The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-22
WITH THE SPECIALS.
Graphic Incidents in Connection With
Special Trains.
Breaking Fast Time Records - En-
gineers and Firemsn With an Abund-
ance of Nerve-one Sad Failure.
From the Washington Star.

ance of Nerve-One Sad Failure.
From the Washington Star.
oOf course, don't mean TO detract from
the merits of that run" said gentleman
from Philadelphia, nodding to an Even
ing Star reporter, ''buG we frequently
make time equally as fast as that when
we strike good sections of the road and
tbe engineer can let his locomotive spread
itself. have been out on special trains
that have made time that would make
vour ewes open wide with establishment,
but it has frequently happened that our
Advertising agent was not along and the
world at large heard nothing of the per-
Torrance.
DEE DISMAL FAILURE.
"About the most dismal failure that I
ran recall in the way of a special train
continued the man from the quiet city,
twas started from New York about 1877,
think. At that time there was consid-
cradle speculation as to how far a train
could be run without stopping for coal or
water. The tanks holding water in the
center of the tracks had proven great
success, and the matter of stopping for
water had been done away with. This
permitted a run of a hundred miles con-
tinuously, but then came the change of
engine and crews. Several of the bright
Young men of our road, and we had a
few, put their heads together in that
wear and determined TO try and make
continuous run from New York to Pitts
burg. An extra large tender was pro-
vided, and the car next to it was loaded
with coal Gum tubing was run from the
floor of the cars TO the axe boxes, carry
ing oil and other little contrivAnces, pro-
vided to lessen the chances of a stop as
much as possible.
Everything looked lovely for the run
on the morning that the train started out
for Jersey City, and as ] saw the engl-
neer oiling up the finest locomotive our
company owned l knew he would do his
part to make it success, The plan was
TO have an engineer go to the end of the
division he was familiar with, drop of,
and an engineer that knew the division
they were entering thoroughly to take
charge. Everything passed OF smoothly
on the New York division, and the time
made was something remarkable. AS we
passed through Philadelphia the wealth
er-beaten engineer left US and the new
man grasped the throttle for his race
against time to Harrisburg, the other
terminus of the division,
Out near Bryn Mawr. pretty suburb
of Philadelphia. our special was simply
SCATTERING space. Something got wrong
with the oil tube running to the axle box
on one of the cars, and Charles Douglas,
one of the brightest young men then in
the employ of our company, grasped the
handle alongside the steps, and, leaning
far over, endeavored to repair the break
At the moment he was deeply engrossed
over his work, the train dashed around a
slight curve, and the next instant poor
Douglas forehead came in contact with
a milk stand alongside the track. He
never knew what struck him, as his
death was instantaneous. AS his
body rolled from the steps | pulled
the bell cord, and after running quarter
of a mile the train was stopped and
backed up to where the body lay. Every
body knew Douglas, and it took the
neart out Of every one on the train. The
object of the special was lost, as stop
had been made, but for the rest OF the
run the different engineers made records
that stood for several years. That was
the most dismal failure of a special train
that has ever come to my notice, and to
this day the experiment has not been re-
peated."
DURING THE RAILROAD RIOTS.
Chow about the time made by the spe-
cial train conveying troops to Pittsburg
during the railroads riots of '772" in
qured one of the group.
well, that train was started with the
idea of making good time,n replied the
first speaker, "hut it was about the slow
est special that has ever gone over our
road AT every stop the train made
striker seemed to alight on it like fly
out of the air, and, as result, If we re-
sUmed the journey inside of an hour we
considered ourselves lucky, Coupling
Fl pins would be pulled out and thrown
away, air-brake pipes tempered with, and
up on the middle division they even had
the nerve 10 kill our engine.
Il have forgotten the generals name
who had charge of the state militia on
the train, but toward the end of the Jour-
&M new he was SimDlV fT0tli0p a the month
through anger AT Altoona the strikers
took four engines away from US as fast as
we coupled them up, and the last one we
e managed to. get hold OF we had TO march
81 to The round house with 100 militiamen,
and take it out l think that trip took
about twenty hours TO accomplish while
under ordinary circumstances the dis
lance is COZ cred in nine hours"
! can recall a run made by special
train about four years ago. said mem
Der OF the group, whose road winds in
and outof the Lehigh coal region, that
comes into my mind without the least
trouble TO my thinking apparatus. The
special consisted OF an en- CINE and two
cars, aud the distance cogured was only
seven miles, but, although no record Of
the time made was kept, am positive it
was record breaker Tor the distance.
RUNNING FROM COAL CARS.
I'VE had been up in the mining region
Inspecting the road and were returning
down the hill at an easy pace. AS we
neared a little telegraph once stuck in
me SIDE of the mountain, our engineer
observed the young operator running
toward him like a wild man. The en-
glneer lost no time in pulling up to meet
nm, and was more than frightened
when he called out:
The strikers up the hill have sent
down two loaded coal cars after you; pull
out for Sideil for your life'
'Sldell was seven miles away, and was
.he nearest siding, and away we Jew. If
Ihe worst came we knew we could Jump
ana save our lives, but the engineer was
Irue-olue, and told him to try and save
me engine and cars. And he tried. He
simply pulled the throttle wide open, and
diOer we had made tremendous start he
cloSed her up, and we drlfted down the
mountain likeIhe wind. When we started
Of Sldell we had about half a mile start
ol those two cars, and l don't believe
Luey gained fooJ on us. / was on the
Polnt OF crying out couple of times for
we engine r TO reverse the lever and put
VI Ine air brakes so we could Jump, as at
very curve thought we would leave the
aaLsa but as he and his fireman stuck