The New York herald., 1921-08-07
BY THOREAU CRONYN.


gan descended from his cab. He
looked as calm as usual but there was
pardonable furry within. He had
driven the bright, new locomotive 999
Empire State Express painted in gold
leaf on the sides of the tender-a mile in
80 seconds. 1t was the fastest mile made
by mortal man up to that time.
The thought, "Up to this time" was
strong in Hogan's mind. 1t was the day of
competitive speed on railroads. Men in
swaying club cars were in the habit of
holding their watches and betting their
sesterces on the next mile as they counted
telegraph poles. Road was racing against
road. The feat of an afternoon on one line
was beaten by rival the next morning.
In England they caught the fever from
America, and the West Coast and East
Coast lines were galloping to reach Edin-
burgh first. Faster, faster, faster, that was
the thing Come on, boys, hang a monkey
wrench on the safety valve and let her
flicker. AS for America-biggest, best and
fastest-7and fastest hear that?
Speed, speed, speed.
Well, Charley Hogan had done his share.
One hundred and twelve and one-half miles
an hour that was pretty fair. Nine Ninety
Nine could trundle along to her destina-
tfon, the Chicago Worlds Fair. She had
justified herself and her fancy trimmings.
Hogan had hung the worlds record on a
high limb. Let 'em climb for it. They
would climb, of course, and when they got
dangerous, why, he would let Nine Ninety
Nine out another notch and laugh all the
way from Batavia to Buffalo.
But s8 Years Have Passed,
And, oh, What a Change!
But twenty-eight years have passed.
Charley Hogan, active veteran though he is
at 70 years plus, no longer fingers the throt-
tie except on special occasions for old
times sake. Nine Ninety Nine coltish no
longer, has been turned out to pasture.
That is, she has been relegated to pulling
slow trains on a branch that runs to the
Pennsylvania coal mines, and was almost
forgotten by the human race until recently
when she was trotted out and made to
shine again like a fire engine on muster
day while she hauled the queer, ninety
year-old De Witt Clinton train to Chicago.
Yes, twenty-eight years have passed
since that May 10, 1893, when Nine Ninety
Nine and Charley Hogan did their mile in
81 seconds, and the record stands. No
steam locomotive has ever come within a
vhiff of it. None is trying to-
The most recent approach to il was by
Philadelphia and Reading Railway special
train, which was hired by Philadelphia
banker, Mr.. j. Lowber Stokes, on April 10
last IN hrinp him IN Naw yorIx Il, t;,,,o a.
catch an outgoing ocean steamer. The
time then made was 80 miles in so min
utes. or 67.5 miles per hour.
Looking the railroads over, we find that
they have sobered down. Compared with
twenty-eight or twenty years ago they are
not running trains faster, but slower. The
Empire State itself used to go from New
York to Buffalo, distance OF 43S miles, in
eight hours and fifteen minutes, an average
of $500 miles an hour. including stops.
Now the run is made in nine hours, an
average of As 2-3 miles an hour.
The eighteen hour train between New
York and Chicago is thing of the past.
II was abandoned in 1912, and there is no
talk OF putting 1t back. Twenty hours is
the time of the fastest schedule now
shared by the New York Centrals Twen-
tieth Century Limited and the Pennsyl-
vania's Broadway Limited. With a route
of $50 miles to cover, against 900 miles for
the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Twentieth
Century continues to be the fastest long
distance train in the United States.
Expresses to Atlantic City
Fastest Trains of World
But see how its. speed has dropped. As
an eighteen hour train il averaged SO 1-3