Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1903-08-29
BREAKS ALL RECORDS
FROM ATLANTIC TO PACIFIC IN
THREE DAYS TIME.
Account of Most Remarkable Long
Distance Run In History of
RaffroaCing.

when the H. p. Lowe special rolled
into Los Angeles over the Santa Fe
at 1:O6 p. m.
Henry P Lowe, of the Engineering
Company of America, left New York
Tuesday afternoon, August 4, at 2:45,
Immediately upon hearing of his
daughters fatal illness in the distant
California city of Los Angeles. Catch
ing the Twentieth Century Limited
over the New York Central and Lake
Shore Railroads, he raced westward to
Chicago at an average speed of 1873
miles per hour, arriving in Chicago
On Wednesday forenoon. Hurrying
from the Lake Shore to the Santa Fe-
depot in cab which was being held
IN waiting for him, the anxious father
boarded the special and was outward
bound twenty-three minutes after
reaching the Windy City" Compos-
ed of coach and hotel-car Rocket
and drawn by powerful iron grey
nound, with Engineer Duggan at the
throttle, the Santa Fe special leaped
into the race, with orders to make no
stops except those to take water and
coal and to change engines and crews.
Leaving Dearborn station Chi
cage, the train struck out toward
The Southwest, with a whirl and
rush. Swiftly rising to the level of
the elevated roadbed. it was off on it's
way toward Joliet before the grief
stricken passenger had had time to
settle down for his long ride. Indeed,
it cannot be said that he settled down
at ALL for. in his anxiety to cover the
ground in the shortest possible time,
Mr.. Lowe repeatedly urged that the
speed be increased, and for a great
share of the distance he rode in the
engine cab. the rumble and roar of the
mighty locomotive soothing, in a
measure. his troubled mind.
Faster and fast the giant ten
wheeler flew. Fa and faster the
local way stations Nhizzed by the
windows.in an indistinct blurr Cross
ing the State of Illinois in a space Of
time heretofore unequaled, the special
rolled across the Mississippi at Fort
Madison, clipped off a section of Iowa,
traversed the northern part of the
| State of Missouri, bridged the broad
! Missouri river and steamed into Kan
sas City Union depot.
With scarcely a halt in it's wild
| flight it was off over the rolling prai-
! RE land of Kansas and on toward
! Colorado, climbing the ever-increasing
grade as the Rockies were approach
ed. On and on 1t sped, not only main
tanning the schedule laid out. but
gaining with every mile it flew.
La Junta was reached at 9:10 a. m,
august 6, and veering toward the
southwest the special split the soil
tude of the Colorado and New Mexico
wilderness, plunging into Albuquerque
! at 5:37 p. m. From Albuquerque
straight west, crossing the desert of
! New Mexico and Arizona, surmount-
! ing the range of the Giorieta noun
tains, the train reached Seligman in
western Arizona at a. m, Aug. Z.
Leaving here it climbed the Williams
range and entered the Golden State
across the Colorado river.
At 1:06 p. M on Friday, August z,
the train rolled into Los Angeles ten
hours ahead of the schedule as origi-
nally planned, the distance from Chi
cago to the Pacific coast (2,265 miles,
| having been covered at an average of
428 miles per hour. beating the time
of the Santa Fe's California Limited
by fifteen hours and sixteen minutes
While he was still this side of the
Rocky mountains, it was known that
Mr.. loves daughter had passed away.
Messages were hurried ahead of the
special AS the wires were down, the
sad word was not received by Mr.
Lowe until he had reached Las Vegas,
New Mexico.
In spite of his disappointment, how
ever, Mr.. Lowe expressed his graft
tude to the Santa Fe officials who had
tried to the utmost to assist hin in
his trouble.
THE time made by the Lowe special
IS an achievement of which we are
justly proud" said Passenger Traffic
Manager Nicholson of the Santa Fe.
Our only regret is that the extra
ordinary speed could not avail Mr..
Lowe as he hoped it might"
This crossing of the American con-
tinent in seventy-three hours and
twenty-one minutes establishes a rec
ord for the trans-continentaI trip that
will not be surpassed for many days
to come. When ii is considered that
the time was brought down to this
remarkably low figure only by extra
ordinary speed on the level prairies
and the broad table-lands, some idea
| Of the tremendous strain may De
gathered. For long distances a speed
of considerably over mile a minute
was maintained. The route from the
Mississippi to the Continental Divide
is upgrade, with much steep noun
tain climbing in places.
In 1900 remarkable run was made
by the Peacock special from West to
East, it's average speed being All
miles an hour between Los Angeles
and Chicago. This train, however.
had the advantage of the down-grade
from the Rockies to the Mississippi
valley.
The famous Nellie bly, special made
the trip from San Francisco to Chi
cago in sixty-nine hours at an average
speed OF 81 1-3 miles an hour
BY comparison of these schedules
fair idea may be gathered of the
remarkable record Of the Lowe spe-
cial. This achievement will go down
in red letters in the annals of railroad
ing