St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-06-13
BREAKING A RECORD.
nv ROBERr BARR.

BREAKING A RECORD.
BY ROBERT BARR.
The manager OF the London & Glas-
gov air line railway. Mr.. Swipes, sent
me an invitation marked private" say
ing that he was bound to beat the rec
ord made by the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern railroad now that they had
come out in print about it. He added
that he thought record breaking in the
night time all right enough, if the
record breaker did not say anything
about it in public, but if newspaper ac-
counts were to be written then the
race should be open to outside parties
who might wish to know the time with
out asking q policeman. He added tina.
when tbe>New York Central broke the
Engljsh record they did SO with their
6pire State express, which anyone
could have travelled on who had the
money to pay his fare. This, he
claimed, was the right way of breaking
q record if you are going to write about
it afterward. Nevertheless he was 60
ing to follow the Lake Shore & Michi-
gan Southern fashion, just to see what
his railroad could do, and he invited me,
as person owning an American watch,
to come upon the trip, but begged me
to say nothing whatever about it, for,
he said, instead of breaking the rec
ord, we might perhaps break our necks.
He added that he regretted that he
owned only an old silver turnip Of a
watch himself which wouldn't split the
minutes. let alone the seconds, and 80
he would like to have a really good
watch with which to keep the time.
was to meet him at the London ter
minus of the London & Glasgow air
line at exactly IL, midnight, three
weeks ago. There was some little risk
in going out at that hour, for it is well
known that one of the most obnoxious
and oppressive laws made by Queen Vic
toria herself is that every man in Lon
don must be in his own house at s: 40
O'Clock, and have lights out and be in
bed ut nine. Anyone out after that
hour is liable to arrest, SO stole up and
down through by streets and lodged
the policemen until 1 came to the ter
minus. Here was amazed to find an
immense locomotive and one fiat car,
with two camp stools on it.
'What's this for2' said to Swipes.
'We're going to break the record
with this train," he replied. Il want to
have it as light as possible, for an ordi-
nary carriage meets with such resist
ence in passing SO quickly through the
atmosphere that concluded to take
freight car, and if we have a smash-up
1t won't be SO expensive"
"But you don't expect me to sit on
enc of those stools in the open air from
here to Glasgow cried, aghast.
''Oh. that's all right" he said. 'The
stools are fastened to the floor of the
car, and have shawl straps with which
you can fasten yourself to the stool.
There won't be any trouble on that
score"
"Where are the other fellows?" /
asked.
There aren't any," he answered.
''When you are going to break rec
ord the fewer you have on board the
better; watches differ, and it would bs,
bad II there was quarrel about time;
your watch shall be the only official
time piece in the company; mine, as
think 1 told you in the letter, general
" loses two hours out Of the "A. so I
think we had better not trust to it,
I strapped myself to one stool aud
Swipes strapped himself 10 the other
and at 1915 we pulled out of Maryle-
bone terminus. 1t was agreed that we
were not to begin the record until VIC
had passed Highgate, and were thus
safely out of the influence of London.
The distance from London TO Glas-
gov is 40I.5 miles. We had for engineer
Peter McGump. who was Scotchman,
and therefore knew the road to Glas-
gov well. and Billy Jones, of White
chapel, did the firing. We had no
brakeman. because, as Swipcs said, it
was not on the brakes we were going 70
depend for breaking the record.
The engine was known as the Mary
Jane. and familiar to all the operators
ON the road rs "Her Golden Hair Is
Hangin' Down 'er Back" She gets this
nickname from her great speed, and
from the fact that the smoke with the
sparks in it trails out behind like a
great banner.
After leaving Highgate Peter gave
her more steam. and the speed began to
be something appalling.
'>Oh, it's nothing to what wen have
by and BY" said Swipes, as he watched
me making an Intellectual grab at my
hat, which disappeared in the darkness.
Swipes counted the mile-stones while
/ ticked OF the seconds ON INV watch.
and before long we were going 20 miles
IN hour. We had the advantage over
tho American road in the fact that
there are rarely any level road cross
ings in England. and that one rail-
way 10 never allowed to cross another
ON the level. by the time we passed
Hole We were doing IS
miles an hour. but a the Lake Shore
ttain has attained speed Of cas-,
Dlkipes yelled to Peter - well as he
se6njd 10 give her more speed, because
n she didn't put In her best liclzs now,
vhat could we expect when we came to
1he high grounds and the sti1 grades
s1 the midlands7 This shouting Of
awires. however. had NO effect be-
canse we were going % fast that his
never reached Peter, who stood
-Aea, Ne hand On the lever. vvnfchin~