The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-26
ANTICS OF AN ENGINE.
Proof that q Locomotive Can De a
Contrary ms a Human Being.

TTOOI tnGt Locomotive San DC ~
Contrary ms n Human Being.
Buffalo Express.
There is one thing about locomotive No.
692 that none of her sisters possesses. 1t rs
her record. 1t is a great one, and L Will
give 1t as near as possible in the words OF
conductor Martin, who is running behind
Engine No. COZ is fractions girl at
times" said the conductor. She some
what resembles drunken man in her ca
pers. for when you think you have got her
you haven't, for that is the time she Will
kick UP. her heels and try to give you the
worst of it.
This engine first distinguished herself
down on the Buffalo and Syracuse branch
of the Central, where she used to run and
where abe cut many capers. One day she
miles an hour There was nothing along
the road to make her spirits quicken. 1t
was as dull and blue day as that on which
Minister West wrote his famous letter:
The old girl wearied Of the monotony, and
all of a sudden began to object to being
stopped and started by engineer Sterritt
just when the fancy struck him. She felt
that she ought to be allowed to go right
along at lively CLIP and not be interfered
with; SO she got her back up, and every
time the engineer pulled the whistle open
she would yell loud enough to be heard In
Buffalo.
This seemed to be fun for her. but it did
not content her. so when Sterritt seem ;S1
Just dropped one of her sidebars on the
track and made a bound ahead. Talking
about lively time, that was one. That
sidebar everiastingly tore up things. 1t cut
the ends off the ties with as much pre-,
cision as a good looking girl cuts bread
with a saw; Fortunately the engineer got
control of her and stopped her before the
cars were derailed, but that job or hers cost
the company nice little sum. all the same
After this prank she was content with
doing her outline work for while, and
she did good work at that, for she Is as
good a runner as there is on the Central:
and she can make records with the best or
them: Still. she painted for something more
Curtis Perry attempted to rob the express
car near Lyons, cd 692 happened to be IN the
pursuit of the robber. 1t was her cab into
which Perry shot, and on her boiler you
can see the imprint of one of the balls. The
old girl did not seem to care much about
the shooting, however, 1t only warmed up
her spirits, and every time the throttle
was touched she would bound ahead like
the wind. She made matters so lively that
Perry gave up the race and took TO the
woods. This gave the old girl name; all
the newspaper men wrote stories about her,
and it turned her head, just as it does the
head Of a bud when the boys write about
her grand entree into society.
The old girl got such a big head after
this that it was no getting along with her.
and every time the engineer attempted to
make her mind she would snort and spit out
steam by the barrel. An attempt was made
to reduce her to submission, during which
she ran into a ultcn Oh one OccdsiOn' d3u
on another kicked two cars off the track,
But she would not be downed on the main
| line, so one day when she came snorting
| into the Buffalo depot the superintendent
| looked at her and swore because she would
| not behave herself. and ordered her to be
| banished. General Agent Edison j. Weeks,
who always has an eye to the interests Of
| the Cataract City, thought that such a
| spirited place ought to have spirited en-
| CINE, so he induced the master mechanic to
| send 692 to this division. David Haley, who
| is little fellow, but mighty big engineer.
| was put in her cab, and he has been her
| master ever since she was put on the Falls
| division Here she does good work, and
thus far has behaved herself"