The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-11

piss, a. long train and . goodly uphill
| grade are-juet whdt thts dyer was Gallon
lated to Wrestle with q IL best In point
Of sine larger engines sxist In tie noun
taipous coal regions, bus they arc bult
for sheer strength, and not for Sped,
sss p psw. ana sSs d
combined that ever won't forth In search
Of the railroad mans ideaE 81 "practi-
caP' train travelling across country - NV
miles an hour. II Ia not expected she
will come within nearer tran 10 miles
Of that ideal, but II she dos that some
pleasant afternoon betwssn now and
June, she will have fulfilled her pre- .netAl
mission Of pointing the way 70 future dc.
signers. Those who have studied her and
| ridden behind those flying triple "dr'v-
ers" are confident that she Will mot be
wanting in her hour of trial.
Not the least interesting fact IN oonnec.
tion with this monster OF the rails 10 that
Its engineer 10 physician In active prao-
tice as well % an expert IN meehanice
The door Of his residence on pretty bill.
side In Brighton bears the name In gilt
letters OF "Dr. n. II. Brackett" and 1t
Is khers. with his wife that ] the man
the driver" has washed away the CRIME
accumulated in his mile.s.ninuts run
with the New York especial, he becomes
at once the physician, and goes forth
among his patients.
Engineer and DR.. Bracket v man Of
mature years, with double bent OF
natural talent rarely found In one man.
ing his mind for his learned professions.
he passed every available leisure hour In
mastering the intrioacies Of some compli.
Gated machine. He I'd rives" an engine
because he loves the ! ron steed. he
knows the functions of Its every nut and
kn Az hn M =
and formation and mission Of the nerves
and bones In the hum an mechanism. He
commenced the study Of medicipe In 1850
at the age of 80, and graduated from the
Boston university medical school In a.
He Is member of the Massachusetts,
medical homeopathic society. He Is the
extreme of modest reserve. while he can
discourse fluently and entertainingly on
the merits and abilities Of his engine. he
is "mum" as the traditional oyster when
questioned about himself. He lives for
three things-his wife, his engine and his
patients.
The big machine he drives he feels to
be the superior rs an express locomotive
of any thing that holds the rails today In
the form OF old TYPES Of engines. Eng
land, however, Is making experiments
with steam novelty for speed and power
whose possibilities are as little known as
are those OF the Boston and Albany speed
monster. The most novel feature In the
coming British champion is the absence
of such powerful steel connecting rods ~
bind together the driving whesls Of the
American locomotives The piston aud
ylinder are located At Q point midway OF
the drivers and other innovations almost
equally as startling are made In other
parts Of the machinery, with view to
greater concentration Of direct power than
present types have permitted. The
British machine is not so heavy a. she
new American, however, nor 10 Its hill
climbing ability with . heavy train sx-
pecttd to be go great The English roads
have few such difficult grades as dissin-
guish the railroads In this country In the
East or in the West but on . level
strai htaway it is q question that only
practical trial will settle, rs TO whether
the Yankees = the Britons will have to
TRY again" to secure and hold the dis
tinction of supremacy in speed and inveu-
tive genius.