Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-07
A Ride on the Fast Mail.

"A Rlde on the Fast Mail.
1T is significant that the one train
which makes the Chicago-St. Pau
run in ten hours, carries no passen
gers.
To ride on it is privilege ac
quired by few. Yet journey on
this train, which carries none but
government mail clerks and its
crew, is an experience, especially il
the journey be made on the fire.
mans side" Of the huge locomotive
which pulls it. 1t is relevation OIL
what fast passenger service means
and liberal education in appIecia.
ton of the cool nerve and absolute
compentency Of the men who run
fast trains.
The fast mail over the Chicago
Milwaukee 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 into the Dominion, east and
west into adjoining states and radi.
ating over a dozen lines of railway
into every nook and Granny of the
Northwest.
If one asks why the fast mail
carries no passengers he is answer
ed that there are other trains which
do that work. Another reason is
appearant after journey on the
head end" with the two cinder-
marked and grease-smudged gods
of the machine that pulls it.
Ten-hour service means speed.
On glorious night not long ago
tho fast mail pulled out of Milwau-
lSee on time, swinging along at an
easy gate through the maze Of green
white and red switchlights until the
last tall semaphore arm signaled
"all Clear then Engineer Sullivan's
long right arm shot forward through
the dark suddenly, the hoarse syn
copation of the exhaust changed
suddenly to long wailing roar, and
the tremendous 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
father in his early life had appren-
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 regu-
lar succession and telegraph poles
flew by so fast it was hardly posi-
BILE to count. The track ahead took
on an uncanny grayish haze, but
the speed constantly increased.
The big locomotive slowed down
for nothing. She took sharp curves
like a race horse and lunged into
the long tangents like a signed cat.
Engineer Sullivan didn't talk much.
lie was pretty busy watching the
track. When he did talk it was to
the point
"Forty-tive miles out of Milwau-
kee, 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 con.
ductor appeared out Of the gloom
and remarked that journal on 6
mail car had run hot.
Hot Journals are not serious il
themselves, but six minutes clipped
from the schedule of a train which
must run while in motion at rat,
of slightly more than IS miles al
hour for 405 miles, is a very impor
tant matter. Engineer Sullivan
swore softly and drowned hi.
wrath in copious applications o
more oil to the big engin's stuffins
boxes. Then he mounted the tower
ing cab again and the race was Oh
for the second time.
| Woodland grinned.
well run like pup with a ii,
can tied to his tail now" he conid
ed.
We did. Mile posts and tele
graph poles became one long process
sion, with scarcely preceptihIe dis
lance between them. The air rush
ed through the open air window
like a cyclone, and the mail cars
trailing along behind, rocked an,
swung on their springs like so man,
drunken men. The pace was tire
mendous.
Ones sensations were much lik
those when the horses enter the las
eight on fast track and 4O,OO'
people in the grandstand begin t
cheer. The speed gradually increas
ed from 81 to 5S, then to 60, &C, n
"a and rs miles an hour; then, OF
| the crest of a "hill' the summit c
an up and down grade, it suddenl
jumped to 81 and then to 90 mile
an hour-a mile and half minut,
and one felt an insane desire to yam
the throttle away out to see if it wei
8 not possible to make three miles
minute.