over
frames for bcds-and then started out 10 find
the railroad, hoping 10 catch the morning
train. After IA long search through the
town, he came upon n single track in the
"a
wooden shed, but nobody was in sight aud
there was no sign OF train. lie made in
quiri.s and learned whore the railway super
iutgudent lived. That officer Of the Hondu-
r0s trunk line came out Of hi, house when
summoned, and was Immediately asked when
the train would start.
"The trainf' he repeated, in Spanish, OF
course.
Yes; what time does il goT his qurstioner
asked, lit has not gone today, has it,
mo; don't think it has gone today; no,
I'm Sure 10 hasn't gone today
"Will 1t 20 this mornmgr
"No, don't think 1t viii 90 this morning -
"Wlll it go this afternoonr
"Quien sabef But don't think so. No, |
don't think 80. How can | tcilr
you ought TO know If anybody does, the
New Yorker replied, "as you are the super
ntendentn
While they were talking the officer was
shading bis eyes with his hands and looking
across "A little bay in tho distance.
Can you see across the bayi' he asked
my eyes are not as good as they used 10 be. -
The New Yorker looked and replied that
he could see across the bay distinctly.
"Do you see any smoke coming up out of
the treesN the superintendent asked.
No, there was no smoke.
"Thcn guess Jim won't fire up today, he
went on; "I sent him out in the country yes
terday to repair an engine on "A sugar estate,
AMI most likely he hasn't got through yet
But I'm pretty sure he'll fire up tomorrow.
just come in on the steamcri And got "A
family with your Well, you'll find it very
comfortable down at the hotel, and thinl,
therell be u train out tomorrow; yes, | think
there will"
There was nothing for it but TO wait, for
the chance Of deducting forty miles from the
long mule ride was not 10 be lost. Next
morning the New Yorker was out bright and
early watching for "A smoke across the bay.
Tho smoke was there; evidently Jim was
firing up lie hastoncd to the superintendent
with the nows and asked what time the train
would start
About 9 o'clock, if She goes" the officer
answered; may he little earlier, may be- q
little later; but you may as well be on board
by :, 20 make sure
Shortly after o'clock the train was ready
10 start IL consisted Of an engine Of the
style Of forty years or moro ago, tender
containing some wood. and ono Of the earl.
est passenger cars made, with no glas, i'm the
windows, a bench running lougthwi>e on
the benches 90 give the car weight enough tc
keep it on the track. There were a number
of passengers. and when all was ready and
tine conductor had shouted "All aboard in
Spanish, and the engine bell had begun tc
ring, one Of the passengers, merchant in
the town, clapped his hand to lis pocket and
exclaimed that he had forgotten to write
some letters, and jumped on and went back
TO his Office 10 write them The train start
al with a vast amount Of whistliug and bel.
ringing, ard began 10 dash furiously across
tho country at the rate OF seven or eight
miles an hour. II had not gone far before
the wood gave out, and the engine stopped
and the fireman and another trainman went
into the woods with an ax 20 cut fresh sup.
Ply. These sSps 10 cut wood were made
about once an hour throughout the journey.
AT the first station, which was reached at
about IL o'clock, the man who had stopped
TO write his letters came galloping up on q
mule, which be gave in charge Of a friend,
and resumed his seat iu the car.
When noon arrived tho train was stopped
and the engineer, fireman, conductor and th,
two or three other men employed on the road
made a little fire near the track and plaCidly
proceeded % cook and eat their dinner This
occupied nearly an hour, and everything
went slowly but well till o'clock, when q
little stream was reached, crossed by on old
wooden bridge. Here the engine was stopped
over toe middle of the stream, and the fire
man got or, and, without any hesitation, re.
moved all his clothes The New Yorker,
imagined that be was about 90 take n bath
but he was strictly in the performance Of his
duty. lie lowered himself % the bed of the
shallow stream,' with pail in his hand, and
the other trainmen made line % the tank
of the engine, which they proceeded % Gu
with water from the brook, handing up pail
after pail and pouring it In.
IL was not till the middle Of the afternoon.
however, that the most interesting part oi
the Journey was reached. The train came to
a stop without any apparent cause, and stood
still Tor some time. The New Yorker at
length got out % zee what was the matter
He found that a short distance ahead Of the
engine a rail was missing; II the train had
gone two rods further 10 would have run or
without the rem0te-t chance u getting back
again, Tor there b 70 machinery for such
uses in Honduras The engineer had taken n
cr0Wb bar and walked back past the rear end
Il the car. and was feeling about with the
bar Tor lose rail Presently BE- found one
% suit and priei IL rp, aud be and the other
men carried IL ahead and spiked % down in
the place % the rail hich was missing. Then
the train went ahead, leaving, % course, one
rail missing ia the track On making in.
quiries the New Yorker learned that some
years before somebody stole one n the rails,
and that IL lad never been replaced because
there we're no extra rails in the country, ~
every time the train reached that point the
engineer bad % stop and replace the missing
rail with one that the train had already gone