The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-10-21
Ealtorlal corresponaence..

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vestibule train, and with cars built with
vestibules covering the full width Of the
car-as the finest observation palace
cars are constructed. Attached to the
rear of the train is handsomely fur.
nished palace car, in which TIE extra
fare from Sioux City to the Bluffs is but
thirty cents, and every chair is usually
filled. Writing Of the s. s. P. reminds
me that this one hundred miles OF track
running down the river from Sioux City
is one of the finest reaches of roadbed in
this country and upon which there is no
limit to the speed which can be made
within the capabilities of the modern
locomotive and the human machine
which drives 1t. This again reminds me
that / sometimes think i was cut out for
an engineer-l admire so much the
handsome proportions Of the up-to-dste
locomotives and the brave men that
handle them. 1t Is rarely go over a
road without sometime going forward
and looking over the ponderous machine
invested with so much power and upon
which 80 much depends.
Iheard an old railroad man express
the opinion, the other day, that the time
was not far distant when locomotives
and track construction would reach tue
point when $50 miles an hour could be
made as 50 and 60 miles are now covered.
But where are the engineers who are
to drive the machines, there's the rub?
The strain on an engineer pulling a
train a mile minute is tremendous and
Of which. those seated so comfortably
within have no conception. This fear
full drain upon the nervous system of the
man in front tells in time, particularly
during night runs at high speed !, and
few Of them but who break down COM
pletelY within very short time. That
means freight or switch engine there
after, for once let an engineer lose his
nerve and he is nogood for passenger
service. That thing Of staring ahead
Elile after mile, night after night, into
the BLACKLIST OF black nights, is bound to
get onto a mans nerves in the course of
time. It is no uncommon thing for a
6ird to fit across the headlight and
throw shadow across the track as big
as a box car. OF course It'll gone in q
minute, but the shock stays right With a
man at the throttle all through the ran.
The new electric headlights are worse
than the old US spook producers. They
cast such shadows that bug crawling
across the glass will make an engineer
think COW is lying on the track. right
in front OF the pilot. More than one en-
gineer on the fast mails has stepped
down off the footboard after his run so
weak in his knees as to unsettle him for
days.
One of the neryiest engineers who
ever lived, and one noted as such, and
for the charmed life he bore, from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, among railroad
men-was Dan Mcclure, the famous run
ner on the Lake Shore t.atween Cleveland
and Erie. That was many years ago,
but his superior has not turned up and
his record for hair-hreadth escapes has
never been equalled. He did not know
what fear was and used to pull the fast
mail between tho points named at a
speed sometimes, which made the hair
on the heads Of veteran railroad men
turn gray in single night. 1t was said
of him that he bore charmed life. never
once receiving a scratch, while he had
helped dig over two hundred bodies from
his wrecks, but caused OF course through
no fault Of his. In the fearful Ashta.
bula disaster occurred years ago
within thirty miles Of where am writ
| ing these lines j. McGuire was one OF the
four to escape alive and the only one %
receive no injury. One hundred and
seventy persons perishcd in the fearful
disaster that awful winter night-one OF
them Evangelist Bliss, the sweet sing.
er." Mcguire was driving the head en-
i gine of doubleheader. When nearly
over the bridge he felt a sinking sensa
i tion beneath him and pulled the throttle
wide open. The engine gave mighty
bound, brCaking the coupling between il
and the tender, while the engine behint
and the long train filled with passenger
sank into tue awful abyss below. Nc
!. Guire and his engine stopped upon tn.
very brink. Not long after this marrow
escape, MCGUIRE went down to the Cleve
land shops to take his engine out for til,
fast run to Erie. but for SOME reason
which he could never afterwards explaiI
decided to lay off day. His partner OIL
= the opposite run-who also happened t
be laying Off was asked by Mctiulre 4
take his place and did So at the sam
time joking "Old Dan" about his losinl
his nerve. Coming back on the returl
trip. through Collinwood, where the LAX
Shore shops are located. ten miles out O
Cleveland, it was the practice OF bot
these engineers to "cut her wide open
and they fairly flew by the shops Will
the hands looked out and waved thei
hats. On this particular trip with Me
CURES partner, Lace, on his engine, sh
Jumped the track or struck an opc
switch while making tie lightning ru
through Collinwood, resulting In an av
tul wreck. The engineer and irema
!. were taken out dead. the only ones sel
iously hurt. When Mcclure heard Of
and the fate OF his substitute, he jus
: groaned with SORROW. He said that
: was evident that be waa not born to
9 killed railroading. His words turne
out to be true. Coming of from one /
: his fast runs to Erie he was petting
mustang belonging to a friend, when III
treacherous brute wheeled and kicke
: him, resulting in the death OF the note
J. engineer within ten minutes.
They have some plucky engineers
the west these days, from the way the
pull their trains when making up tim
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