Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-02-03
A REAL TEST OF NERVE.
BY EDGAR WHITE.

W w w.
that the express and baggage men at
Macon would never get through At
last the signal was given, and the
train started out on the new st. Louis
cut off. After creeping through the
yards, 1t came into the open and
plunged through the rich farming
lands, where the early pioneers of the
middle west had fought Indians, lev
eled the great forests, and made his
tory. The rock ballast road bed was
as level as a billiard table, and Austria
lian Jack had struck the schedule gait
! before the officers realized it. At a
tiny station, 10 miles northwest of
Paris, the superintendent noted his
watch. Within 10 minutes the roar
| of the rushing express train started
the echoes in the drowsy county seat
| of MissouriS Democratic Gibraltar,
| Monroe county, and a minute after
wards the red lights on the rear car
were disappearing in the direction of
| the Mississippi. There was but one
more stop until the Missouri river was
w
Jack would make the run Of his life
to Old Monroe.
The next 10 miles was made in eight
and one-half minutes. Then the en-
gine settled down to work The rate
was increased to 10 in eight minutes;
then in seven; then in six, which was
the limit and which was held without
deviation. The president dropped back
in his chair. He knew the man in
front was doing everything humanity
could accomplish. Out of every 10
miles traversed he was placing four
minutes against the 55 on the debit
side, and if the gait was kept up to
the city limits the train would back
into Union station exactly on time.
As the early dawn of the June morn
ing crept over the Mississippi, the lin
tied crossed the line of Audrain and
invaded the soil of old Pike, the start
ing point of so many of Missouri's
worthy sons, Some of the passengers,
scenting the approach to the river.
walked out into the vestibules to look
at the scenery in the twilight. Then
they noticed something of which they
had been unaware while lying in their
chairs-that the mileposts and other
objects were whizzing past them at q
rate they had never before expert
enced in all their lives. 1t was hard
to believe that gently rocking train
was annihilating distance at the rate
OF so miles an hour, but that is the
story the mieposts told.
At Old Monroe there was a wait.
The dispatcher had calculated on a
run of only 60 miles an hour out of
Macon, and had permitted a north
bound train to leave West Alton on
the limited's supposed lost time. The
president and directors frowned and
began to look anxious again. Ten min
utes were placed on the wrong side
OF the ledger. The officials from their
observatory glared at the innocent
freight engineer, and the president
said something the Sundays schools
books don't approve of.
1t seemed so long this time before
$50 struck the maximum that the pres
ident thought the engineer must have
abandoned the task. He suggested
that the superintendent go forward
and see what the matter was, but that
gentleman said:
I'VE are on gradual grade, and
have an unusually heavy train. He's
doing the best he can. l think he'll
make it,"
Along the river before striking the
bridge is a level stretch of road, about
the best on the system. When $50
reached it she Jumped" like race
horse. 1t was the first jar felt by the
passengers during the trip from the
central Missouri division. Along here
the speed of the train was little short
of hurricane. The section was COW
cred before the passengers hardly re-
allied they were on it, and the train
leaped over the bridge without dimin
ution of speed. Then a smooth road,
few turns, and the heavy fog Of the
city obliterated the appearances of
day. The officials looked at their
watches.
There's only one way he can make
it," said the president. "Will there
be much travel over the streets this
early do you think?" he asked the su-
perintendent.
"There'll be some' that officer re-
piled, but they'll open the bell valve
and take the chances. II we don't
strike anything you'll reach the sta
tion to the second"
Along the winding, wriggling track
around the lumber yards, warehouses,
| glue works and factories the nerve
racking rate was held with death-like
| tenacity. At one crossing team es-
capped annihilation by hardly hairs
breadth, and the men who looked out
of the glass windows in the rear could
see the driver and several people ges-
ticulating and shaking the fists in
| their direction. A policeman standing