Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-09-07
AN INCH OF IRON.
IL stands Between tse raSSca=ers
and Death oR Fast Trains.

Passengers in = nlO;lvru trslin." said
]. l.. Uuhn of Altoona. Pa. an old rail
road engineer. have Git!r or no com
prehension of the speed az which they
are travelling. They mGy be making
40. even 80. miles az hOlr. as they do
on some of the great western limited
trains. and yet they 10 not realize Il.
Tue wonderful rCadbodS perfectly bal
lasted. and with steel rails weighing
ITO pounds TO tile yard. contribute 70
this. while the well built 30 ton vesti-
buled Pullmans that these trains are
made OF insure their sticking 20 and
running smoothly on the rails. no mat.
ter what speed The train may attain.
There used to be one exception. how
ever, ana that was ON the Penn
sylvania. There the passengers GOT
an idea I'm former times of what II
really was 10 travel fast From Har-
risburg. going west, and from Pitts
burg. coming east. the Pennsylvania
makes steady and continuous ascent
until Cresson, the little town that
marks the crest OF the Alleghanies. is
reached. Going east or west, the
ascent here changes 10 descent. and
on this descent the time necessarily
lost in making that long climb has TO be
made up. The perfect roadbed. heavy
rails and cars make any sort of run
ming possible, and the trip down the
mountain side used to be of a character
to inspire awe in man, woman and
child.
Il remember taking it once when the
N~snc fras IL.
rear of the train. We were minutes
late. and seconds count on those, limited
trains We fairly hurled ourselves
through the gathering darkness. and
even these great cars rocked like a
storm tossed rowboat. Through cut.
tings. down grades, over bridges. we
went. ut an ever increasing speed
bad just sat down to dinner when a
despairing shrek of the brakes an
nOuEced our approach to a fine young
carve near IOhnStown. Round IL we
few. and the diner being last we play.
Ell snap the whip. Our wheels ground
against the outer rail, and every bless
ed thing i'm that car seemed TO sail into
air. remember a plate Of tomato
soup had just been set i'm front OF me
| didn't get it, but the lady across the
aisle did. She didn't seem TO like il as
well as thought was going to.
Everything ON the right hand tables
went into the aisles or across To the
left hand tables. Everything on the
left hand tables tried 10 get out of
the windows.
when we struck the straight again."
continued Mr.. Huhn. land the train
became steady. those left hand win
dows looked rs though they were the
net behind whose protecting meShes
James Owen O'Counor used 20 give his
version of Hamlet. That was II
years ago. and the improvements since
have made repetition Of that per
Torrance impossible. Now. no matter
how fast they take the mountain side.
the train holds steady on the rails.
But in the engine il is different. There
the full force of the speed expends it.
self: there the brunt Of the danger and
discomfort is borne. The drivers oc.
casionally lift from the rail on curve.
so hcadlong is the speed. and the en-.
CINE sways In n most fearful and awe
inspiring manner. If you are unused
TO IL. you sit tight ana trust yourself TO
Providence, for you never expect to
see another day.
The -imateur, as the great iron mon
ster reaches for an acute curve with
scarce 4 check To It's speed. cannot see
or figure out how IL will bc possible
not TO jump the rails. and when he is
safely round there is always curve
ahead 10 keep his confidence shattered.
This does not surprise the engineers.
l have seen fireman start TO throw
shovelful OF coal into the llrcbox Just
rs n curve was struck. and Instead OF
that coal going 20 its proper dcstina.
ton IL went out OF the window, back
TO the tender. and once caught Il
square In the face. Travelling ut that
rate is no joke. But the passengers
nowadays 60 not appreciate IL. IL they
took ride In the engine they would.
however
Did you ever stop TO think that
scarce IN inch OF iron stands between
you and death when you are on i fast
train. Wen, il Is literally so. The
tiapge of the forward wheel OF the
pony truck THE truck under the front
of the cngine) must hold or the engine
Will jump the track. Let piece of
that DANCE break. and on the next rev
olutlon, or. In any event. on the next
curve. that engine must inevitably hop
the rail. for the power TO hold 1t there
is gone. lfan engine running GO miles
an hour goes OF the rail with a heavy
train behind ii. heaven help the trains
crew and the trains passengers. for
the wreck will be fearful and n
memorable onc."-Exchange.