The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-16
The Engine That Was Tinkered,

=
.'Railroading down in Arkansas used to
have its difficulties.
NJ N Clark, st. Louis agent for the
Pacific Express company, then gave tes-
timony to bear out this statement.
Some score or more OF years ago there
was a little narrow-gauge road between
two towns in the western part OF Ne
state. The rails were laid on unhewn
logs, and they must have served some
purpose, though it was GOT to relieve
the unevenness of the ties. A part OF
the equipment of this road was q loeomo-
tive This locomotive was of an ancient
vintage and had done as much service
as any self-respeeting locomotive could
reasonably be expected 10 do before it
had been sold TO the managers OF this
Arkansas Rad. 1t was loose in the joints,
and rheumatic in all its parts. Whepev-
er it was in action it voiced its remon-
strances by giving forth sounds that
startled the dwelers along the line Of the
road until they got used to it. But as
this was the only locomotive that the
road owned, it had TO keep on at work,
although it at the same time kept on
grumbling.
One day the engineer decided that he
would screw the thing up and stop some
of its racket He was sure that he knew
all that there was to know about the To-
connective, and when he backed his en-
CINE out alongside vacant lot early one
afternoon he was positive he would get
through in time for supper.
"The engineer approached his task with
glee, and surrounded by crowd of Won
dering and curious people The first
thing he did was to take the thing apart
He carefully numbered each part, and
then carefully laid that part out on the
grass. After awhile he had all of that
engine except the boiler the smokestack
and the cab scattered over a half-acre Of
greensward. He cleaned the parts thor
oughly, and then, with his confidence I'M
shaken, he began the work Of reconstruc-
ton.
1T looked easy enough to put 1t all
back in place. In the first place, he
knew where every part belonged; and in
the second place his numbering of the
parts had made it impossible for any
body who could count to make mis-
take
But somehow the numbers must have
become twisted or someone must have
changed them: for number nine did not
fit into number ten, and number thorteen
did not fit into number fourteen. S crews
did not fit the holes they had been ia
ken from. and bolts would either reach
too far or not far enough.
Finally piece number thirteen was
made to fiji piece number nine, and piece
number ten was made fit piece number
fourteen; and then the contrary screws
were filed down. and the contrary bolts
were chiseled off. and the engines began
to look like its old self again.
'But when the rheumatic old beast
of steel had been put into this shape, and
looked all reay for steam, there were still
enough pieces left out there on the green
sward to construct another locomotive Of
the same type Where they all came
from the engineer had not the slightest
idea. He was sure he had never seen
them, and he was willing to syear that
he had not handled them nor numbered
them. He could find no place to put them
and decided that they were useless i'm
pediments In this case, although they
might come in handy some other time.
So ne had them taken into the tool house.
Then the engineer began to get up
steam. He had not touched the firebox.
so he had no difficulty in starting a fire.
He had gotten the whistle back straight,
so he could blow that all right. He
gave the whistle a couple of toots, and
opened the throttle.
Then something happened. The engi-
neer went out one side OF the cab and
the negro fireman went out the other
side. Everything within fifty yards of
the engine moved-everything but the en-
CINE. That stood stock still, while from
every joint, ever lever, every crack, every
cylinder. and almost every screw hole
there came torrents of steam.
by and by the engineer and the fire
man ran across each other far from the
scene of the reconstruction of the engine.
The engineer argued vainly that 1t was
the fremans fault, and than he ought
to go back to the engine and close the
throttle. The fireman said he would
rather lie down on the track and let
the engine run over him: 1t would be an
easier death, and there would be a few
pieces of him left. The result was that
the engine was left to do its own sweet
will. It finally got rid of all the steam
that was in it, and duieted down.
But neither the engineer nor the fire.
man attempted any further liberties with
It, and traffic of all kinds was suspended
on that railroad until borrowed engine
brought a machinist from Little Rock.
This machinist fixed the locomotive up
enough For it to take itself to a round
house. I think it is still at the round
house. unless it has been sold as scrap
iron. st. Louis. Republic.