Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-09-22
A RIDE ON THE FAST MAIL
In the Cab between Chicago, St
Paul and Minneapolis.

| uh AZ Vel hOuFo CdETtcs No pdcScu-
gers.
To ride on 1t is a privilege acquired
by few. Yet a journey on this train,
which carries none but government
mail clerks and its crew, is an exper-
fence, especially if the journey be
made on the "fireman's side" OF the
huge locomotive which pulls it. 1t is
a revelation or what fast passenger
service means and a liberal education
in appreciation of the cool nerve and
absolute competency of the men who
run fast trains.
The fast mail over the Chicago, Mil
waukee and St. Paul Railway leaves
Chicago every night of the year with
from twenty to fifty tons of mail
aboard and reaches ST. Paul every
morning with its burden of letters and
packages In time for transfer to
other trains to the Pacific coast to
connect with the mail boats, north in
to the dominion, east and west into
the adjoining states and radiating
over dozen lines OF railway into
every nook and Granny of the north
west.
If one asks why the fast mail car
ries no passengers he is answered that
there are other trains which do that
work. Another reason is apparent
after a journey on the "head end"
with the two cinder-marked aud
grease smudged gods of the machine
that pulls 1t.
Ten hour service means speed. On
a glorious night not long ago the fast
mail pulled out of Milwaukee on time,
: swinging along at an easy gait
through the maze of green, white and
red switchlights until the last tall
semaphore arm signalled "all clear"
then Engineer Sullivan's long right
arm shot forward through the dark
suddenly, the hoarse syncopation of
the exhaust changed suddenly to a
long wailing roar, and the tremen-
dous locomotive seemed to timber up
in every joint as she swung forward
into the night.
He trun her in compound" the
fireman, Woodland, explained. His
ticed him to a jeweler. He had a
back like an OK and an arm like an
oak tree.
Mile posts began to fade in regular
succession and telegraph poles flew
by so fast it was hardly psssible to
count. The track ahead took an
uncanny grayish haze, but the speed
: constantly increased. The big loco
motive slowed up for nothing. She
took sharp curves like race horse
and lunged in long tangents like a
singed cat. Engineer Sullivan didn't
talk much. He was pretty busy
watching the track. When he did
talk it was to the point.
"Forty-five miles out of Milwaukee,
including the trip through the yards
, and suburbs, where we had to slow
, down, in forty-six minutes" he said.
: He dropped to the ground and oiled
up almost on the run. Two minutes
elapsed, the big machine was ready to
go again, but the conductor appeared
: out of the gloom and remarked that a
} journal on the mail car had run hot.
} Hot journals are not serious in
: themselves, but six minutes clipped
3 from the schedule of train which
} must run while in motion at a rate
of slightly more than So miles an
, hour for 40S miles, is a very i'm
portant matter. Engineer Sullivan
j., swore softly and drowned his wrath
J in copious applications of more oil in
the big engines stutfing boxes. Then
, he mounted the towering cab again
aud the race was on for a second
time.
Woodland grinned.
Gwen run like pup with tin can
tied to his tail now" he confded.
: We did. Mile posts and telegraph poles be-
came one long procession, with scarcely per-
ceptible distances between them: The air
: rushed through the open cab windows like a
cyclone, ID the mail cars. trailing along be
| hind, re and swung on their springs like
so MAN. drunken men. The pace was tre-
mendous.
Ones sensations were much like those when
the horses enter the last eighth on fast
track and 10000 people in the grand stand
} begin to cheer. The speed gradually in
creased from 5 to SO, then to 81, SO, II, "a
: and 70 miles an hour; then on the crest Of a
"hill," the summit Of an up and down grade
; 1t suddenly jumped to "a and then to 81
a miles an hour-a mile and half a minute
and one felt an insane desire to yank the
throttle away out and see II 1t were not pos
sible to make three miles minute.
1t was Il place that made the government
mail officials grin, but it was no pace for Sc
, date burghers and business men.
At Rio the pace suddenly fell Off. Engin-
7 eer sullivan looked at his watch.
"on time" he said briefly, The Fast Mail
covered the remaining few miles at handy
clip stopped for minute at crossing and
7 swung Into Portage. OBJ miles from Mill
, waukee, on time to second.
! Ninety three miles In a trltte more than lou
l minuteS actual running time!
Keeling off the miles at speed or practl-
cally a mile minute. Engineer sullivan
passed the yard limits at Sparta on time;
| only To ma the signals OUT against nun, anu
Train No. =, which had the right OF way be-
cause IL was Il southbound train, losing time
and late. The heavy mail train pulled into
> clear on a siding and twelve minutes lapsed
{ before the bright, white headlight OF the
southbound passenger showed around a
curve. .
Twelve minutes lost was a handicap, but IL
, did not mean much after the other things
, that had happened. The big AZ locomotive
, with driving wheels seven feet in diameter,
! swung out on the main line again, and after
a few strokes OF her pistons, sent the speed
rate climbing
Eighty eight miles an hour was interest
= ing hut not sensational, after having made
! 90 miles an hour The heavy train pulled
into North La Crosse on tlme-26 miles in
232 minutes.
90. milwaukee, 4 st. Paul Railway make
speed records sometimes. Their schedules
are mode rate, yet their engine drivers are in
constant danger OF minor delays and small
losses OF time, every minute OF which means
u faster actual running schedule and more
speed In order to cover the remaining mile
age on time. To handle "A big train requires
several qualities most men value-absolute
self-conhdence and selt-reiance on the part
OF the engine driver conservative nerve and
daring. resOurcefu ness and lightning quick