The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-16

train from tidewater o tidewater In eighty
seven hours and thirty-fve minutes, the
fictitious journey was not considered by
contemporary travellers 80 extraordinary
a. that Of Jules Verne's characters In
Around the World In Eighty Days."
Nevertheless the transcontinental trip
had not been accomplished in the time
given by Kipling up to the publication Of
Go plains Courageous, and the account OF
the Journey, with it's rapid shifts Of engines
and forced pressure upon men and equip
ment, was read with great interest by rail-
road men.
It was before the days Of frequent great
bursts Of speed by special emergency
trains. And even the most enthusiastic
D assenRer agent, sanEuine though this
class "a Of the possibilities Of rapid transit
by rail, could not be led to cypress an as
surance that the romance would soon be
thrown into shadow by the reality OF an
actual trip.
Soon after the publication Of Kipling's
novel the use Of special trains became
more frequent Men Of wealth chartered
them to reach the bedside Of Invalid mem
bers Of their families; high Government
officials took them to expedite public busi-
ness: very often they were brought lh'o
play for purely pleasure trips, where com
/ fort and e1clusiveness were desired quite az
much as speed. In business emergencies
| special trains have been chartered to carry
/ securities and in many cases have relieved
| the embarrassment Of prominent firms,
With the extraordinary speed facilities
! afforded nv the introduction Of the 100
| and 40 ton locomotives, heavier track
ballast, only enough cars behind the loco
motive properly to ballast It. and free head
INV remarkable bursts Of speed in special
! trains became so frequent that hip!lhg
| fictitious record was soon ecipsed' a.
Verne's trip a, ound the world, gave way 10
modern progress.
II was Henry p. lowe, chief engineer OF
the United States Steel Corporation VINO
was destined to make an absTdlty OF tIe
crownine feat Of Kipling's novel MS
! trim with one OF two exceptions was a couh-
teruart Of Harvey Cheyne's journey
While in New York he learned OF the
critical illness Of his daughter in Los An
los lust as Harvey Cbeyne in Los Ahg
received tidnRs Of the rescue OF his long
! lost son. As Cheyne had done, Lowe used
me New York Central lines between the
Atlantic coast and Chicago and sPeclai
on the Santa Fe between Chicago ana
los Angeles. His special, like Cheyne s.
IA the right of way; as in Cheyne's trip
sDoad that rocked division superintendents
vas attained, and finally both ulps were
made without mishap, IT,
Tbev would furnish an exact parallel
were il not that they were mace IN opp
site directions and that the personal ele-
ments in loves journey presented TO-
mantle features far superior 10 those oon-
jured by KipIng
Cheyne's journey was loyiul missioi, :
loves one Of anxiety. Cheyne TOOK with
him n wife growing stronger from pros
tration caused by her sons Supposed pss'
lowe was racing toward vile pros
rated. though he did not know It, py tne
death OF their daughter. Cheyne iouho ms
son safe and well, Lowe found his daushter
dead. and most dramatic OF ALL rom t.e
time that Lowe left Kansas the wires 10 the
poc;6c Coast we're down and he could get
~ inte,ligenoe Of the condition Of his daugh-
tor from the Kansas line until his arrival
in Los Angeles.
In noint OF speed the actual journey beat
the fictitious one by exactly fourteen hours
~ tourteen minutes. Lowe crossed the
ointment in seventy-three hours and
tvsntv-one minutes. His special reacheo
To- AngeIes ten hours ahead OF its schedule
and heat the re gular time Of the Santa yes
California Limited by fifteen hours and
ei,taen minutes. The record has not
haen surpassed up to the present time
Two other time records we're established
hv snecial trains on the New York Central
last fall Norman Erb, Noe-president oil
tba p re Marquette Railroad, travelling
,ros,uard with Mrs. Erb on the New YORK
Central was caught in a wreck near Lyons
Mrs Erb was fatally injured and her nus
hand telephoned to DR.. Meyer OF TINS city
80 come at once to Rochester on a special
train. Mrs. Erb pending his arrival oelhR
taken to a hospital in that CITY
rhe vyreok occurred at 4sS0 o'clock In the
,,,orninq. At 1888, half an hour after 1t was
ordared bv DR.. Meyer, the special left the
end Central Station and burned the rails
I'll the way TO Rochester, where II arrived
a. 80 p. NJ. having covered 81 miles in
asa minutes. This is at the rate OF 5000
miles an hour.
ront keeper. received word that his son was
ssriolsly I'll at SaranRo. A special train left
tbe Grand Central twenty minutes after II
vas ordered by him and reached its desti-
ration in the AdirondAolEs quicker than the
distance had ever been covered before.
The extreme limit Of speed possible Ia
date on railroads has also been attained on
several occasions to meet business emer-
genci 5. During the Northern Pacific panic
in 1901. on May 0, the day that the stock
onened at 100 and touched 900, the Troy
house Of ]. S. Bache a Co., soon after the
onening OF the market informed the main
once OF the purchase Of a block Of stock.
instructions we're at once sent TO Hish the
stock down by special train, and at 1914;
there was made ready a division superin'
tendents pony. which is a combination loco
motive and palace car. Such an engine
though capable Of attaining high speed
runs risk Of jumping track because o
insufficient ballast when the throttle 4
thrown open, and Il was hair raisinl
trim down along the Hudson for the mes
senger with the stock In his possession.
The pony covered the i5i miles nine min
,tes faster than the schedule Of the Empir,
state and pulled up in New York in tim,
10 hermit the messenger. by stepping lively