The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-13
OLD TINE RATLR0ADING.
j. ANNOY KNOX TELLS OF EARLY
DAYS OF THE TEXAS CENTRAL.

Through Being Jolted While Travel
ing on the Road-A Model Claim
Agent-How a Bargain Was Made.
From the Philadelphia Press.
The Texas Central is now one of the great
railroads of the country, but, when l first
knew it, it ran only from Houston to Bryan,
and had no railroad connections beyond the
latter place. The rails were of iron, and
the road, having been cheaply made and
rapidly constructed, was as dangerous to
ride on as to sit on a bucking cayuse with
burrs under the saddle. The ties had been
scattered ON the prairie, and, after being
arranged in as near to a straight line as the
eye Of an inebriated Irishman could focus,
the rails were spiked to them in about the
same haphazard manner. AS consequence,
the rails spread and twisted here and there,
and wrecks and accidents we're so frequent
that the road was known locally as THE
Angel Maker"
The Houston Post on one occasion said /:
AT meeting Of the stockholders Of the
Central railroad yesterday IL was decided
that, owing to the number OF COWS and other
persons recently killed and MANNED on the
road, and the consequent damages to be paid,
u luTb ueI issue OF DDuUS Is necessary.
Talk about taking your life In your
hands, why, you could.not have even that
satisfaction il you made "a trip over the
Central in those days. Your life was in the
hands of a corporation that considered 1t
cheaper to give your widow a check than to
straighten out rails or pound ballast be-
tween the ties, and you were in blessed luck
if your trip resulted in the possession of a
wooden log instead of a golden harp.
A DRUMMER's EXPERIENCE.
1t was on this road that the northern
drummer, new to our crude railroad
methods, had an experience one night that
tinged his hair with gray and gave him a
SHUTTER in his speech that he has never since
got rid Of. He was attempting to talk to a
man who was trying to sit in the same seat,
but the drummer had to mold on to the iron
arms OF the seat with both hands, and the
jar and Jolt of the car, as it jumped from
rail to rail and swayed from side TO side,
jolted the words out of him in syllables and
made him permanent sufferer. He was
like the old woman who was behind run
away team and who Trusted In Providence
till the Dritchen broke, for he ceased to trust
inanything and gave up all hope wnen he was
thrown across the car and was then slammed
back again as the car began bounding over
the ties. He was about to throw himself
out of the window when the train began to
run along in ii Comparatively smooth man
ner and he settled back in his seat, and hope
once more took the place of despair. After
awhile, as the conductor passed through the
car the drummer said: "We've struck a
p-p-piece of goo-goo-good track now,
con-duc-duc-torP'
"Track - Why, man, we've been off
the track for the last ten minutes and we
are now running across the prairie by the
compass"
"a BEASTLY IDEA"
There was bright and shining new ak
strapped against the end Of each car. and
over it was printed:
ITO BE USED ONLY IN CASE OF ACCIDENT
what do you do with the AK in case of
accidentN said an English tenderfoot to the
brakeman.
Don't you know" said the brakemen,
that when q man Is killed in q wreck the
road seldom has TO pay his widow more
than 81, 900 or $1,000; but if he has only
leg or arm cut off ne is right on deck to
fight his own case He gets the sympathy
of the jury every clatter and IA verdict for
80, 900 or more. o, it pays to use the ak in
case of accident. Now, FIR instance, if we
was to tumble down an embankment, as we
are liable to do any minute, and you was to
loss a couple of legs or SO, it would be my
duty to take that ak and haste the life out
of you. tell you it pays the road to have
them axes used in case Of accident, and
don't fail to let that fact percolate through
your British intellect"
Dear me, just fawncy. What a be astly
ideal"
HOW A BARGAIN WAS MADE.
One train used to go up on the Central
and one come down daily. AS the road did
not have to connect with any other road.
there was an absence of haste that was de-
lightful and an irregularity in the matter of
schedule time that would have done credit
TO a Waterbury watch.
Once | saw the conductor stop the train
at crossing and wait till an old former in
wagon came up.
Morn John" said the conductor,
"Howdy, Cap'W
WHATS eggs"
Fifteen"
How many you gotT
"Ten dozen"
"Give you twelve and half.T
won't take it.n
"All aboard, go ahead"
Then the train, as if disappointed in not
getting a longer rest, strained and groaned
and pulled and slowly started. When about
100 yards from the old man, he arose in the
wagon, waved his arms and yelled, "Hi
Capt. I'll take itn The conductor yelled
back "All right" signaled down brakes, and
the train stopped. The old man drove
alongside and counted into the conductors
basket, three at time, ten dozen eggs, and
we proceeded on our journey.
AMoDEL CLAIM AGENT,
Maj Wyckoff was the claim agent of the
Central road. 1t was his duty to settle
claims made against the railroad company
by those who had suffered loss by any act
OF the company or its servants. Sometimes
the train would put on burst of speed that
would enable it to overtake an So COW that
was going hellekesplit down the road. Then
across the peaceful landscape would be scat
tered rib roast, porterhouse steaks and
other component parts of an ordinary Texas
menu
AS soon as the owner could find Mai.
WyckoR, he tried to persuade him that the
COW, being Of the imported Brahama Pootra
breed and having been for years the close
Of his departed wife and the
playmate Of his orphan child, was in life
worth to him 500 This amount he de-
generously waving his right to
the much larger sum that represented the
extent of the damage done to his nervous
system through the shock occrsioned by the
news of her sudden demise.
1t was the majors duty to persuade the
owner of the deceased that the COW was
worth only IS. / have heard him put the
case to the claimant in this way:
Suppose we grant that the COW was
worth $50 when alive. 1t is not a live COW
you want us to pay for. Until the COW was