Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1896-04-25

that Swipes could not keep track Of
them, 80 we abandoned the attempt u
count them and took only the stations,
as we had record of the distance be-
tween them. / saw now by making q
calculation between two stations that
we were going at the rate of 160.45 all
hour, and my hair would have stood on
end were ii not for the fact that IL was
standing straight out behind. The
oscillation was somewhat dreadful, and
once realized with horror as we swung
around curve that all four wheels
were off the track, and that we were
flying in mid-air; luckily, however, the
wheels came down on the rails and all
was well once more. BY this time the
stations passed us in one continuous
streak, as If we were running through
the suburbs of a big city, and l was won
dering all the time when we would come
to the town, but finally realized that
it was impossible to keep time with my
excellent watch, and so we would have
to lump the thing by calculating how
long it took us to come from London to
Glasgow. The lid of my watch, which
/ now inadvertently exposed to tho
breeze, snapped and blew away, and
saw that the gold of the hunting case
was beginning to flake off, SO put it
in my pocket to save the rest of it. I
knew it was not yet two hours since we
left London, and TO my amazement
spied the spires of Glasgow. recog.
nized the place because was born there.
"That can't be Glasgow" l shouted
to Swipes. IF it is we have travelled
something like 200 miles in an hour,
and the Lord only knows what speed
we attained in making up for the time
when we were crawling on at 10 and
80"
That's Glasgow all right enough"
said Swipes. Then he yelled to Peter:
"For heavens sake, shut off steam!
Don't you see where we are?"
But Peter was struggling with his
engine, and all at once he yelled back
at us:
II can't stop her, sir!"
Heavens and EARTH" said I. "What
is to be done?"
81 don't KNOW" said Swipes. "It's
my own fault told Peter in the hear
ing of the engine, and she is one of the
cutest engines on the road, that we
were bound to break the American
record, which is $40 miles. You see, it's
only 401.5 miles to Glasgow, and I'll bet
you that brute is bound to do the other
100 miles tonight, even if she has to do
it on the highway. The railway stops
at Glasgow, and l don't know what's
going to happen"
AS he concluded the sentence there
was crash and bang, and the next
moment we were in the principal street
of Glasgow tearing along the rails of
the street car line. Luckily, the same
law being in force as was in London,
nobody was out on the streets, and so
we went at the rate of S4.75 miles an
hour up the main thoroughfare of Glas-
gov and finally struck the north road
for the Highlands. Peter was strug-
Cling all the time with his engine, but
could not make any progress in his en-
deavor to stop her.
When we got about so miles on the
main road frem Glasgow, sometimes
slowing down to 63 miles an hour, on
the hills, Peter with white face turned
toward us and shouting:
"My God, sir, we're on the Craigneput-
toch Loeb road, and the Craigneputtoch
Loeb is at the end of it about so miles
ahead"
"How far is it from London?" yelled
Swipes, putting his hands beside his
mouth TO make the sound carry.
"The middle of Craigneputtoch Loeb
is just $40 miles from London, and it is
over 1000 feet deep in the middle"
shouted Peter.
There's where she's making for"
cried Swipes, unbuckling the straps and
clinging to the stool.
The hills now rose grandly around us
in The darkness and we saw the black
water of the loch.
Jump, Peter, jump!" cried Swipes,
as he threw off the straps.
Peter did so, and I cut the strap that
held me. Instantly we were all-Peter,
the stoker, Swipes and myself-lying
on the hillside on the heather. The
doomed train had plunged right into
the center of the lake. 1t had COM
pleted it's 510-mile race and used up the
fraction by sinking 1000 feet to the
bottom.
Luckily, none Of us were hurt in the
slightest, with the exception that
Swipes sustained a compound fracture
of the thigh, Peter had both arms bro
ken, Jones had all his ribs and one ankle
smashed, while l had my veracity
sprained so badly that no one has ever
been able to believe word have ut
tered since.-Detroit Free Press.