El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-12-01
A FINE RUN.
The Union Pacific Makes a Record,
Which SuppeStS a. RamjneSc

Which Suggests Reminescense
The Union Pacific scored anothe r
record Monday, in specially fast run
from Che enue to Council Bluffs. The
distance is $40 miles and the time re-
corded was 519 minutes, including slow
ups and stops, with one extra stop
WHEN the air hose burst and the train
had to be stopped for repairs.
The ocra ion of the run was burD-
ed brdre at Medicine Bow, Wyo.,
which made the train five hours late
m ade up. Cheyenne to idrey, Neb,
1872 miles and down bill was made il Isl
minutes. engines we're changed, and
the run to North Platte, 123, miles,
was made in 11S minuts 8. To Grand
Island, 1873 miles, he time was I54 mi
nutes. To Council Bluffs, l56 miles,
the time was 165 mioutes iucluding de-
lay from a Missouri Pac fic freight
getting in the way at the ON aha yards
and other .cessary bindrances. The
entire run was averaged 629 miles per
hour, one stretch of 100 miles east of
Grand Islaud being covered in SO mi
nutes, including five minut stop to
fool with broken hose. Engineers
were changed once-at Lexing on,
Neb-, and engines were changed twice.
Council Bluffs was reached thir teen
minutes ahead OF time.
Fast RUIZ ming east of Sidney is plain
sailing compared with fast running
west, as the country is level land curves
few and light With fine track and
road bed, there is no reason why big
time should not be made between SID
ney and the rive as is made by the
limited trains on the New York Central,
Pennsylvania and Baltimore Ohio
lines. However, west of Sidney all
the hindrances obtain that are found
on any mountain line, and extra fast
running is at ended with risks. The
writer once left Evarson, Wyo., on tn e
west bound fast mail, fifty minutes
late. The run to Ogden 20 miles is
through the echo and Web canyons,
and the eng neer attempted to reach
Ogden on time, as it was the first train
of the seasons service, sn1 the en-
gineer was anxious to make record
If he had been let aloue, he would
have made up the so minutes in those
70 miles, for the way that fast mail
shot down through those canyons was
like meteor. The rails were of extra
heavy steel and the road BID very
solidly made, Or the train would have
torn out rail in short order, as it
struck curve after curve with terrific
force. Soon the cars began to rock,
and as short curve would be turned,
one side of the rear car would raise
in the air clear from the
rail. Then down it would come on the
rail again with a dull and sickening
thud," or words to tn effect. Now
this rear car was the private car of
Marvin Hnghitt. president of the Chi
csgo & Northwestern road, and con-
tanned representatives from the big
New York and Chicago dailie' with
newspaper men from Omaha, Denver
and Salt Lake, Supt. Jackson of the
railway mail service with other post
Office officials, General Supt. Dickin-
son and other Union Pacific m.gnates.
A number of these were playing poke
in TIE parlor of the car when "big
sea struck the ship and she lurched
almost over onto her beam ends" so
to speak, for curve was struck that
sent one side of the car high in the
air. Away went the table, away went
the card players, all in a heap on the
floor, and Mr.. Dickinson hurriedlv
scrambled to his feet 10 make q wild
dive for the bell rope.
So the engineer had to slow down.
but it broke his heart, and he almost
shed tears, If he did not actually, in
being forced to reach Ogden 20 minutes
late But that was a memorable run.
and those who were on the train are
not likely to forget it.