The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1908-09-12
OLD sRAiLRoADER TELLS OF RE.
MARkABLE TRIP.
Long and Successful Chase After Ex.
press Is Proof That Locomotives
Could Travel Some in the
Olden DAYS.

this was exceeded, as this incident
will show
Il had passed through the various
grades Of promotion until I was in
charge of a division on a western rail-
road The settlements were few and
far between and my division was
long one even for those days. It 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 I was awakened by a tap
| ping at my window. I kept a long
bamboo pole beside the house, so that
| the night Waterman at the station
could call me in case I was needed
without disturbing the other members
of my family.
when I went to the window I
found Casey, the watchman-all our
employees were Irishmen in those days
standing by man in long linen
buster who was jumping up and down
in his excitement
care you in charge here? he asked
as soon as my head appeared.
"Yes,' 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.
have all the money and the tickets. II
she wakes up and finds me gone the
shock may kill her I don't care what
it costs, but I must catch that train
eff I had been little older, pru
dence would have made me firm
against the mans entreaties, but I
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 it, but
in any case I ordered Casey to have
an engine brought from the round
house, hastily scrambled into some
clothes and 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.
man started after the limited, which
had a lead of 40 minutes.
1--WE 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 greater precaution
we put the extra fireman out on the
pilot. The passenger at first bothered
us with questions, until the engineer
squelched him. Then he subsidized on
| the floor out of the way of the fireman
and chewed his finger nails as an out
let 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 of the chase had got into his
blood don't believe any man OH 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 a freight that
was hanging little too far out on the
switch.
TN this way we plunged on through
the night, our headlight picking up the
track for about forty feet. Finally,
when our speed had reached point
where, as you boys would say, we were
only touching the high spots,' I saw
the engineer take out his watch. He
glimpsed at it by the light of the little
lamp over the steam gauge, and at
the next mile post I took my time.
Eat last, after an hour and a quarter
of this running, the engineer and I
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 tail lights Of the express
into Detroit, taking care not to run up
too close on 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 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
and disclosed her lying there sound
asleep. My satisfaction even recon-
ciled me to a message received from
/ the general manager of the road next
day which read something like this:
" 1T has come to my attention that
you last night sent locomotive after
the Detroit express. Our expenses are
quite heavy enough without mourning
damages for wrecks. You will please
not do such q thing again
Il never did, 81