Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1902-10-16

>xsr upon TIE SOlltdFy IdLiodU
Il ofspanishHonduras' Hold
AO ups, collisions and runa- !
way trains are OF frequent occurrence |
on its fifty miles of length, but it's most |
extraordinary incident was that in
which George Powers took part
1t was in the ''dry season." when the
banana plants were weighted with
their lunches of green fruit, ready for
cutting.
"One day''-as Powers tells the story
-"the fruit steamer BreakwAter, an
chored Unexpectedly in the Off1ng of
our Caribbean Sea harbor Of Porto
Cortez. Soon, at her agents orders,
there wasshoisted at her masthead the ]
signal indicating, Fruit, ready for
quick cargo" And when the ship had
reached the dock fruit train was
being made up.
Then We learned that the Break
water was expected to sail for New Or
leans with a cargo of bananas early
the next morning. Extraordinary ef-
forts must be made to load her with a
suitable shipment in less than days
time To hurry was decidedly untrop
ical. but the bonus given by the rail-
road officials was as oil to lubricate the
machinery of the transportation de-
partment,' and 1 was handed these Or
ders:
Engineer Powers will take Engine
No 13, with eighteen platform cars,
and proceed with best speed to La Pi-.
mienta, load cargo of bananas, return
to San Pedro. load fruit there. Report
at this Office after the run. and not
later than 10 p. N. to-day
'Colyille, Supt. of Trans
'such an order meant hurry My
fireman oiled 13. the only locomotive
available, and the yardmen made up
the train. BY noon We were started.
There was work enough ahead to keep
us all out of mischief for the next ten
hours. To cover round trip of 100
miles, load eighteen cars with bananas
and pull them into Porto Cortez within
ten hours would be the record for speed
upon the Honduras Railroad.
EoO OAu Will luIOItIe Wl1c IL,
was soon putting up the rough roadbed
to La Pimienta at an unaccustomed
pace The telegraph line was equally
busy. and when we ran past San Pc
dro the oX-cars were already unloading
their nine and ten hand punches along
side the track in readiness for our re
tuln Between and 5 o'clock we
Whistled for La Pimienta, the ter
minus.
There the station agent had gang
OF leaders ready, and before the train
mad quite stopped the green punches
We're being passed to the leaders in the
cars. In an incredibly short space OF
time the bananas rose, tier upon tier
TO heavy load, and all the time my
nreman fed the sticks of soft pine tt
our roaring fire-box,; for We should
need good load Of steam to get bacl
10 San Pedro in season. The agent sar
eastlcally asked me, rs the engine
good for the heavy pull without .
breakdown" and replied, Number 1;
is ABOUT to surprise everybody by rec
OF and in spite of an unprecedented ad
venture. j.
AT o'clock we had loaded all til
irult in sight, and whistling for 'opel
prakes, we started for San Pedro
Inc down grade helped us materially
III less than an hour we had covere
'ne distance and were taking the frui
aboard from our last stop.
Delay began here. There were fe,
men to load the fruit, and the handlin
VI 1t was slow; every bunch was tho
ousllly inspected by the leaders, les
'ney should grasp tarantula crawlin
among the bananas. But at 8 o'cloc
,ne train was loaded, the pitch-pi1
headlight was lighted, the thrott
opehed and the whistle shrieked i
farewell to San Pedro.
IWo hours only were left in whie
~ niake the run in schedule time ov'
'nirty-flve miles of rolling country ar
WIN weight of eighteen heavily loa
Gu cars. The passenger with b
sn' lrelght, was allowed four hou
~, the same run. The darkness w
Intense, and the vibration of the ira
soon became so great that the hea
nsht was shaken into a mere sputte
s' ana at a lurch went out T.
ont OF the engine became the limit
my vision.
ine white mile-markers W ere pass