Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 February 1894 — On the Flyer. [ARTICLE]

On the Flyer.

We are 100 miles from New York now, and although I carry a time card, I am unable to read the names on the stations. Holding my watch in my left hand I tap the case with my right; the engineer shakes his head slowly and holds up three fingers; we are three minutes late. I cross over, take a seat behind the driver, and speaking loud at the back of his neck, express the hope that we will reach Albany on time. He says nothing. I cross back to the other side, and as often as he whistles I ring the bell. A minute later he turns to the fireman and shouts: “Look out for her, Jack,” at the same time pulling the throttle wide open. Jack knew his business and proceeded to look out for her. Taking the clinker hook he leveled off the fire, shook the grates and closed the furnace door. The black smoke rolled thick and fast from her stack, then cleared away, showing that she was cutting her fire beauti : fully. Swinging the door open the skilled fireman threw in three or four shovels of coal, closed it, and leaned out of the window, watching the stack. The trained fireman can tell by the color of the smoke how the fire burns. The few pounds,of steam lost in fixing the fire, and by reason of the throttle being thrown wide open, is soon regained. The pointer goes round to 190, and the white steam begins to flutter from the relief valve -at the top of the dome. She must he cooled a little now, or she will pop and waste her energy. An extra flow of cold water quenches her burning thirst, and she quiets down. * * * We are making a mile a minute. What would the driver do if he saw before him a burning bridge or the red lights of a standing train? His left hand Is on the throttle; he would close it. Almost in the same second his right hand would grasp the sand lever, and with his left he would apply the brakes. With both hands, in about the third second, he would reverse the engine. Perhaps he has I heard that old story that to reverse a locomotive is to increase her speed—that a bird will fly faster with folded, wings; he may pretend to believe it, but he will reverse her just the same. If she has room she will stop. Even without the aid of the air-brake she will stop the train if the rail holds out. I ought to say that the instant he reverses the engine, he will kick the cylinder cocks open—otherwise he may blow off a steam chest or a cylinder head.—McClure’s Magazine.