New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-04-15
BETWEEN CAR AND TUNNEL
SERIOUS ADVENTURE OF BOYS STEAL
ING A RIDE on THE MONTREAL
EXPRESS.

George Huxon. seventeen years old, and John
Cookery. eighteen both Of Cambridge. Mass.
will not need TO go to South Africa TO fight the
Beers, or 10 the Rockies TO hunt the fierce
grizzly in his lair or to Cape Nome to wash
gold out of the sands by the sad sea waves
their page of adventure is full. They salts
fed fully satisfied for the time being, that a
large sized. husky. red-eyed adventure came
their way Friday night, and now they are
ready TO meekly return TO Cambridge buckle
down to common tasks uncomplainingly. wheel
the baby out for airing. carry up the coal on
Bridget's ironing day. to work at % cents
day They have had their fill, joined the army
Of the satisfied. and soon as they are out Of
the clutches of the law they will walk back to
Cambridge if they haven't got the fare. They
won't ride on the top OF express car, any
way They tried that on Friday night and
they came so near being killed when the train
scraped them along the roof of the tunnel be
tween Forty-second-st. and Harlem that their
exploit is worth telling about.
Huxon and Cookery came from Cambridge
week ago to see the Bowery and the circus, and
the Tenderloin and the skyscrapers. With their
money all spent, they held session of the
Ways and Means Committee with the idea of
raising the wind for their carfare home They
didn't get the money. and Friday night soon
after dark found them on the footbridge that
spans the New-York Central tracks at Forty
eighth-st There in the dark and the rain. with
the trains whisking by under their feet, the
lights on the tower Of Madison Square Garden
blinking them goodhy and the glare from the
theatre district making them never so homeslck
and wretched. these two young men planned
their escape from New York. There were the
smooth turtle backed trains moving slowly up
the track now and then-some of them bound
for Boston. thought Cookery and Huxon.
Sure it's cinch. said Cookery exctedly.
It's dead easy. an it's never been worked"
said Huxon. AN when ives git back to Cam
bridge we'll t'row de story inter de boys up
deere and it'll TAR EN-, OATS what it will
But it was Cookery and Huxon who were
"jarred" not the nice little studous boys at
home in Cambridge.
Then they got hold of timetable and looked
up New-York New-Eaven and Hartford train
bound for Boston. Slowly the minutes reeled
themselves off as the lads waited for their great
bareback express car act
DROPPED UPON CAR ROOF.
Here she comes at last" said Cookery.
the headlight Of a locomotive pulling heavy
train cleaned through the darkness. The
hausting steam fairly snorted in the smoke
stack, but 1t message of home and sup
per to the Cambridgeites. When the iron horse
passed under their feet they hung each
side of the bridge, and when the mail coach
came along they dropped on to the top Of it.
But 1t not a Boston express. 1t was the
Montreal midnight express, and from what
happened afterward it would seem as II the
mail coach bound for the northern border re-
With the widening of the throttle in the cab,
the train gained Roadway. and then the open
ing Of the Harlem tunnel yawned black and
threatening. But the boys had counted this.
Like New-England pancakes. they fattened
themselves against the roof Of the car, and held
their breath as the smoke and gas poured back
above them. Cinders hot off the griddle" bur-
rowed and burned into their and necks,
steam and gas and foul air gave them a sink
ing sensation And then! Instead of going
through the new side tunnel which has high
arched roofs the Montreal express takes the old
middle tunnel where the close figuring
gineers of days gone by, left hole just big
enough, "and no more" for the engine and
train In this tight fitting tunnel the roofs of
the cars almost touch the fiat roof of the tun-
mel and that's just where Cookery and Huxon
missed their guess
SCRAPED AGAINST TOP OF TUNNEL.
The roof just grazed our heads" said Huxon
yesterday at the hospital in Yonkers The whirl
and buzz and the wailing just t-u-r-r-i-
bile! 1 wasn't hurt so awful much. because, We
see I'm slim. But Cookery, you know, Corlkery's
fat. an he couldn't scrooch down close. All the
while l could hear Jack granting and every
minute he'd yell Ike the devil A dozen times 1
got horrible bump from the roof. We
almost smothered from the black dust in the
tunnel, and | could not tell where till
we reached the Harlem Hiver. GOSH l wuz
nearly dead-full O cnders an smoke, and with
the stuffin' knocked outer the back o my head.
/ / called to Cookery and with him holdin' fast to
me. l slid my feet over the edge of the car and
kicked at the window till l knocked it in. The
express agent thought a robber, and
caught hold of my legs and held me-"
The agent held on to Huxon's feet till the
press stopped at spuyten Duyvil. Then he pulled
the lad down TO the platform. Cookery
badly crippled that he had TO be carried down
The boys were taken to St Johns Hospital. in
Gonkers. where they were examined Cookery
was half naked. The back of his head and his
hips were bruised and all down his back We're
burrows and scratches. On the request of Police
Captain McLoughln the boys were remanded to
the Yonkers jail as soon their wounds were
dressed and held there to await instructions
from the railroad authorities. J. H. Mclean
one Of the Centrals detectives. went TO Yonkers
Yesterday TO see the boys. 1t is said that oliver
Curtis Perry. the famous train robber. once
dropped onto the top Of an express train the
boys did on Friday night. The parents of the
boys were Informed of their sons troubles The
prisoners VIII be arraigned in the Yonkers Police
Court tomorrow morning