Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-28
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ually. We were in the outskirts of Baltimore
just A minutes after leaving Washington.
We plunged into the black tunnel electric
lights burning in the cab and the beam Of our
giant Searchlight showing yellow finger through
the fog Of smoke ahead Of us. You couldnt
hear your own voice for the noise. A choking
haze beat down into the cab and made great
red halo around the firebox opening. We tight
ened our goggles and breathed through railroad
bandanas. Away into the tenebrous depth
tiny speck Of daylight grew gradually bigger
and We roared into the Baltimore station, bell
ringing air screaming from the exhaust vents
brakes grinding. A dead stop without a jar A
good engineer thinks Of the passengers comfort
Stopping or starting with jolt is bad mark
against his skill.
Crowds at the station platform. More cere-
monies and handshaking, but only minute 10
stay A new superintendent entered the cab as
Redding swung off, this time grand old man
Of the engines" H. A. Sentman who ploted
that famous special which brought the press
pictures Of Lindbergh's arrival at the Capital
from Washington to New York in 3 hours and
minutes, giving the railroad world a speed
record
road superintendent of engines is an OIL
cial whose duty it is to ride over his division
In locomotive cabs, checking up on the per-
Torrance Of engines and crews Sometimes
they take the throttle. They ride every presi-
dental special from division 10 division and
frequently board the crack trains. The sena-
tor was being watched. All up and down the
line her run was being checked. There was
to be no hitch on its maiden flight.
Engineer Eaton climbed over the side with
one of those yard-long-spout oil cans always
associated with locomotives. In a brief mo-
ment he was back, looking at his gauges turn
ing valve or two feeling his air. Now We
were of again, threading our way over the
track mazes out of Baltimore, this time with
Seminar at the throttle.
The superintendent looked at his watch and
leaned out of the cab window, his eyes fixed
ON the right of way, his hand at the throttle.
He seemed to relax, sure of himself resting his
right arm on the narrow window sill as the
giant locomotive answering to his skilled touch
picked up laundering speed. Back of him John
Eaton stood on the narrow platform between
the locomotive and the tender looking down to
the ground streaking perilously by beneath him.
He was catching a breath of air.
Behind me on the left side of the cab Fire
man Conrad peered down the track to where
semaphore arm stood straight up and a white
light cleaned on a signal mast-"Clear block:"
he called Clear block" answered Seminar
and Eaton
ENGINE 54O1 swayed and shivered through
its steel frame, its huge drive wheels whir-
ring over the hundred-pound rails. had to
hold on to the seat to keep from being bounced
OH. 1t was amazing to me how the engine
on the track. Through the narrow
window ahead, out past the monsters long
steel nose the roadbed seemed to rush on to
meet us. gray blur Fireman Conrad yelled
an interesting bit of information in nv ear.
We made that last mile in 46 seconds!" he
said, pointing to his watch.
Every now and then Seminar reached I'D
Ind tugged the whistle cord or felt his air
or fingered the ragonnet gear. The wind
'uShed by like cyclone It burned your face