New-York tribune., 1907-02-26
PRESIDENT HOME AGAIN
Many Delays Encountered in Re
turning from Boston.


Washington, Feb 25-Old Time played a los
ing game with the train on which President
Roosevelt returned from Boston this afternoon.
The triD was a continuous performance in which
delay mOnopolized the middle of the stage al
most from the moment the engine left the South
Station in Boston, and instead Of arriving at
the capital at 9:45 8. m. as his schedule pre-
dcted. It was 1877 O'Clock when the weary en-
gine pulled the tardy cars into the 9th street
station. In spite of the fact that the President
had number of important engagements for the
forenoon hours at the White House he took the
setback with great good nature. and spent the
hours chatting with the members of his family
or reading books
OF course the weather was i'm some part to
blame for the slow time made by the Presidents s
train from Boston, but a number of minor accl-
dents contributed their share. Just the other
side Of Providence steam pipe on one Of the
coaches in the train burst and the express came
TO an abrupt halt. The Presidents car Magnet
was severely jolted, and all the members of his
family We're considerably shaken up The sta
tiOn was at filled with a cloud of steam,
and for a few moments the railroad employees
and passengers about the station were the
verge of a panic, Iaboring under the belief that
fire had broken on the Presidents car and
he was in personal danger. 1t required about
half an hour to cut out the crippled coach, and
by the time the express had left Providence it
was nearly an hour late.
At Jersey City the conductor had orders to
wait for car from some place up the line and
he followed instructions until another half hour
had been added TO the running time of the
train. The snow, which fell heavily as the train
I left Boston, moderated on the run TO Jersey
city, but il helped retard the movements of
( the wheels all the way The upshoL of the little
chapter Of lost moments was that when Phila-
)
bearing the Presidents car was more than two
hours late Just as the rrrjn nrIIed into the
Broad Street Station the hand brake on the OBJ
serVatlon end of The Magnet went wrong, and
upon examination small but important bar
was found TO be broken. This had to be taken
out ana another half hour was consumed IN
doing il. 4 little more time was lost in turn
ing the Magnet around and putting a dining
. car INTO the nlulH or the tram, where the pas
sengers could reach it without forming a pro-
cessiOn through the Presidents car. When Phil
acephla was reached the President two
hours and three-quarters behind time.
Still another delay was encountered at Bay
View a little station seven miles ont of Ralti-
more. There the conductor learned that the
passenger tunnel was Choked with a wreck,
and unless the Federal Express climbed over
the debris ii would be necessary to go around
The conductor decided that the time was not
pTOpitouS for that kind of a climb. and the
express was shifted over 10 the Baltimore &
ONO tracks and ran INTO the District OF Colum-
bia over that route. The first opportunity To re-
turn TO the Pennsylvania tracks occurred when
the train reached a crossing Of the Alexandra
Junction branch, a little freight road that runs
down TO the Anacostia bridge and there joins
the Pennsylvania road over this unfamiliar
road the Federal Express was accordingly taken
and another record was established for Presi-
Dental journcying. So far the employees Of
the road informed. # the first time
that a through passenger train had ever been
taken over the line, and 4 was certainly the
first time that a President Of the United States
had travelled over Its rails What with switch
ing and starting and backing and pausinE the
Presidents train almost four hours late
when IT finally drew into the station at bth and
B streets. There the President found his car
riage waiting for him. and he made hur-
ried run 10 the White Houe TO reach the man.
sion in time 10 greet Mr.. Bryce the Brit
| ish Ambassador, whose presentation was set
for 2::}O p. IN.