Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 November 1901 — Train Ran Too Fast. [ARTICLE]

Train Ran Too Fast.

tndianapoiik News. It is nob very often that a passenger agent finds fault because one of the trains on his road runs too fast, but tbere is an instance of that kind on record, and R. P. Aigeo, district passenger agent of the Monon, is the fellow who made the record. During the last campaign William Jennings Bryan was being hauled over the Monon to make speeches, and Mr. Aigeo was detailed to look after the train. As it pulled out of Monon, Mr. Aigeo concluded to ride in the engine, after he had been given a promise that the engineman was to do no fancy “stunts” in the way of speed. Suddenly the locomotive gave a lurch, and Aigeo almost took a header out of the window. The telegraph poles began to slip by rapidly. “How fast are we running?” shouted the passenger man. “Oh, about fifty miles an hour,” shouted back the engineman, end he opened the throttle a notch or two. The ground seemed to come up a little, and the great engine began to rock back and forth. “Doing a little better now, ain’t you?” again shouted the passenger man. “Makin’ fifty one miles, now,” and the throttle was opened another notch. By this time the telegraph poles seemed to be dancing and the fence posts looked like one wide log. Suddently the whistle in the cab sounded. Aigeo heard it, but the engineman did not; at least he gave no sign of it, for he opened up another nick. The district passenger agent was badly frightened. The engine seemed to be riding on huge bill iws of earth and it took all his strength to held on. Again the signal whistle, and this time longer and sharper than before. The engineman smiled grimly and blew a blast on the siren for Shelby. When the train stopped Trainmaster Quimby came running forward. He said that Mr. Bryan d.d not want to rid*' so fast and that the engineman must go slower. “How fast liaye we been going ?” inquired Aigeo, through his chattering teeth. “The speed ind.oator in Mr. Bryan’s oar shows a little more that seventy-one miles an hour,” replied Quimby. “Excuse me; I have had enough,” and the passenger man went back to the train. J. T. Penn and family moved to Thorntown Tuesday, where Mr. Penn has leased a hotel.