Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-02-01
A SPIN ON A LOCOMOTIVE.
Forty-five Miles an Hour In the Cab
OF Special Engine.


Special engine 522 stood in the Grand
Central depot impatiently putting little
jets of steam from various points of her
mechanical anatomy. At her side, with
an oil-can that seemed all spout, stood
gray-headed, keen-eyed engineer.
The engine was the one used exclusive
ly by Supts. Toucey, Voorhees, and
Buchanan. The engineer was Nat Saw
yer, who for quarter of century has
held the levers of the finest engines on
the New York Central road, but whose
services now are confined solely to 522,
save in the case of special need for his
services upon some OF the lightning
trains. 1t was just sunrise and the rays
of light slanted across the yard and
fairly revelled in the bright brass work
on the engine that delights Mats eyes
and keeps his fireman, Mike Lynch,
busy whenever the big drive-wheels are
brought to "a dead stop.
No. 522 is also an observation car.
She never pulls anything but her coal
tender, but built right over her boiler,
and extending from Mats cab to just
back of the funnel is "a well-appointed
cab containing leather upholstered
seats for seven. The front and sides OF
this cab are entirely glass save where
the stanchions that uphold the roof are
fitted. As a result any one seated with
in has an unobstructed view of the road
before them and all the scenery on
either side. 1t is in this cab over the
/ I. L.. Il; III i.ia l., do hni
, Choking over the road" Not the di-
rectors, but the practical railroad men
who can run along at a forty-five mile
gait and see everything that relates to
track, ties or road-bed just as clearly
as though they We're on foot and armed
with forty-fve-horse power micro
scope.
On the morning in question Nat was
going to take a run up the road. 1t is
one of his pet practices TO speak of 522
and himself as though the combination
was going to attend TO all business on
such trip, but for all that there is no
more level-headed. sensible engineer
than this same Nat Sawyer, with his
grizzly beard and a strained look in his
eyes, just as though he expected every
minute to see heavy train come slap
into his pet engine. He doesn't expect
any such thing, tor he has never had
an accident in all his life and never eX-
poets TO. just as the little clock in the
observation car showed 40 heavy
built, kindly-faced man climbed into
the car and said You can let her 90,
Nat" 1t was William Buchanan, SUI
perintendent of motive power and roll
ing stock. The World reporter, who
had previously taken his seat, by the
kind permission Of Mr.. Voorhees,, was
pleasantly greeted, and 522 jumped
along at the rate OF about forty miles
an hour on her way TO Albany. At
Spuyten Duyvil Mr.. Theodore Voorhees,
was taken on. Mr.. Voorhees, is the as
sistant general superintendent and one
of the busiest as well as one of the most
popular officials on the New York Cen
trail road.
After pleasant chat with the officials
the World man climbed back into the
cab proper with Nat. The old engineer
is character. and as he stands with
one hand on the lever peering intently
through his window. he does quite bill
of shrewd philosophizing on his own
account. As rule, no one ever occu-
pies his cab save himself, and Mr..
Chauncey Depew TO sit on the little
leather-covered shelf across the boiler
from Nat, the ever-watchful old fellow
might talk TO the genial president, but
he wouldn't take his eyes away from
the bright lines of rail that stretch out
before him and seem TO come together
in the distance. Every now and then
a limited express or mail train would
appear in the distance. and before one
well appreciated the tact OF its motion
would rush past with that peculiar
clang of the bell that seems like the
ghost of sound, so quickly does il
vanish. Whenever a train passes rap
idly the dust and small gravel would
hurl itself against the glass windows
of Mats cab as it was picked up and
carried along by the powerful draught
caused by the train going in the oppo-
site direction.
As the special rushed through Old
Spring station rather disconsolate
coach dog stood on the track. Nat
grabbed his whistle lever and perform
ed a brilliantly executed staccato move
ment. The dog listened attentively,
but didn't move. The car was jumping
about forty feet every second, and the
dog wasn't more than hundred yards
away. Mats brazen whistle footed
again, and just as everybody was pre-
pared TO see that dog literally distribute
ed over the immediate scenery, he gave
a little skip and sat down not more
than four feet from the track, and
tried to look rs though he had seen the
engine all the time and was only fool
ing with Nat.
The incident didn't trouble Nat, who
remarked
Ibid yer see the dog?" Yes" was
the reply.
Well. that's an old railraod dog. He
does that sort Of thing every day. You
couldn't hit that dog with an engine if
you tried. He's too smart. ! thought
he was gone this time. He never tried
the trick with me before, bat I've heard
of him from other engine men. When
saw him skip off and sit down by the
track remembered him.
All this time Nat was looking straight
oh hut nf fan