The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1908-09-26
ON A WOOD BURNER
OLD RAILRoADER TELLS OF RE-
MARkABLE TRIP.
Long and Successful Chase After Ex-
press Is Proof That Locomotives
Could Travel Some in the
Olden Days.

1T is a popular mistake nowadays
to suppose that those old wood burn
ers were siow," said an old railroad
man in a reminiscent mood. The
roadbeds of that time were so uncer-
tain that high speeds were not gen.
orally the rule but As miles an hour
was not considered by any means I'M
usual, and 1 have known times when
this was exceeded, as this incident
viii show.
Il had passed through the various
grades of promotion until 1 was in
charge of division on a western rail
road. The settlements were few and
far between and my division was
long one even for those days. 1t COW
cred some $50 miles and ended in De
troit My headquarters were at the
other end OF the line One night had
gone to bed and. was sleeping peace
fully when l was awakened by tap
ping at my window. l kept a long
bamboo pole beside the house. SO that
the night Waterman at the station
could call me in case 1 was needed
without disturbing the other members
of my family.
=" nGA went " Tic WihuoW
found Casey, the watchman-all our
| employees were Irishmen in those days
standing by a man in long linen
buster who was jumping up and down
in his excitement.
Are you in charge here?' he asked
as soon as my head appeared.
Yes l replied.
Then in heavens name get me
aboard the express, he cried.
He got off tn train for a stroll,
an she's pulled out widout him,
Casey explained.
Don't stand there like fool the
other put in. My daughters on that
train and she has heart disease. l
have all the money and the tickets. If
she wakes up and finds me gone the
shock may kill her. l don't care what
1t costs, but l must catch that train
IF l had been a little older, pru-
dence would have made me firm
against the mans entreaties, but l
was young and adventurous, and the
fathers distress blinded me to the
risks of the undertaking. Perhaps the
fact that my own little girl was safely
asleep with her mother in another
| room had something to do with 1t. but
in any case ordered Casey to have
an engine brought from the round
house. hastily scrambled into some
clothes ami followed the Waterman
and his companion down to the yards.
The Detroit express changed en-
gines at this point, and the boiler was
still hot on the locomotive that had
brought it to my division. We hunted
up an engineer, and with an extra fire.
had lead of 40 minutes.
I'VE dashed through the darkness
with the engineer hanging half out of
| the cab on one side and me half out
on the other to watch the track ahead
| for a train. AS a greater precaution
| we put the extra fireman out on the
pilot The passenger at first bothered
| us with questions, until the engineer
I.squelched him. Then he subsidized on
the floor out of the way of the fireman
and chewed his finger nails as an out
aet for his feelings.
| Through hamlets we sped, the
whistle of the locomotive screeching
like soul in torment to warn any
| freights that might be on the sidings
| to wait there. Our speed was tremen-
dous, for the engineer, like most of his
kind. was at heart a daredevil, and
| the spirit IF the chase had got into his
| blood 1 don't believe any man on the
| engine would have minded what came
| of it, so great was the excitement of
| that wild dash through the darkness,
| except possibly the man on the pilot,
and he had time to reflect.
AT one siding we literally graZed
the end of the last car of freight that
switch.
In this way we plunged on through
the night. our headlight picking up the
track for about forty feet. Finally,
when our speed had reached a point
where. as you boys would say, we were
only touching the high spots. 1 saw
the engineer take out his watch. He
| glimpsed st it by the light of the little
lamp over the steam gauge, and at
the next mile post 1 took my time.
AT last. after an hour and a quarter
of this running, the engineer and 1
picked up two red lights dancing along
in front of us and We both cheered
He slowed down speed, and the rest of
our run was easy. We had only to
trail those tall lights of the express
into Detroit, taking care not to run up
too close Cn them.
"As the express pulled into Detroit
station We came in after her, and a
more surprised lot of railroad men
never saw than the members of the
express crew when they heard what
we had done. The engineer and the
two firemen and l insisted on follow
ing the father into the sleeper to see
the end of the chase. and we were
as pleased as he was when he parted
the curtains of his daughters berth