Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1890-01-08
NOTES FROM THE RAIL.
Belated Trains-The "Flyers" and the
Danger OF Running Them-Dare.
Devil Throttle- Pullers-Etc.


January l, 1890.
All the through trains are still from
six to ten hours behind time, and
some Of the way trains have been
abandoned. 1t is impossible for
passenger trains to make time in
weather, as they are scheduled
up to very near the limit of possible
speed. The express trains run 80
miles an hour, including stoppages;
but in order to keep up that average
they frequently run 40 and so miles
an hour, and especially in fair
weather, and when behind time.
The "Flycrs" must average As
miles; hut to do this they are fire.
quently run At 70 miles an hour.
This would be unextraordinary speed
on the 6ne tracked, rock
ballasted, closely patrolIed roads Of
England, or, even, on tho Ere, the
New York or the Pennsylvania Cen.
trail, which are not patrolled though
double tracked and ballasted; but On
the rough, single-,racked aud un-
bsllasted Union Pacific and Oregon
Short Line, it is simply terrific. A
lady who crossed the continent on
the Flyer couple of weeks ago tells
me that she was tossed about, in her
Pullman berth, as If she had at.
tempted to walk the deck Of sailing
vessel At sea during a storm. She
could not sleep q wink at night, nor
take the least comfort during the day,
as she was in constant apprehension
lest the swinging sleeper be hurled
from the track She is returning to
Chicago on the express, and says that
she will never take the Flyer if she
should eyer he compelled to recross
the continent
The Short Line engineers who run
the Flyers are said to be very sick Of
the Job. When the train was put on
the worst dare devils among the en-.
gineers we're selected to "drive" it.
Ned Purtell was the worst OF these,
being considered even more reckless
shan Mr.. Coolidge, the engineer of
the Wood River train, who is reported
to have once flown down the Mont
pelier grade with Superintendent
car, at the incredible rate Of NINETY
MILES AN HOUR. Well, last week,
Ned Purtell walked into the Superin.
,endent's Office at Pocatello, and
asked to be transferred to yard en-
CINE! Switching is the least desir-
able job that a locomotive engineer
can have; it does not pay half rs we'll
as running the Flyer; but Mr.. Pur.ell
preferred anything, almost, to the job
he had. Charley Aikens, of Glenn's
Ferry, is also another dare devil. He
is absolutely Indifferent to fear. II
he WAS ordered to run his LOGON olive
up the side of HALEY Hill or across
Shoshone Falls, he would probably
give the usual answer: "All right
mount his cab, brace himself, yank
the throttle wide open, crowd on al
steam, and ''lift 'er from the track
without even u thought of the un'
avoilable result Well, he is some
what sick OF it, too, although he is mol
speaking Of quitting.
The fact is that greater nerve thar
that displayed by these engineers
cannot exist. Getting up at all hours
OF the night, half asleep, shiverine
with cold, they start out i'll all sorts
of weather, never able to see 200 fee
ahead of their light, knowing tina
they are entirely at the mercy of th'
elements and OF every tramp or evil
disposed person. If they should b.
able to catch sight OF a broken {
spreading rail, a misplaced switch,
rotten tie. a washout, a train, or an
other of the thousand. and. one OF
structions so prolific of disaster It
life and limb on railways, they coul'
not even slow up, let alone reverse il
time to escape death in one of many O
the most horrible forms. The sixty
mile run between Shoshons AM
i. Glenn's Ferry is especially danger
Gus, as the road is soft, siding, an
liable to frequent wsshouts. On thi
road the engineers connot even keeI