The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-12
A. C. s. Race for Mail Contract
BY H. M. HENDERSON.

n ACK in the early eighties, there was Tx a great rivalry existing between 1 the two ceeat trunk lines the Louisville & Nashville and the Queen & Crescent for the mail contract between Cincinnati and New Or leans. The occasion that lead to the writing of this little story rose when word had been received from the Post Office Department in Washington that the mail contract was to be awarded to the road making the best time over these . two great lines.
 s.s on a certain day word was sent ddr h the line of the Queen & Crescent tat the big race was to be pulled off the next day" s-f
 First No. 5 consisting of a mail car, baggage car. two day coaches and Pul- man would leave Cincinnati at 9:30 the next morning and would have the right of way over all trains, and was to be giv en a clear track, the white board by day and the white light by night Consequent ly the railroad men especially those of the Queen x Crescent system. were on the ''qu vive' in Chattanooga, myself among the number.
 As precaution track walkers, acting under orders of the division road masters, had personally inspected all switches. and looked after the road bed culVerts and even after any bolts or taps that might be loose at the rail joints and sec tion men with white flags by day and white lights by night were sationed along tn. line to give the proper signals that ali was right in fact every necessary precaution was taken to assist in the fast run to be made without accident.
 Promptly No. rolled into the car shed ia Chattanooga "on the det." There the Cincinnati Southern men surrendered the train to the Alabama Great Southern crew who were to make tho record break ing run to Meridian, Miss, 6 distance of 295 miles. The train in charge of that thorough railroad conductor Captain Mar tin Ford, who though some years older now still swings the punch and lantern for the Alabama Great Southren road. Jesse Haver. as cool headed and fearless a man as eyer pulled throttle, was the engineer His engine was of two large McQueen's that had been sent down from the shops in Ludlow, Ky, for the occasion. These were considered the fast est passenger engines in the service of those days.
 Cny few moments were consumed in transferring train equipments in Chat anooga and we were off. The Cincinnati Southern having made a record breaking run from Cincinnati we were eager to hold up the good start over the Alabama Great Southern division. By the time the rea lghts on the rear end of the Pullman nassed out of the lower end of the car shed we were hitting twenty mile clip. Sand running from the sand pipe and the big drivers catching good "toe hold' on the bright rails at every revolution.
 Out in he darkness like a thing of life great curls of black smoke boiling from the McQueen's smoke stack rushed the locomotive the smooth rails under the rlsre of her bright headlight looking like ribbons of silver as far as the eyes could nenotrate The white lights as target switches flashed as we went down through the yards. past Cravens. where .Ac white light shining like a star was given us. then round the bend of the blue Tennessee. hugging the great gray walls of "Old Lookout and over and enon te big brass bell changing caused by the swaying of the engine as she gather cd momentum at every revolution of her big drivers
 Down through tho little hamlet of Nanhatchie where the switch had been turned on to the Alabama Great Southern main lin, by tfo lookout in tho tower bv o-,.-. to save our stopping then down fsa. .cr,, st-a sht stretch through Wild wood
 aen is was she sprang forward like so,no frightened bird darting out into the hlaclc night The engineer dropping her down couple of notches and tapping the lever os the throttle the big engine re- vponded nohiy and was cutting 'em off shc-." wf,ffe the fireman was shove1ing in the sbIacl dianonds' with increasing regularity.
 Rising Fcwn Sulphur Springs, vaI- Icy Heed Fort Payne. Poterviile. Col