The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-05-19
HIRED 4 SPECIAL TRAIN
TO CATCH THE SIERRA
WILD RIDE OVER SOUTHERN pa
clFic TO REACH STEAMER
ON TIME.
Miss Margaret windeyer Of Australia
Determined to Sail on the Sierra
Reached Pier Three Minutes
Ahead of Schedule Time of Sailing.

SAN FRANCISCO, May I0.-Three
minutes before 10 o'clock YESTERDAY
morning. the hour g. which the steam
er Sierra was scheduled TO sail FOR
Australia, q carriage dashed down
TO the Oceanic dock. and young lady,
incumbered with a little impediments
in the shape OF baggage. hurried up
the gangplank of the steamer and
threw herself, tired and painting, into
q seat on the deck All night she had
raced against time in special train
over the sagebrush plains of Nevada,
up one slope of the Sierra and down
the other, and then down the Sacra-
mento valley at breackneck speed. in
the hope of getting aboard the Sierra
before it steamed away on its long
trip TO the Antipodes.
Miss Margaret Windeyer-for that
was the young lady's name-was visit
ing friends in Albany, n. Y. when she
received summons to return to her
home at Sydney as fast as steam could
take her. The cablegram called her
back to Australia on the matter of ur-
gent Importance. Her presence was
needed in Sydney in connection with
some legal matter connected with the
estate of her deceased father, who was
a titled English gentleman, and in the
hope Of catching the steamer Sierra
she took fast train for San Francis
co. Before she had been on the road
very long, however. she discovered
that the connecting train on the Gen.
trail Pacific was not due to reach here
until 1925 o'clock yesterday after
noon, whereas the Sierra was sched-
uled to sail at 10 o'clock yesterday
morning. Through a friend of the IA
mily-President Williams of the Men
docino Lumber Company-the steam
ship company was urged to hold the
steamer until the train arrived, boz
nus of two first-class fares being of
fered as an inducement. The steam
ship officials smiled sadly at Williams,
and Williams telegraphed TO the girl
that the thing was impossible. Will
liams then thought of another scheme
He proposed to have tug in waiting
at the Oakland pier. and with .-Iss
Windeyer aboard he would pursue the
Sierra out to sea and overtake her
somewhere on her journey Tugboat
officials told Williams that tug
steamed much slower than the Sierra,
and then nothing remained but the
hiring of a special train.
Manager Fillmore of the Southern
Pacific Company refused to run ia
special from Ogden. but offered to
have one in readiness at Wadsworth,
New, upon the arrival of the regular
train at that place. The regular reach
ed Wadsworth at 1I:45 o'clock We'd
nesday night. and Miss Windeyer
promptly stepped into the dav
coach and started en- her wild fight
toward San Francisco. The special
train of an engine and one car reach
ed the Oakland pier at s:15 O'Clock
yesterday morning, and Miss Winde-
yer was landed at the foot o. Market
street at $50 o'clock, where she was
met by Mr.. Williams and an attache
of the passenger department of the
Southern Pacific in carriage. She
got aboard the Sierra three minutes
before sailing time The Sierra did
not sail until an hour later. The spe
cial cost her exactly s4uu