The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-12-27
How Fast Can an Engine Travei7

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train Of cars speed down the valley or
go shooting over the plain, and you
say to YOURSELF
That's travelling at the rate of a
mile nI:Gute.'
In al probability it was not gcing
faster than thirty. five miles an hour,
or considerably less than a mile a
minute.
You look up to the engineer 10 his
cab and you think his life an easy
one. Yet one Of the Oldest Of them
said to me recently:
1.-The engineer who is not sober,
who does not tell the truth and who
does not make careful study of his
work, cannot last in his work. am
bringing up my boy, who hopes to
become an engineer, to be just Go
steady end reliable as the world
would ask him to be if he were try
ing to be merchant or banker.
"Eogiueers carry too many lives in
their bands to eyer be trihers."
l realized this when sat up In the
CAP OF great passenger engine haul.
| ing one Of the new eighteen hour
trains to New York, and saw by my
"ssoh and the mile posts, that wo
Here running eighty miles an hour.
Over nearly ninety tons Of steel, iron,
brass and steam sat the engineer, the
mind controlling the mechanism.
Every sense in him had to be alert.
He must not only watch the engine
aud its conduct, but every bit Of tho
road ahead OF him, every signal dis.
played. =
His continuous speed is, Of COURSE.
not eighty miles an hour; no train in
the world has such q speed for any
great distance. The running time
OF the average passenger train in the
United States is about thirty Ave
miles an hour, and few trains forty
five miles an hour, and Of very few
from ffty-seven to sixty miles an
hour. The fastest passenger train
time ever run was q single mile on the
New York Central in a little more
than thirty-one seconds. Tho fast.
est mail time ever made was fourteen
miles in seven minutes, or q mile
every thirty seconds.
But one is going quite fast at forty
or fifty miles On hour, even though
the big machine may be able for short
distances to make as high as ninety
miles an horr. I remember on this
particular trip that took, how, after
the night had como on and we still
kept our high. speed, suddenly, far
doWn the track, rcd iaut5zu flashed
ont across the track.
II the engineer had not been watch
ing and the fireman been doing his
duty, they would not have caught the
warming in tine, but they .ct'. sag
1t, and the whistle screamed cut no.
tiee TO the men behind the lantern
that the train would stop. Steam,
was shut OF and the air brakes quick.
ly applied. From the huge divers
sparkle asw as the shoes Of the brakes
took hold. Gradually but withou.
jar or jolt the train came to stand
still, and the engineer learned that
We hsd come to bad piece OF track
that must .be run over very slowly.
Then we started up again.. Back 10
the sleeping cars half Of the pasaen.
gers did not know Why We stopped:
and tho other half were sound asleep,
but the engineer was attending to his
work. ~ ..}..z2> :, = :. -. ~.
On another occasion, riding in the
cab OF an exprese engine and travelling
st very high rate Of speed, I saw,
at the same instant the engineer did,
another engine coming toward u.s. Il:
was too. late to stop either, but the
engineer I was with put on, more
steam and did oil be could in the
short time he had to work in TO have
tremendous headway when the collis.
ion should come. y I " .< s. S :::> q: B.;
It was all kinds of a collision, for
We knocked the other engine OF the
track and into the river, andsS@while
our own mechanism was badly dam,
aged, it held the rails and was able 10
take us to the next station. Not q
peraou on the train was Injured. Two
or three dsys; after the accident the
engineer was called before hie divis,i
ion superintendent, who said TO him:
'Pat, Why did: you snorease yonr
speed SO much and hit No. Ssi ;Hsioo,
hard?" 2ss :, L +, II. s {. i .I
'Well, Mr.. Gear, it was like this:
[ had 20 think quick and think right:
He was coming without . train and /.
was hauling the; limited loaded With;
passengers. / figured ;if. I cnuid 7hik