Fergus County argus., 1889-07-04
Seventy Niles an Hour - Passengers Wild
With Excitement

Denver News: Jim Foote's nam,
among engineers occupies about the
same position rs Mcl.aushlin's does
among the jockeys. The people alonl
the line OF the New York Central hold
their breath now in retrospect when
they think OF the way in which he used
to come tearing down the track on hls
old iron horse. making sixty-five ia
seventy miles an hour, with 300 scared
passengers hanging on tn their seats
and expecting every moment to b,
dashed into l'er'lition.
Those were the old days when the
West Shore and the Central We're will
ing to decorate their engineers with
the Order OF the Garter or grant them
a weeks pay for beating each other 4
second or two down the race cours,
which ends ut schenectady AT this
point the race was rendered addition
ally exciting by the fact that the Cen
tral passes under the bridge which car
ries the West Shore over itstrack. and
rs the under engine plunges out O
sight into the darkness. the Other
screaming over it's head, the exit mad,
a moment too slow loses the race
The engineers Of the West Shore al
ways stood in awe OF Jim. lie was
the patriarch OF the region, and n man
who handled his eng inc with all the
skill that an Arab handles his horse
| They weren't to be beaten out by u
rept,t alton, however, and old engine
10 used TO have some pretty hard
scrambles, nOtwitIst an,ling the fact
| that Jim's hand was at the throttle
One day Jim tram started on the
tsn-mile stretch down, nip and tuck
with the West Shore train, with an
engineer named Rantzler on the en-.
gine. They came down at fearful
gait. Jim did his very best, for he had
heard that this very engineer had
made "a boast that he would rub j,
into the invincible Central man. Tn.
passengers on either train caught the
spirit of the thing. and leaned danger.
Ously lar out Of the windows, yelling
defiance ut each other and shriekinl
like demons when the one engine q,
the other gained he slightest advant
aye. They were coming down the hOm,
stretch, and Jim, for once in his life
was losing ground. tie kept his ey~s
steadily and despairinsly on the othe,
train, which was gaining wit dreadful
cert ainty upon him. They were about
three hundred yards from the bridge
when what was the disguised engI
neer' 5 anlazenient to see IA head which
he recognized rs Superintendent Day
tons, OF his own road, reach far out
OF the window in the opposite train
and yell like a lost soul:
".Dim, - you. ii you let this blasted
stick-in-the-mud clean you out III dis
charge you
Jim knew he would. lie wasn't So
ratified by the unexpected turn oi
affairs but that he remembered th,
superintendent never went back on his
word, however rashly given. lie gave
"a great proan and played his last card.
The engine qIivered like n leaf with the
terrible head OF steam, gave II dash
forward like a tiger on its prey, and IA
it came out with dart from the black
hole under the bridge it was II length
ahead, and the passengers shook hands
with tears in their eyes. The superin-
tendent walked over and in the pres
ence oi the jubilant crowd took of the
watch he was wearing and presented it
tn Jim amid delighted cheers Rantz-
Ter was discharged