Evening star., 1896-07-02
BOOTHBY'S FAMOUS RACE.
His Adversary Pushed Along by mn
Earthquake.

His Adversary Pushed Along by an
Earthquake.
From the Chicago News.
Boothby told US another story about
phenomenal natural disturbance. He said
he felt tender about it because he had fig
ured prominently in it himself. The story
concerned habit engineers on the Van
dalia and the Ohio and Mississippi roads
had of racing. Just east of East St. Louis
is the crossing of belt railroad, and
from there OIL to the bluffs, seven miles
away. is straight streak Of parallel track.
AS the outgoing passenger trains all leave
East st. Louis at about the same time il
was tie regular thing for Ohio and Missis-
sippi and Van engineers to hammer for
their lives over these seven miles, while
the passengers yelled defiance at one an
other aid whooped and got excited. The
Ohio and Mississippi had one engine, the
90, which was able to walk away from
everything ever put up against her. She
had Inundated all the Van engineers. ex-
cepting Boothby. and he fairly ached to get
at her. One day, just as he had whistled
for the crossing, he heard another whistle.
and. looking over, saw the Ohio and Mis-
siSsippi train abreast The engines num-
Der was 60.
Boothby Strengthened up for the race of
his life. Tenderly, notch by notch, he
opened the throttle while the fireman kept
the old kettle just off the popping point.
Over the belt tracks they went, the 6U
alongside. To his joy. Boothby saw he was
iEching away from his opponent Like a
statue he sat, coddiing the machine, and
at the first mile he was two coach-lengths
to the good His passengers were Shrek
ing their joy. while those on the O. and NJ
were dumb. The o. and NJ crew, too, SEEM
ed aStonished, and gathered on the plat
forms to look over at the Vans new racer.
1t was Boothby's race in a walk.
suddenly the Van engineer saw some
thing was happening. Looking over his
shoulder. he found the O. and NJ train
only half a car-length back and surging
along like lightning. 1t scared him, and he
pulled her still wider open. Then did that
noble 1S2 engine respond. She leaped
through the air. hardly seeming to touo h
the rails. Right at her shoulder was the
20. Boothby gave her more. They were
both going within mile a minute. Booth
by said he never saw locomotive go Ike
that 6O, but he knew his machine was as
good as the best. They plunged forward
more furiously than the wini. Three miles,
four, five, and then-oh. joy!-the 90 began
to fall back. At the sixth mile she was
two coach-lengths behind, and as the trains
swept away from each other at the base of
the bluffs the o. and NJ. was three train
lengths off to the rear.
At Collinsyille Hank Hibbard, white-faced,
came rushing up to the 81 as she lay un-
der the water tank getting water.
Great heavens, Boothby!" cried the con-
ductor, do you know what you've been
running against?''
The o. and Ms hottest stuff, and
&C oled it for en-
Yes, you ha -e. You've been running
against an earthquake. That o. and NJ.
train way picked up by 1t just out Of town.
hill twenty feet high followed her last
Pullman and she was running downhill
the entire way. being pushed forward all
the distance
Say, Hank said Boothby did that
earthquake help us any?'
''Nn. Of II oil
the time
Boothby climbed back on his box and
Hibbard returned to the train. But al
though Bootkby's achievement brought
glory to his round house. he would never
race again. He said he didn't mind whip
ping an ordinary engine run by ordinary
steam, but he didn't want to combat with
thing that laid up" with devils and was
in league with cyclone, storm and earth
quake.
These are the two Instructive stories told
by Engineer Boothby to David Lawrence
and mysef-two trusting cyclists who stop
ped to rest with him.