Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-08-12

were broken on Friday, August when
the Lowe Special rolled into Los An
geles at LOG p. N.
Henry 2. Lowe, chief engineer OF
the United States Steel Company, left
New York tuesday, afternoon, August
4, at 245 Immediately upon hearing
of his daughter fatal illness in the
distant California city of Los Angeles
Catching the Twentieth Century Lin
tied over the New York Central and
Lake Shore Railroad, he raced west
ward to Chicago at an average speed
of 1873 miles per hour, arriving in
Chicago on Wednesday morning,
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, Composed of coach and hotel
oar rocket and drawn oy a power
full iron greyhound, with Engineer
Duggan at the throttle, the Santa Fe
special leaped into the race, with or
ders to make no stops except those to
take water and coal and to change
engines and crews.
Leaving Dearborn station, Chicago.
the train struck out toward the South
west, with whirl and a rush. Swiftly
rising to the level of the elevated
roadbed, it was off on it's way toward
Joliet before the grief stricken pass
enger had had time to settle down for
his long ride. In his anxiety to cover
the ground in the shortest possible
time, Mr. Lowe repeatedly urged that
the speed be increased. For a great
share of the distance he rode in the
engine cab, and the rumble and roar
of the mighty locomotive soothed, in
: measure, his troubled mind. Faster
and faster the local way station flew
by the windows in an indistinct BLUR.
Crossing the state of Illinois in a space
of time heretofore unequaled, the
special rolled across the Mississippi at
Fort Madison, clipped off section OF
Iowa, crossed the State OF Missouri
bridged the broad Missouri river and
n
rolling prairie land of Kansas and on
toward Colorado, climbing the ever
increasing grade as the Rockies were
approached, the special not only main.
tanned the schedule laid out for it, but
kept gaining with every mile it flew.
La Junta was reached at 9:10 a. NJ,
Augusta, and veering toward the south
west the special split the solitude OF
the Colorado and New Mexico wilder
ness, plunging into Albuquerque
straight west, crossing the mesas OF
New Mexico and Arizona, surrounding
the range of the Glorieta mountains,
the train reached Seligman in western
Arizona at a. M, Aug. z. Leaving
here it climbed the William range and
entered the Golden State across the |
Colorado river. At LOG p. N. On Fri |
day, August z. the train rolled into
Los Angeles ten hours ahead of the
schedule as originally planned, the
distance from Chicago to the Pacific
coast having been covered at an aver
age of 42.S miles per hour, having
beaten the time of the Santa Fe's Cali
fornia 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.
In spite of his disappointment, how
ever, Mr.. Lowe expressed his gratitude
to the Santa Fe officials no had tried
to the utmost to assist him 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
ssOur Onlv repret ia that the extraordin
airy speed could not avail Mr.. Lowe as
he hoped it might"
The crossing of the American con
tinent in seventy three hours and
twenty-one minutes establishes q rec
ord for the trans-continental trip that
will not be surpassed for many days to
come. When it is considered that the
time was hrOupht down tO tbic rop,orl>