Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-05-01
,Maeeaaneuas Beading.
soUrHERNs FAMOUS NO. 81.
A Train That Runs From New York
70 New Orleans In Thirty.Six Hours.

SoUTHERNS FAMOUS NO. 81.
A Train That Runs From New York
to New Orleans In Thirty-Six Hours.
Ninety-seven. the fast mail train
that runs from New York to New
Orleans every day Of the year, is one
Of the most interesting visitors that
travels this way, and the people have
learned to speak Of her as II she were
a living creature instead Of a string
of cars drawn by a powerful engine.
The negroes of the communities
through which ninety-seven passes
have great respect and no little rev.
erence for this train Of all trains.
In calling the roll Of her children to
police officer a Brooklyn negress
said, "and dat's little Ninety-sebben,
de baby" Every town, between New
York and New Orleans where negroes
dwell, there are Ninety -sebbens."
One OF Charlotte's most notorious
blind tigresses Is known by her ad-
mirers as "Big Ninety-sebben," and
when, she walks about other persons
Of color stand aside, for she has a
powerful frame, terrible temper and
strong arm. AS one Of her friends
said, 1T sho' Is er sight to see dat
niger shuttle when she gifts mad"
Ninety-seven has made her way in
the south, and the people who read
northern daily papers and transact
lots of business by mail are very
much attached to her. Her fame has
already been recorded in poetry and
song. The believing Of the bulls OF
Bashan could not have caused more
talk than does the whistling Of
ninety-seven as she glides through
the south on her mission Of civiliza-
ton and enlightenment.
Ninety-seven as a machine Is inter-
esting. Four cars, one loaded with
express, one with stored mail and
two with live. mail matter, are drawn
by an engine that Is described as be-
longing to class twenty-one hy twen-
ty-eight inches, ten-Wheel passenger
engine, with sixty-six inch driving
wheel and Weighing 100000 pounds.
After ninety-seven arrives in Spen-
Ger she becomes subject to Superin-
tendent p L. McManus Of the Char
lotte division Of the Southern, and
Chief Dispatcher William M. Line
berger, who sends her on to Green
n
A. Tankersley are the engineers that
pull the throttle over the big en-
gines that carry her from Spencer
to Greenville, and their firemen are
W. w. Stevenson and George Quinn.
Messrs. P. A. Hill and M. C. Green
serve as conductors on the mighty
flyer.
The mail Is handled by nine clerks
who belong to Uncle Sam. Here
Messrs. Joseph H. Young, as mail
transfer clerk, and ]. Y. Wellington,
assistant clerk, keep tab on ninety
seven. They make a report Of her
arrival, the time required to handle
the mail and the time Of her depart
ure. The schedule that the train
must make Is as follows: Leave New
York at 2:O5 o'clock in the morning,
arrive at Washington at 1850, and
feave there at 8, arrive here at $40
In the afternoon. and leave at 5:25;
arrive at Atlanta at 1907 at night
and at New Orleans at 11:15 the fol-
lowing day. From New York to
Washington the train Is handled by
the Pennsylvania road, and from
Washington to New Orleans by the
Southern and the Louisville & Nash
vile. New York papers that go to
press after midnight arrive here be-
fore night. The demand for such
luxuries has increased almost hum
dred fold. Buster Brown has become
a household necessity. .'.
There Is no ninety-eight: no fast
northbound train. The fact causes
many persons to wonder what be-
comes Of the engines. the cars and
the crew that go south. How do they
get back If there is no ninety-eight?
The Charlotte division will serve to
illustrate: The engines with either
Mr.. Smith or Mr.. Tankersley driv-
ing it, alternately. brings back the
second section Of No. 36 the follow
ing morning; this train carries pas
sengers and mail. and a ninety-seven
conductor runs 1t. The return move
ments Of ninety-seven'sI cars is hand
led by the first section Of No. 36.
Ninety seven has the right Of way
over all trains. A special rule in the
time tables reads to this effect: mo.
81 Is superior to all trains. All first
class trains must take the siding at
meeting or passing points and clear
the track at least five minutes before
ninety-seven Is due"
Barring accidents, ninety-seven runs
practically on time. In the case or
engine failure she has the first con-
sideration.
The entire regular mail transpor-
tation pay from Washington to Char
lotte Is, exclusive of car rents, $685.
974.52. and thirty-five per cent there
Of which goes to No. 81, Is 1884,
O91.O8, to which add the rental of the
three postoffice cars to Charlotte.
$2S,521. and you have the total reg
ular pay for No. 81 from Washing
ton to Charlotte of $212.612.0S; and.
of course, it gets large pay from
Charlotte to Atlanta, but not so much
per mile as from Washington to
Charlotte. There is not so much mail
handled from those two places as
from Washington to Charlotte, and
there Is not as much from Danville
to Charlotte as. from Washington TO
Danville.-ChariGtte Observer.
A MURpERoUS WEAPON.