The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1899-01-25

PROVIDED us pest EOlllug SGOCK Each
had gathered crews, the boldest and
coolest. The race had been talked of for
weeks, from president down to the man
that threw black grease into the journal
boxes Bets were made, and where
there were no bets there was heated ar
gument.
Several hundred men waited Monday
night, Jan 2. for the arrival of the
Lake Shore train. due at $50. When it
arrived two minutes before that time,
a score of trucks were waiting. Within
ten seconds mail sacks were flying out
of the car doors as if shot out by an ex-
plOsiOn One minute after the arrival
of the train the first wagon whirled to-
ward the Union depot. where the Bur
lingtOn fast mail train stood waiting
At the head Of it was engine No. $780,
in charge Of Engineer Frank Billiard
Within half an hour all the mail con-
signed to his train had been put aboard
He was scheduled to leave at $50 o.
m. central time. He had been tipped
however, to go sooner. AT 8 "a he pull
ed the throttle, smiled grimly at the
yelling crowd, and before the last car
had left the yard had his train under a
80 mile an hour Roadway
The train Of the Chicago, Milwaukee
and St Paul did not leave until 10
O'Clock. The train sped to its destina-
ton and arrived in St. Paul at :55
O'Clock the next morning on schedule
time. There its mail was transferred to
the Northern Pacific fast mail, which
left for Seattle at O clock But the
race was chiefly between the Burling-
ton and the Chicago and Northwestern,
and the trains of these two railroads
furnished a royal race through the
night. The Burlington train was well
on its way. The officials of the Chicago
and Northwestern fixed their train
time of leaving at 10 o'clock, and as
they waited in the depot they We're not
one whit disturbed that the Burling-
ton train had left SO minutes before
The Northwestern train was made
up of an engine, an express car and two
mail cars Engine No 908 had been Sc
lected to make the first run, and this
engine the sturdy driver referred to as
''an ahead of time locomotive of estab-
hshed reputation. - The train left the
Northwestern depot half minute ahead
of time. Tracks were cleared and relay
engines were 50 placed that at Clinton,
Cedar Rapids and Boone changes were
effected with new crews with less than
two minutes loss of time From Lon
don to Boone a speed of 80 miles an
hour was maintained, and an averaged
time including stops, was made from
Chicago to Boone, $50 miles, of a mile
a minute.
The Burlington gained on its sched-
ule. The Northwestern gained on the
Burlington. This was kept up in the
early hours of Tuesday morning, Jan
3, until it seemed that the lead of the
Burlington would be overcome. But the
steeples Of Omaha hove in sight soon
after O clock, and at :22 the Burling-
ton S train reached the Union Pacific
transfer, at Council Bluffs, opposite
Omaha. The Northwestern train
swept up to the same point at 43
This was II minutes lahead of its own
schedule, The Burlington had won the
race, but the Northwestern had gained
nine minutes OH its rival and had made
the best time, covering the 1872 miles
with 8 stops in hours and So minutes
The mail which left New York at
8 :15 on the night of Jan 1 was trans
ferred to the Union Pacifc's fast mail
in Omaha at S 80 a. IN. on Jan. g. and
at that hour began its journey by the
''overland route to Ogden, Utah,
1882 miles away. It was hauled by
one of the standard engines of the $500
class, whose cylinders are IS by 26
inches and whose eight driving wheels
are 50 inches in diameter. The train
consisted of three mail cars the ordinary
baggage train and tourist sleeper
The hauling of the mail on this train
was in itself a gain of seven hours and
40 minutes over previous time, as it
has heretofore been carried by a train
leaving Omaha at 4 :35 p. IN. From
Omaha to Cheyenne, Wy, the run
was made on schedule time, the latter
place being reached at 1926 p. M,
Tuesday, Jan, 8.
The engineers of the various engines
knew their business and over the wild
mountain passes of the Rockies never
faltered in their duty. The long run
from Cheyenne to Ogden was made also
on time, and the mail reached the Utah
city Wednesday afternoon, at AS p.
M, central time AT Granger, 875
| I q L ~
mail for Portland and other Oregon and
Washington points was turned over to
the Oregon Short line and reached