The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1903-08-21
BREAKS ALL RECORDS.
From Atlantic to Pacific In Three
Days Time.

| All previous records for railroad
time from Atlantic to Pacific coast
were broken on Friday, August T.
when the Fl. p. Lowe special rolled
into Los Angles over the Santa Fe at
LOS p. IN.
Henry T. 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 Angles. 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 4S
miles per hour, arriving In Chicago
on Wednesday forenoon. Hurrying
from the Lake Shore to the Santa Fe
depot in a cab which was being held
in waiting for him. The anxious IA
Their boarded the special and was out
ward bound twenty three minutes
after reaching the Windy City. "
Composed Of coach and hote-car
Rocket and drawn by powerful
iron greyhound, with Engineer Dug
gan at the throttle, the Santa Fe
special eaped into the race, with or.
| iCi . w ihdhC w obODo CAOCDU UuOSC w
take water and coal and to change
engines and crews.
Leaving Dearborn station, Chicago,
the train struck out toward the
Southwest with whlrl and rush.
| Swiftly rising To the level of the ele-
waited rOadbeu, 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
| can not be said that he settled down
at all, for, in his anxiety to cover the
ground in the shortest possible time,
Mr.. Low repeatedly urged that the
speed be increased, and for great
snare 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 faster the giant ten
| wheeler flew. Faster and faster the
local way stations whizzed by the
windows in an indiStinct blurr. Cross.
ing the state Of Illinois in space Of
time heretofore unequaled, the spec
| al rolled across tue Mississippi at
Fort Madison, clipped off section Of
Iowa, traverSed the northern part OF
the state of Missouri, bridged the
broad Missouri river and steamed
into Kansas City Union depot.
With scarcely a halt in its 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 it sped, not only main
Gaming the schedule laid out, but
nj In, IN 10 n
La Junta was reached at $40 a. M,
August &, aud veeriug toward the
southwest the special split the soil
tude OF the Colorado and New Mexico
wilderness, plung,ng into Albuquer-
que at j:37 . III. From Albuquerque
straight west, crossing the desert Of
New Mexico and Arizona, surmOunt-
ing the range of the GlOrle;a mount
aims, the train reached Selgman in
western Arizona at a. N. Aug. l.
Leaving here it climbed the Williams
range and entered the Golden State
across the Colorado river.
AT FOG p. III. on Friday, August l.
the tram rolled into Los Angeles ten
hours ahead of the schedule as origl-
nally planned, the distance from
Chicago to the Pacific coast (2,265
miles)having been covered at an YER
age Of 42.S miles per hour, beating
tue time Of the Santa FEES California
Limited by fifteen hours and sixteen
minutes.
WuIIe he was still this side Of the
R0bky 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.
la spite Of his ppointment, how.
ever, Mr.. Lowe expressed his graft
Jude to the Santa Fe officials who
uad tried to the utmost TO assist him
n his trouble.
"The time made by the Lowe spec
ial is an achievement OF which we
are justly proud" said Passenger
Traffic Manager Nicholson, Of the
Santa Fee. ''Our only regret is that
the extraordinary speed could not
avail Mr.. Lowe as he hoped it might.
This crossing Uf the American con-
tinent in seventy three hours and
twenty one minutes establishes a
record for the tranS-continental trip
that Will not be surpassed for many
days to come. When it is considered
that the time was brought down to
this remarkably low figure only by ex-
traordinary speed on the level prairies
and the broad tablelands, some idea
of the tremendous strain may be
gathered. For long distances a speed
Of considerably over mile minute
was maintained. The route from the
Mississippi to the Continental Divide
is up grade, with much steep mount
ain climbing in places.
In 1900 remarkable run was made
by the Peacock special from West TO
East, its 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 sixLy-nine hours at an average
speed of 37t miles an hour.
BY comparison Of these schedules
a fair idea may be gathered OF the re-
markable record Of the Lowe special.
This achievement will go down in red
letters in the annals of railrOading.