Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-01-22


to run It in one hour and twenty min
utes. There were to be three slow ups,
and one dead stop at a drawer. That
would give me most Of the miles to do
in sixty seconds. We often do that for
q mile or two. Every fast train does
every day. But seventy-four such miles
are mighty trying on a machine. now
/ tell you, before you get through; and
right on to the end you don't know what
minute the poor old creature may break
her heart on you. looked the Saga
more over as took her out of the shop.
always do that with my own eyes, but
if had known what we were to try on
I'd given those connecting rods more at
tention. We used to wedge them on the
wheels; you have seen the steel keys.
Nowadays they are fastened so the men
can't wedge them too tight. 1t is this
new way of fastening that causes the
ringing noise that you now hear as the
big drivewheels pass you. Did you
never notice?
"Well, soon began to feel of her
wind. She was not long in making that
fireman's box too uneasy for my general
manager. He danced like toy man.
Then he closed the window ahead. Then
he shut the one at the side and braced
his legs. Then he left the windows alone,
though they ratified open, and he lost his
hat, 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, anyway, so it was put into the
toolchest. Now we were just flying. !
never took my eyes off the iron, but out
of the corners of my eyes saw how dis
tressed he was. He undertook to holler
something, 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 go
ing SO well that was afterward told the
paymaster's car, which we were pulling
home, could not keep the dinner dishes
on the table. No, sir! Twice, going
round 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 spilled?"
81 should have thought your con-
ductor might havo interfered," sug-
gested.
81 expected he would" was the reply.
"But as time went on, and our rate grew
simply fearful on the passengers, l knew
well enough the conductor had been
scolded as well as tho rest of US. No; he
told me afterward that he simply sat
down and said his prayers. But to go
on; saw that we had made up twenty
eight minutes, then thirty, then thirty
three-being only seven minutes behind.
But there we hung. She could not in
crease her lead, do my best.
II knew then that we should soon be-
gin to lose them, for she was heating.
Whether the boxes were Juggling on the
cars or engine could not be sure.
Then, too, it might have been the curves,
at all events we were Juggling and losing.
We fell off, / calculated, some five min
utes, when we struck the tunnel. Il
was a heavy rail and a 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 any
thing but signals The Sycamore an
swered me for just one plunge. But
the next instant-crash! God help me!
The whole side of the cab was flying in
splinters. knew what that meant. I
jumped from my seat in front of the fire
box. There, under my seat, was the
general manager He had been merci-
fully knocked in instead of out, but he
was senseless. My drivers held their rod
yet, but knew the strain could not last
long without swapping that rod, too,
as I could not find the throttle to
shut her off. It was SO queer about
that throttle. Iturned round and round,
trying to find it; I kept turning to the
left. I Thought had an extra eye just
over my ear, and my other two eyes
were blind. That new eye showed me a
beautiful clear light, but not the throt-
tie. Round and round that fearful steel
hammer, the broken rod, kept crashing
and tearing out the shreds of the cab on
that side. Then the other one twisted,
which threw old Sycamore plump into
the granite wall. We were all piled rp
there, dark as pitch all about, and finally
still. Now, the curious thing about 1t
all is that with my new eye over my ear
I actually read the time by my watch,
and we were only seven minutes late.
Yes, sir, we had made up thirty-three
minutes in the seventy y-four miles, slow
ups and stops included, and a minute
more would have brought Us to the sta
ton. just yelle1, How's that, OLD
English? and my new eye seemed to 60
out in darkness"
The new eye was the result Of fear.
full cash on the side of the head, from
the effects of which the poor man lin.
gered ON the borders of death for weeks
That postponed the wedding. The pecul.
lar effect of that blow on the head the
writer cannot explain, but the fact that
he read his watch correctly is substan
tiated by the conductor of the train, oi
whom I asked my information.
"Were there many injured" I added
in the pause that followed his conclusion
"Don't ask me-yes. Thank God, Tn
alive! Now, Mollie," addressing hi
wife. who just entered. "rve told thai
story for the last time, except in my
prayers. EMORY J. Haynes in New
York Ledger.