The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1900-07-28
K UP LOST M
one P.sssuser wAs was Glad 10 9
the MiIes Covered IN Less
Thaa . MInuts.

0ne Passenger Nho was olad 70 see
the Miies Covered In Les
TAaa = MIauts.
In 81. Louis one day recently a wom-
an walked into the Union station and
said:
my husband 10 dying In Chicago.
How quick can ! get theref"
Eight hours," said the gatsman. 80
this woman, who was reduced 10 4
bundle Of nerves and many halfchoked
sObs, took the Illinois Central limited
that left Just after u O'Clock aud seated
herself IN the rear Of the buffet car
and locked out Of her glass Enclosure
At the disappearing city on the Mis-
zisslppl. The train, says the Chicago
Times-Herald. was just the ordinary,
comfortable American express kind,
with a good many places to be easy
In, and the usual eurlous American
way Of getting over the rails at q high
rate of speed without seeming TO be
moving very fast. That's 4 trick Cur
ley can tell you about. The woman
had been married to this man that was
dying about % years, and their life
had been OF the a~greealwsys kind. II
the mar had been In the railroad busi-
ness his associates would have called
him "a double compound" and the wom-
an "a pusher." The train seemed all
toe slow to the woman as 1t slipped out
Of East 81. Louis and headed for De-
eatur.
The engine was No. ell and the engi-
neer . man By name J. curley, other
wise known IS the "ComAnehe Indian"
This title has come to him through his
Of holding his head high and
Of running his engine at extraordinary
speed when occasion demands. His run
70 Clinton. where his division ends. is .
fast one under the most ordinary cir
cumstances. When a few minutes time
10 lost Il becomes the duty Of Curley
TO make II faster and to always keep
on time. This day he knew nothing Of
the woman back In the buffet car nor
OF her passionate eagerness to reach
homo swiftly. and II he had II 10 doubt
full II be could have done more than he
did. For some unexplained reason aft
or he left Alton he lost ten minutes In
time. with Clinton 1877 miles away. with
about eight stops 10 be made. The
woman In the buffet car noted the loss
Of time and suffered corresPondingly.
In time gentleman who knew her
came and sat by her side, and to him
abe lamented over the delay.
at Is nothing" said be. ave are
travelling now a mile q minute"
They took out their watches and
timed the mile posts. The roadbed 10
one Of these high-grsded, ballroom
floor AFFAIRS the train, vestibulsd and
solid. There was no swaying or jar
ring o. curley knocked OF his mile
every minute. inside the car, unless
one timed with q watch, the speed
did not seem greater than 70 miles an
hour. The man with the woman sud
denly saidi
"This last mile we've Travelled In 81
seconds"
She studied her own watch. occa.
s%lonslly looking up to watch the gyra-
lions Of the rolling ball of dust In the
rear Of the train. Suddenly she called
out:
"And that mile In 81 seconds"
This was near Nokomis. The dust
ball in the trains rear grew larger and
larger and revolved more rapidly, The
little stations, EMPOWERED in trees, be-
came but dots upon the plain. The
"Comanchs Indian" was making up
time. Now came ten swift miles-the
first In 50 seconds, the second In 81, the
third In 81, the fourth in 80. the fifth
in 10, the sixth In At. the seventh In so,
the eighth in 70, the ninth In ~ and
the tenth mile In Is seconds. Some
how this safe, easy swing through
space was comforting to the woman In
the buffet car. She wished the eng1-
neer in front on the flying machine
could Just understand how much she
appreciated what be was doing.
The "Comspche Indian" has a curious
but skinfui way OF handling his throt-
tie. BE coaxes 1t as q mother leads
on q child. He draws II on easily,
gently, without jerk Or jar. So he
handles his air, giving all the leeway
in the world for the application, but
calculating with such nicely his dis
tsncss and the necessity for a stop or
slow-up that the train is at 4 stand
still before the diminishment Of speed
10 noted OF fel.. There are engineers
that handle their air throttles rudely,
and every passenger knows by the I'M
pleasant sensations Just what 10 60
Ing on In the cab. But the hand OF
Curley IL a. velvet covering steel, and
} ". be brings oil on to Clinton, The
w6han kept checking OF the miles,
The train shot over the brow OF a hill
and out into an open. There was fury
and fures in its wake. the atmosphere
rushed into Q whip that beat the bal
lasted way and swtrled the leaves and
dust into q tornado Of rage. The won.
! an ciapped her hands glesfully. eIclsim-
ingi
THAT mile was travelled in 20 sec.
F.. ondsi"
And 20 II was--5,2e0 feet in two.
thirds OF 4 minute. The speed but show,
, the possibilities Of American steam
. railway equipment upon . perfect road
bed and 10 the hands Of tried men.
= Curley was doing only what his duty
called upon him to do when time was "a
4 be made up. He was coming up the his.
: toric way where the slaves Of so year,
7 ago found the underground railroad
and a chance for freedom. He wal
: chasing miles In 20 and so secoaos IN
territory where Logan and Lincoln, ant
=, long before them Pierre Menard an6
the Jesuit fathers, had made history
with saddle and horse or the slow cano,
Of Indian days.
A mile In u seconds, another IN IS
another In so, n more In IS seconds
and Oil came into Clinton on time
The woman IN the buffet car coming
to the man walling for her In Chicago
laid back her head on the pillow o.
her chair and saldi
, II can sleep the rest Of the way"
But OF all this oil and the "Comapch,
Indian" knew nothing.
PEDIGREE HUNTERS.