The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-10-24
A WHIzz|NG FLIGHT.
Special Lake Shore Train Makes
a Record Breaking Trip.
Runs from Chicago to Buffalo
in 40 Minutes.
64.9S MILES AN HOUR.
Including Stops the Average
Time Was $3.50 Miles.
Train Carried Three Wagner
Cars and Mognl Engine.

BUFFALO, Oct. 24-The worlds record
for railroad speed over great distance
was broken today by special train on
the Lake Shore s. Michigan Southern
railroad which ran from One Hundredth
street, Chicago, to Buffalo creek, Buffalo,
distance OF $40 miles in AL minutes
and seconds, an average speed of So. 60
miles an hour This time includes stops.
Exclusive of the stops the run was made
in 40 minutes and 10 seconds, an aver
aye speed of 6498 miles an hour. The
New York's Central's record of Septem-
ber II was average speed of 63. 26 miles
an hour including stops, and 6L26 miles
an hour exclusive of DELAY
The train left Chicago this morning at
3:29:27 Central time) and arrived at Buff
falo Creek at 11:35:34 Four minutes
later the train came to d stop in the Cen
tral station in Buffalo. The train was
made up of three coaches, engine and
tender The coaches were two Wagner
drawing room cars and DR.. Seward
Webb's private car, Ellsmore. the com
bined weight of which is 334, 500 pounds.
The weight of the engine and tender
was $4,000 pounds making the total
weight of the train 4S9, 500 pounds.
Different engines were used on each of
the divisions and the run for the divisions
were: Chicago to Elkhart S7.4 miles in
S5 minutes 26 seconds; Elkhart to Toledo
1884 miles in 124 minutes 30 seconds;
Toledo to Cleveland 1918 miles in 106
minutes seconds; Cleveland to Erie
80 miles III 50 minutes 81 seconds; Erie
to Buffalo Sc miles in 70 minutes 16 sec
onds.
Between Chicago and Elkhart the
train was obliged to slow down for rail
road crossings eight times and to scoop
water once The engine that pulled she
train over this division was 957, Mark
CIoyd, engineer This engine is "a stand
ard Lake Shore passenger engine,
(S-wheeler) built by the Brooks locomo-
tive works ~ Dunkirk, n. Y, and de-
signed by George W. Stevens. superin-
tendent of motive power for the Lake
Shore.
The diameter of her drivers is 72 inch
es: size of cylinders II by "a, weight of
drivers. $1,000 pounds; total weight ex-
elusive of tender, 100000 pounds.
The party consisted of DR.. II. Walter
Webb, third vice president of New York
Central, who on September last low
cred the worlds record that line;
his secretary. Mr.. Leonard, who was the
official time keeper of the run, General
superintendent W. H. Caniff of the Lake
3
agent of the line; E a Handy, chief en-
gineer; Assistant General Superintendent
Blodgett; Mr.. S. P. Gage chief clerk to
the general perintendent, and L. B.
Cook chief clerk to Mr.. Blodgett.
The division superintehdents of the
various divisions accompanied the party
over their respective sections.
Every arrangement had been made to
expedite the run, Switches were spilled,
all trains side tracked for the flyer
The run from Chicago to Cleveland
was made at the rate Of 70.6S miles per
hour which exceeds the New
York Central record of 6326
miles per hour. The east coast
record on the Great Northern road of
England from Kings Cross to Aberdeen,
is 523 miles in 512 minutes, or go. } miles
per hour. The west coast record on the
London and Northwestern. is 04O miles
in 5t2 minutes, or 63.2 miles per hour
ghe run from Chicago to Buffalo was
made for a practical object. 1t was
neither to beat the record of the English
roads, nor to show what absolute speed
could be obtained on the road bed, but
to ascertain at what rate a commercially
paying train could be made to go safely.