The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-12-28


neeting ovation crowds ilning every
side street 10 see the train dash along.
The little towns outside Los Angeles |
aittcd by like shanows the cheers Of
the crowds shrilling an instant and then
dropping away from the tail Of the race
ing train.
thirty ave miles out Of Los Angeles
the jar Of the air brakes told that some
thing was wronE The big engine was
slowing down and nigh on the flank
OF the mountain OF steel a fireman was
clnslng
TOO bad" said Conductor Simpson.
'sThe tank box has gone hot on ust Tho
hreman's playing the hose on e."
hut the trouble was Immediately rec
;Ined and then the train began to whiz
IN earnest. John Finlay meant to make
up that lost time And be did. one
hour and fifteen minutes had been the
railroad schedule 10 san Bernardino. The
Coyote cut ten minutes on this time.
Here a helper engine was picked up and
In a few minutes the engine-drivcrs were
attacking the heavy grade 81 the Caion
Pass. Up near summit at the crest OF
the hin. we saw the first bit Of what to
the amateur railroaders Of the parry
seemed almost miraculous railroading.
mile before we reached Summit the
helper engine was unooupled on the ny
and. while the speed Of the train never
slaclened for an instant, the HIGHT en-
gine dashed ahead, ran onto siding. the
switch was thrown back and the oncom-
ing special whitfield over the crest Of
the hill,
Here II was "A different story. We were
on our first descending grade. The
problem now was not how fast we could
run but how EAST We dared run. SO we
shot down toward Barstow at a mile
minute. turning and twisting in and out.
/ Engineer Finlay's hand always on tho
air brake When we made the mile be-
tween mile posts A and 43 in thirty-nine
seconds, or at tho rate OF ninety-six
miles an hour. we began to feel that the
great race was fairly on. Fast time or
mountain division Is O. very different
proposition from the same rate on the
straightaway Of the plains. Mountain
divisions are full OF curves. and II one
| pauses to reflect on the impact with
which sss ions Of equipment hits the
outer rail OF eharp curve when hurled
against It at the rate OF ninety miles
an hour, the charm OF record breaking
is tinged with the pale cast Of thought
did not have time TO think Of these
things while they were happening. II Is
much wiser not TO Inquire too curiously
into such matters until afterward Mean
while the certainty that your welfare
was the thought uppermost In the cool
brains Of every member OF the operating
department OF the old Santa Fe system.
compares not unfaTorably with the COM
forts OF a clear conscience. At any rate.
Il supplements them nicely.
Back in the Pullman. We knew that
every man who had our safety In his
keeping had bcen picked with reference
to his known possession Of the quail
ties which make for security as well as
speed-safety. first then speed. And so
wher they told us that we were skim
minK their roadbed faster than a train
had ever done II before. we patted this
Santa Fe system ON the back and said
"Hit her upl''
e We whistled into Barstow twenty-si1
T; minutes ahead OF the killing schedule
e which had been laid out for us Thai
: twenty-six minutes was the Gift OF En-
p gineer Finlay and his crew. and any
I one looking for good rafroading may rely
, on them TO r7pel as often as th'
I call comes ia.
AT Barstoa wc changed engines for th'
I. race across ,he desert Il was warn
: run from Barstow TO the Needles. but th'
( Coyote took Il on the fly causing the liz
ards to hastily huns their holes and
? massing the cacu by the roadside looi
like hedge fence.
At 1913 the Colorado river shimmerot
T in the distance. at 7;lT the Coyote cains
=. 20 a staadstiil az the head Of the Needles
yard In exactly eighty seconds th'
! train was moving again, O. fresh engin'
taking up the work. Thousands line,
, the track near the depot but they hat
e no more than "a heeting glimpse OF The
flying special and she was gone.
4 Twelve tortuous miles below tho
p Needles the Santa Fe crosses the Colo.
I rado river on steel cantiiever brldge--e
marvel of modern engineering. Hung sol
, idly across n wide, tawny stream En-.
; gineer Jackson swung over that twisting
, track al sixty-fve miles an hour, and the
! glasses ieaped In tho diner rush o
sound, crdlking OF bridge timbers
: and with a duh whirl the Coyote found
Arizona soil.
To quote verbatim from dispatch e
the Kansas City Star:
Have you ever seen the salt cellars
, playing ping pong with each other7 i
IL not conducive TO a healthy appetite
One gets to wondering what would hap
pen II an engine should take tie ditch
, going al that rate Of speed. The cores
pendent looked over at the conductor
Tom Brayil. and It was great relief L
an amateur record breaker 10 note tina
he was stin smiling jackson doesn'
F. know curve when he sees one calle'
the conductor across the ear. The who'll
road looks straight TO him..
Here is the menu OF the Death Val
I ley Coyote, eaten sixty miles an hou
I over a mountain division:
I caviare Sandwich Ia Death Vale
Iced Consomme.
g Porterhouse Steak Ia Coyote, two inche
thick and a Marvel OF Tenderness.
Brolled SQUAD on Toast, with strips q
Bacon an scotty.
Stuffed Tomatoes.
Ice Cream with Colored Trimmings.
= Cheese Coffee Cigars
Nov, where can you beat that, Nj
: Epieure? Hats OF to Chef Geyer. VIII
~ win sec the trip through TO Chicago
y Mr.. Geyer has been many years IN N
service Of Fred Harvey. ana when he wa
g slated 10 make this run. his wife Oh
~ iected seriously. She reminded Gey,
e OF his four small children and bade hin
y let some other man break his neck 0
'e the Coyote Special.
"'und I say 10 her explained Geye
II dot man IA der enchine can stand
't TO pun der train, / can stand q 20 rid
ie behind him, yet
4 ANY man who can cook like that