The Yale expositor., 1902-09-26

way trains are OF frequent occurrence
ON It's .ifty milcg OF length. but It's most
extraordinary incident was that in
which Gcorg, Powers took part,
Ii was In the dry season. when tho
banana plants were weighted with
their lunches OK green fruit. ready FOR
cutting.
"Onc day"-as Powers tells the story
the fruit steamer BrcaSwatcr an-
chorcd unexpectedly In the oiling %,
our Caribbean Sea harbor OF Porto
Cortcz. Soon. az her agents orders,
there was hoistcd M her masthead the
signal indicating. Fruit. ready Tor
quick cargo And when the ship had
reached the dock a fruit train was
being made up.
"Thcn W. learned that the Break
water was expected 10 sail FOR New or.
leans with "A cargo OF bananas early
the next morning. Extraordinary ef-
forts must bc made u load her with a
suitable shipment in less than a days
time To hurry was decidedly un,rop
ical. but the bonus given 10y the rail
road officials was rs oil Co luhrlcatc the
machinery of the transportation dc.
parimcat and | was handed these or
ders:
Engineer Powers will take Engine
No. IL. with eighteen platform ears.
and proceed with best speed To- Ia ri
mlcnta. load cargo OF bananas, return
90 San Pedro load fruit there. Report
at this office after the run. and not
later than 10 p. m. to-day.
'Colyillc. Supi of Trans.
"Such an order meant hurry Ny
fireman. oiled IL. the only locomotive
I available. and the ynrlmrn ma3' up
| the train. by noon We were started.
I There was work enough ahead TO keep
I Us all out OF mischief Tor the nest ton
/ hours. To cover round strip of loo
| miles. load eighteen ears with bananas
and pun them ln,o Porto Corcg within
/ ten hours would be- the record 10. speed
/ upon he Honduras Railroad.
so old t.. with throtti. wide open.
was soon pulling mp ihp rodGh .oadugj
/ tp Ia pmicnta 40 an uaacrustowrd
/ pace. The telegraph line was equally
busy, AMI when we ran past SAN Pc
/ dro thr oV.cars We're already uulaJGiu-
( their mine and ten hand punches along
side the track In readiness fog our rc-
/ umn. Between ( and o'c!ocl, we
whistlcd FOR La PiMicn,a. the tlr.
minus.
There the station agent had a caae
of leaders ready. and before the train
had quite stopped the green lunches
We're being passed to The leaders In the
ears. In nm incredibly short space OF
time the bananas rose. tier upon tieT.
90 heavy load. and all the time my
fireman fed the sticks OF soft pine Co
our roaring fire-boX. FOR we should
need good load OF steam 20 get back
10 san Pedro in season. The agent sar-
casdcally asked me. Is the engine
good FOR the heavy pull without n
breakdown and replied. Number IL
Is about 10 surprise everybody by a rec
ord trip And so we did. both hccause
OF and in spite OF an unprecedented ad.
venture.
AT g o'clock we had loaded all the
fruit In sight. aud whlstling fog open
brakes we started for san Pedro.
The down grade helped us materially.
In less than an hour we had covered
the distance and were taking the fruit
aboard from our last stop.
Delay began here. There were few
men To load the fruit ana the handling
OF IL was slow; every bunch was thor
oughly inspected by the leaders. lest
they should grasp taruntuln crawling
among the bananas. But at $ o'clock
the train was loaded. the pltch-plnc
headlight was lighted. the throttle
opened aud the whistle shrickcd its
farewell 10 san Pedro.
Two hours only were let IN which
10 make the run In schedule time over
thirty-hvc miles OF rolling country aud
with weight of eighteen heavily load.
ed cars. The passenger with her
light freight was allowed four hours
for the same run. The darkness was
intense, and the vibration OF the train
soon became so great that the head
Hight was shaken Into mere sputtcY.
ing. and at a lurch went out. The
front Of the engine became the limit OF
my vision.
The white mile.markcrs were passed
soquickly that my fireman lost his count.
and We could not tell where we were.
But No. 13 was doing her best Not a
valve had blown out nor rod broken
Our Gathering over the track was VA.
ried only by the frantic squcalinga o. n
fine. Fat pig. sent by the agent a; Ia
! Pimlcnta TO the captain OF the Break
water as n dellcacy for his table. Piggy
continually squealcd from its bcfth IN
an open fruit car.
I'm one place large limb extended
from n tree out over the track. Jus
! Llch annnrh 10 nlnnr the sinnka OF ihl