The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-03-14

ooAio - YEARS ago BaldWlnS" re
ceived an order from a western road
for two locomotives of a peculiar typc.
They were for a narrow-gauge line
which ut that time connected the east
ind the west, and by which the tourist
Travelled across the Rocky mountains.
They were 10 be compact, short, strong
and swift, capable of pulling like n
mule on a heavy grade and running like
Il scared wolf in the valley.
At that time the concern was turn
ing out Il locomotive complete every
Fl hours. Look at the workmen as
they begin to erect the two "Rocka
ways" as they were afterwards called,
probably because they rolled and
rocked when running at a high rate of
speed through the crooked canyons
Of Colorado. On the floor of the shop
are two boilers, two sets of frames.
cylinders. eccentrics-in short, all he
parts of a locomotive in duplicate
and from this heap the helpers bring
on of each of the duplicate parts, and
the marhinists put them together un-
Ill one locomotive is completed AMI!
rolled out to be painted. Out of what
is left the second engine Is made.
Thre is no culling or sorting, and as
the separate parts of each are made by
II and the same pattern, there is no
good reaEon why these two locomo-
tiEes should not ride, run and steam
equally well. When the two engines
were completed, painted and num-
bered, they were loaded onto a stand
I'D gauge fiat car and shipped to the
road for which they were built. When
they arrived and had taken stalls in
the roundhouse at Pueblo, they be
came engines 107 and 100, ard attract.
ed Il great deal of attention from the
.engInemen of the division.
shes a scary lookin' devil" said
Badly FOOten, as nc stood IL front OF
JOT; and she really did look a bit top
heavy with her long legs, short body
and feet" so close together that they
could almost run OF one rail.
Take her, you fellows that are look
lE' for fly runs, l do want her" And
with that Badly walked out of the
roundhOIse and over to the place of
the Triangle and shook the man there
for a cigar.
When the two engines had been
raced around the yards a few days and
'limbereG up" 100 was coupled on TO
the Pacific express one night and i'll
troduced TO the curves and corners of
the Grand canyon. The road Then
was not what it is now. The next
time You so through there, If you sit
OF the rear platform, you will notice
that the crumbling grade that marks
The route of the old narrow-gaugc
crosses the present standard track loo
times in so miles. 1t was SO crooked,
Badly said, that a new I'M was
sure, at some of the corners, to shut of
for his own headlight. However, 10y
held the rail and made n good record;
SO good, indeed, that, Notwithstanding
it was Friday, 1O7 was sent out on
the following night. She left the
house an hour before leaving time, and
it was lucky she did, for she ran off the
track at the water tank and was got
back barely in time to take her train
out.
NO NAN can call me superstitiouS,''
said the engineer. But they amt no
sense in remptin' Providence by takin'
n new engine out on a Friday"
It'll be midnight before you reach
the canyon" said the night loreman,
sand there is no danger this side"
There's danger in bed eff it's down
that way" was the sullen response of
the driver as he backed down and
coupled on to the express.
1t was one of these clear moonlight
nights that make every peak and
pinnacle on the mountain ranges stand
out as clear and distinct against the
cold sky as they do in the daytime;
a moon that shames the headlight, and
shows the twin threads OF steel run
ming away off yonder and meeting and
going on together where the darkness
begins. Being new, with a clean boil
-er, 10Y steamed like a burning house,
and the fireman, not being affected by
the fact of its still being Friday, found
time to hang out the open window and
watch the silvery ripples that were
.romping on the cold, white bosom OF
the winding river along whose banks
the road lay.
Not a word had passed between the
engineer and fireman since they start
ed out, and now they were swinging
round the curves at n good express gait.
The new engine was rocking like a
light boat on a rough sea, but other
We she was riding as easily as n coach.
1t was 11:sO when they passed Good
might, and two minutes later the fire
man was startled by that dleadful word
which almost every fireman has heard
at some time or another: Jump"
1t is as natural for an engineer to
call to his fireman to jump and save
himself-for he is of no use on a loco
motive about to be wrecked-as it is
for the engineer to remain at his post.
Jump shouted the driver, and the
fireman gI8ncing ahead saw a confused
mingling of horns, hoofs and tails be-
:ween him and the track. He jumped
and came down on a bunch of sage
brush amid a shower Of steers, and saw
lO7 leave the track, plow along the
side of the low bank, and finally stop