The Topeka state journal., 1899-09-25
Remarkable Run of Rock Island
Colorado Flyer
From Kansas City to Topeka In
6S Minutes.
MILE A MINUTE RATE
Train Was FIagged by Boys at
LinWOOd.
Passengers and Trainmen Badly
Frightened.

The Rock Island Colorado flyer, Sat
urday night, in charge of Engineer
Martin Linnehan and Fireman Chas.
Crawford, made the run from Kansas
City to Topeka in 6S minutes. The trip
was an exciting one. A late start was
made from Kansas City. and the train
was running very fast, making up lost
time when it was tagged, just before
reaching Linwood, by two boys, causing
a delay of 21 minutes. The danger sig
nal was sounded and no one on the
train knew what to expect. Both pas
sengers and trainmen were badly
frightened.
The Rock Island Colorado flyer is
scheduled to leave Kansas City at 6:30
p. m, arriving in Topeka at $40 p. m,
, making the distance of IS miles in one
hour and forty minutes. Saturday night
the flyer was u minutes late in getting
! out of Kansas City. AS soon as the
train got out of the Kansas City yards.
the steam was turned on full, and soon
the train was speeding along at 60
mile an hour clip. The first stop was
made for the crossing at Bonner. Moth
ing happened until a short distance east
of Linwood when the electric headlight
Z revealed two boys standing near the
track. They had no light and the en-
gineer at first supposed they were
As the engine neared them, however,
it was plain to be seen that they were
trying hard to signal the train. Ihey
I We're standing at one side of the track,
leaning far over and were waving their
/ hats up and down. They continued to
J do this until the train was nearly upon
! them, when they jumped back from the
! track. as the train passed by. me en-
d gineer answered their signal, sounded
/ the danger whistle and put on the
/ brakes. jerking the passengers nearly
{ from their seats. Everything was at
( once cOmmotiOn. The conductor quick
/ ly lighted a red signal and threw It
/ from the train. The mail clerks rushed
] to their car doors and made ready to
: swing off if necessary. Many OF the
/ passengers braced themselves, and
| made ready for the shock as thoughts
I of a collision flashed through their
/ minds while others hurriedly opened
] the windows and looked ahead to learn
/ if possible what was the matter The
rear brakeman grabbed his lantern and
, dropped from the train and hurried
back to flag the approaching Un1on Ia
cific passenger train which was follow
ing 10 minutes behind the flyer. In al
most less time than it takes to tell 1t,
the train was at a standStill, and near
( ly everyone piled off to see what was
the trouble.
Nothing was found to be wrong and
as the boys who had tagged the train
Z had disappeared, it was supposed that
they had done it for fun" The train
moved up a few feet to the LinwOod de-
pot where the engine took water While
waiting for the Union Pacific train to
bring in the rear brakeman who had
gone back to flag it. A delay of 21 min
utes was caused by this unnecessary
stop. AS soon as the Union Pacific came
in, the flyer was again sent speeding
along towards Topeka, faster than be-
fore. Nothing more happened to delay
the train and the flyer backed into the
depot at Topeka at S:22 p. m, just =
minutes late. The run from Kansas
City had been made in less than one
hour and nineteen minutes. and when
the few minutes delay at the Bonner
crossing and the several minutes con-
4 sumed in stopping at the North Topeka
depot, crossing the bridge and going
around the "wye''to back into the Rock
Island depot are considered, it brings
the actual time of running from Kansas
City to Topeka to about 6S minutes or
at the steady rate of a mile a minute.