Year: 1861

SEVENTY MILES AN HOUR.


had spent night in the stage, day in the
saddle, a night in a sleeping car, half day
doing business, half day in bed, and was, after
supper. enjoying cigar and newspaper in the
reading room of the R house, in p,
! Indiana. The newspaper uninterestng, or else
| was rather sleepy and guess it was a little
of both so that soon neglected it to watch
the fantastic curling of the smoke from my fine
favored principe. didn't feel much like talk
ing, and felt still less like reading but did
feel as if would like exceedingly well TO hear
good story.


! had barely come to this conclusion, and was
wishing for some one of my acquaintances to
amuse me until the time was up for the train
which was 10 take me to C, when rec
ognized in the person who sat next to me, a
fellow traveller in the sleeping car of the night
before.


He was a very agreeable looking little man.
with a clear gray eye, light hair, sandy whis-
kcrs, and smiling mouth. Indeed he had so
much the appearance Of the man that | would
like to hear tell story, that l thought dame
fortune had smiled upon me, when he recog-
nized me with genial How dye do, stran-
gerr


returned his salutation, and asked him some
commonplace question about how he had en-
!


He said something In reply about the run
ming being too fast for the poor track and
from this the conversation ran upon fast trav-
cling in general, for some time. AT last | re-
marked that sixty miles an hour was the most
speedy travelling that had ever done. Where
upon my friend informed me, with a pleasant
but moving smile, that he had travelled con-
siderably faster than that, and in fact, faster
than he had ever heard of beside.


OF course | was anxious to know where,
when, and how he had done it, and after the
modest assurance that he feared his tale would
not be interesting, my friend relieved my anx-
iety by relating the following story:


u am a railroad engineer. In 81, during
the great panic, was running on F. and c.
r. r. The railroad companies were growing
tender in all directions. Every day we
heard Of new failures and quite often in
quarter where we least expected it. Our road
was looked upon as one of the most substantial
in the nation nobody seemed to have any
great fear that il would fail to survive the gem
eral smash up. But vet / did not fully share
in the general confidence. Wages were cut
down; arrearages collected and great many
other little matters seemed TO indicate to me
that the road had got into rather deeper water
than was agreeable all around Among other
things, the master mechanic had told me in the
spring, that the company had ordered four first
quality Taunton engines for the fall passenger
business. The road was put in the very best
condition, and other preparations were made to
cut down the time, and pu, the trains through
quicker than was ever known before, when the
new engines should come. WE'LL there was but
one of the new engines came.


Il said there was but one engine came, and
she was, in my opinion, altogether the best ever
turned out at the Taunton works. And this is
as much as could be said in praise of any en-
ginc. She was put in my charge Immediately,
with the understanding that she was mine.


1T was Saturday when she came out of the
shop, and was to take special train up to
y. The train was to carry up the pres
ident and several of the other officers of the
road to meet some officers of another road,
which or ssed ours there, and arrange some
important business with them. | had no
trouble at all making forty miles an hour going
out The engine handled himself most beauti-
fully We were just holding up at Y,
when Aldrich, the treasurer, who cane out on the
platform to put the brake on, slipped and fell
As we were yet under good headway, he was
much injured, and was carried to the hotel in
sensible.


According to the presidents direction,
switched of my train, turned my engine, and
stood ready to start back to C at mo-
ments notice.


AidrlchS presence was OF so much impor-
lance ina. the business could not be transacted
Without hlm' 90 tnat all those that l had
brought OUT except the president and AIduch
went back to a. IN the three O'Clock ex-
: press tram. lhls was the last regular tram
whlch was TO pass over the road till the follow
) ing Monday,
Early IN me evening lett the machine IN
charge OF my nreman, and went over 10 an eat
ing house to see II could not spend my time
more pleasantly than on my engine. The hours
ofaggeo themselves away slowly Twas taxing
game OF dominoes with the station agent,
} when in came Roberts, the president, in state
! OF great excitement


Harry, said he to me, :! want you to put me
down to u at twelve o'clock.


'As II was near eleven o'clock, and the dis
tance was seventy-hve miles, thought he was
Joking at first but when he got outside the
door he caught me by the arm and hurried me
along so last saw he was in earnest.
Harry said he, If you don't set me dowr
in C-- by twelve O'Clock, am ruined
man, and this road is ruined road. Aldricf
, is dead, but he told me before he died. that he
, had embezzled from time to time, fifty thousand
dollars OF our money; and his clerk is to star
in the twelve o'clock boat from G. tc
Canada. II we don't have that money 'or
Monday morning to make some payments with
hands