The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1910-08-04
THE FAST
MAIL RACE

Oman, -, NotWeen Boone and
ba. making record thar tho v "nu
'es, Oh them cannot put in rho s,oao
,r,,', e johnny" Jackson in runn,rr
'iil never weighed more tban ri,n.t
pounus, and he was so little that bo
u ,,',., pull the reverse lever onnv
w. the help of a good brace or ~
.ne fireman He was bunoh ~
nerves and of gray matter homaD
mas Little Johnny" Jackson and his
s 81 ana fearlessness will be the gos
a,p PIP, Vi .he switch shanty after "1obn
ny quits drawing a pension
only a few days ago w. A Gardner
..oe president of the Northwestern
received receive an express package which
proved to be a rather elaborate bor
oue ol the Kind that makes the re-.
ciplent think that perhaps a rich rela
I'VE mas sent an ante-mortem Legacy
"hen he got the cover off bowerar
ne discovered a single cigar soonro,,'
note. "''e up III
MY dear Mr., Gardner" ran tho
hote' when you sent me that how 30
cigars after the first run of the fast
man, when we ran the wheels off the
burlington, you told me to save two
SO we could smoke them toqather
"hen &c got the time I've cot time
TO burn now, and so send YOU yo,rs
When you've got time, I'm ready for
that smoke" i'i
Mr.. Gardner put the cigar in tho
oox, locked it up in his desk. and the
next time he goes to Omaha he is 90.
ing to take it with him.
I'm going to look Johnny lack.
son up he declared, and You can bet
that the greatest little engineer that
ever climbed onto the footboard and
your humble servant are going to en-.
Joy a coed smoke and swap stories of
old times"
You see If it had not been for Mr..
Gardner Little Johnny" Jackson
might never have run the fast mail
and if Little Johnny" Jackson hadn't
run the fast mail 1t is likely that the
Northwestern would not have won the
greatest 5OO-mile train race with a
million dollar contract for purse
that was ever run. Mr.. Gardner al.
ways had faith in johnny"
ANY man with only ninety pounds
at his disposal" he said, "who had the
grit to back up to a tender loaded
with eight tons of coal and empty it
every day is good enough to run our
best train when his time comes"
Pretty nearly everything depended
upon the engineers and the firemen,
and there were many conferences re.
garding the matter. Gardner was for
Little Johnny Jackson first, last
and all the time for the last division
into Omaha. Other officials said:
He's too light. We want man
who won't have TO tie himself into the
seat if we have to roll them at ninety
miles or better Ninety pounds won't
hold that job down"
IL DOulluo MOuI VIII IL llltH
we'll loBe,' declared the general man
ager And that settled 1t.
The story of the fast mail train race
between the Northwestern and the
Burlington has been often told and
needs no repeating. The fast mail
went into Boone fifteen minutes late,
and the officials and newspaper men
on board were in despair, all except
Gardner. Little Johnny" Jackson
was waiting to be hooked on.
Gardner climbed into the cab as the
engine backed down and asked John
ny" what was the best he could DO to
Omaha.
Don't know. Never had a chance
to try" answered Johnny" and Gard
ner began to be sorry he had trusted
the fast mail to ninety pounds of flesh
and bones. The general manager look
ed at Johnny" rather hopelessly and
Johnny" grinned.
IF you really want to know what IT
is TO ride fast. he said, kill this
train. give me special schedule, clear
the track and keep your hands off the
emergency cord"
'I'll do it" snapped Gardner,
While the train was being inspected
Gardner had the dispatcher annul the
fast mail and tie up the line to Oma'
ho Little Johnny Jackson slid out
Of Boone easy like and soon had her
going like a scared rabbit. He let
melancholy wall escape from the WINS
tie and hit the tangents so hard tha'
tbe mail clerks had to brace theu
selves against the racks. Long before
Missouri valley was reached johnny
had made up the lost time ana was
arteen minutes to the good. from
Missouri valley into Omaha 1t is
,1ator Grade all the distance, and the
nov he made the landscape OF that
twentv.six miles tear past the rear end
nos enough to make a hardened gen
oral manager dizzy with stage lright,
tn make a long story short tommy
Jackson brought the fast man lnlo
so far ahead OF schedule lna'
Cardner had the newspaper men eat
,mm their breakfast at the hotel be,
fore the 20" fast mail train 'rai'eu
into the deopt ,a tho CON
49,, manager as he shook hands with |
era, Jackson, I'm going to send
10 New York and buy you the pest
70 ne" o,aors that money can get"