The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-12-10

you la,ow. And he climbed up,
rolling II cigarette and lighting it
with 2 funny kind of foreign
machine in his hand.
81 started her easy, felt my cars
all get hold 1t was before the
days Of solid trains and couplers.
We had u run of seventy four miles
schedule time two hours was
to run it in one hour and twenty
minutes. There were to be three
slow ups and one dead halt at a
drawer That would give me most
of the miles in about sixty seconds.
/ Often do that for mile or two:
every fast train does every day.
But seventy four such miles are
mighty trying on a machine, and
nigh on TO the end you don't know
what minute the poor old creature
may 1sssa.s I,or laeart. ON ye.s.s-.:..
81 looked the Sycamore over as l
took her out o. the shop-I always
do that with my own eyes; but ii l
had known what we were TO try on,
I'd given those connecting rods
more attention. We used TO wedge
them on the wheels; you have seen
the steel keys? Nova days they
aie fastened iu the shops so the men
can't wedge them too tight, every
station or two. 1t is this new way
of fastening that causes the ringing
noise that you now hear as the big
drive. wheels pass you. Did you
never notice2
"Well, i soon began 10 feel of her
wind. She was not long in making
that firemen's box too uneasy for
my general manager. lie danced
like n toy man. Then he closed the
window ahead. Then lie shut the
one Mt his side, and braced his legs.
TheI he let the windows alone,
though they ratified open, and he
lost his lat which the fireman
caught on the baggage car brake;
but Mr.. Manager could not let go
his clutch on the seat to replace his
hat. The hat was all coal dust, any
way, so it was put into the tool
chest. Now we were just flying. /
never took my eyes off the iron, but
out of the corners of my eyes saw
how distressed hc was.
"Hc under, ook 10 holler some.
thing, but / paid no attention. The
fireman showed in the sprinklings
fine; he knew exactly how. Firing
is half the battle in big run.
Well, we. were going so well that /
was afterwards told the paymastcr's
car, which We were pulling home,
could not keep the dinner dishes on
the table! No, sir! Twice, going
around curves, every dish the boys
had was swept ON the floor. If we
had had dining cars in those days,
wouldn't the soup have been spilled?
81 should have thought your CON
ductor might Lave intcrfered," /
suggested.
81 expected he would" was the
reply. "But as time went on, and
our rate grew simply fearful on the
passengers, knew well enough the
conductor had been scoldcd as well
as the rest. No; he told me after
ward that lie simply SAT down and
said his prayers. But to go on; ]
saw that we had made up twenty
eight minutes, then thirty, then
thirty-thrce-being only seven min
utes behind. But there we hung.
She could not increase her lead, do
my best.
81 knew then that VIC should soon
begin to lose again, for she was
heating. Whether tho boxes were
lngging on the cars or engine j
could not be sure. Then, too, 1t
might have been the curves; at all
events wo wore Juggling and losing.
We fell off calculated some five
minutes, when we struck the tunnel.
1t was a heavy rail and straight
track there and | pulled her clean
out for one more squirt, live or die,
as we dashed into the steam and
darkness of that long hole. In
there you can't see anything but
signals. The Sycamore answered
me for just one plunge. But the
next instant, crashl God help mel
The whole side of the cab was flying
in splinters. / knew what that
meant. Jumped from my seat in
front of the fire box.
"There, under my seat, was the
general manager. He had been
mercifully knocked in instead of
out, but he was senseless. Ny dri-
vers held their rod yet, but / knew
the strain could not last long with