Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-04-10
A PIANO SOLO.
Impression Upon "Zee" McMa-
hon.
HEARD 1T AT DIES MONIES

The New Bridge This Years C.,R Lap.
Freight Traffic Across the Government
Eridge-Generai Railroad Notes.
81 was in Des Moines one night
last week." said Zee Mcmahon to an
ARGUS representative one evening.
land rs | had nothing to do in par
ticnlar dropped into concert hall
and heard sleek Frenchman play a
piano in way that made me feel all
over in spots. AS soon as saw him
sit down, | felt sure he knew his bus
mess aud understood the machine he
was running. He tapped the KEYS
away up one end just as if they were
gauges and he wanted to see if he
had water enough. Then he looked
up as if to see how much steam he
was carrying, and the next minute
he pulled open the throttle and
sailed on to the main line as if he was
half an hour late. You could hear
her thunder over culverts and
bridges and getting sfaster and faster
until the fellow rocked about in his
seat like a cradle Somehow I
thought it was the old .159' pulling
through stock and getting out of
the way of special. He worked the
keys on the middle division like
lightning, and then he flew along the
north end OF the line until the driv-
ers went around like a buzZ-saw and
| got excited"
About the time | was fixing TO
tell HIM to cut her OF a little he
kicked the hampers under the ma
chine wide open, pulled the throttle
way back in the lender, and how he
did run. i couldn't stand il any
longer and yelled to him that he was
pounding on the left side. and he
wasn't careful he'd drop his ash pan.
But he didn't hear me. No one
heard me. Everything was flvinr
and whizzing. Telegraph poles on
the side of the track looked like a
row OF corn stalks, the trees appeared
to be mud bank, and all the time
the exhaust of the old machine
sounded like the hum of a bum BILE
bee.
Il tried to veil. but my tongue
wouldn't move. He went around
curves like bullet, slipped an &C.
centric. blew of his soft plug. went
down grades 80 feet to the mile. and
not brake was set. He ran past the
meeting point n mile a minute and |
knew then the game was up. Nv
hair stood straight up, and my man
" brow was moistcned, for dead
ahead | saw the headlight of the
special. | shut my eyes and then
heard the crash rs they struck. and
saw the ears all tciescopcd. and
mangled and bleeding men and wo-
men. / heard another crash As
heard that Frenchman hit the deep
keys way down on the southern di-
vision. and then | came to my senses.
Well, there he was at dead stand
still with the door of the fire box of
the machine wide open and wiping
the perspiration off his face and bow
| ing to the people around him.
And if / live to be 100 years old,
boys" said Zee. as he neared the
close. IN never forget the ride that
Frenchman gave me on a piano. ="
And then Jack" Greehy and Mart
Cavanaugh pulled hemselves to-
ge:her and looked so funny at Zee
that he left them Disguised.
The New Bridge.
The new double track bridge will
be completed inside OF b days, and
preparations are being made for the
inauguration of the "block" system
of running trains across the bridge.
The track is being laid with new So
pound steel rails, and will be, when
completed. the finest piece of work
anywhere along the road.
Records of the freight handled on
the government bridge, both east and
west. for the year ending April 1.show
that on an average 700 cars day
have been handled. And this
coupled with the interchange bust
ness makes an average of over 900
ears daily. Never in the history o f
the road said an employe OF the
road to an ARGUS representative.
has so much dressed meat been
handled as within the past year"
Round Among the Boys.
The c., X. /. q p. tracks in the
Rock Island yards are being resur-
faced.
The SIS, of the Il. l. & p. Al
Kough's engine. is out of the
Chicago shops.
f. W. Birchett. general agent of
the NJ. & 0. at st. Louis, was in Rock
Island Thursday.
j. b. Cults, general passenger
agent of the NJ. d st. L., was a caller
in Rock Island last week.
G. S. Lafollette. travelling passen-
ger agent of the Big Four at Peoria.
was in Rock Island Friday.
f. Il. Ashcraft. general agent OF
the Cotton Belt at st. Louis, was in
Rock Island the past week.
The results of the Investigation in
the Moline wreck Tuesday evening
have not as yet been made public.
The POS and 209, of the southwest
division. have passed through Rock
| al, hi -