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Show Railroads of Early Days "Did you over hear of Cap. Jim Mcintosh?" Mc-intosh?" asked an old engineer on tho N. Y. C, with whom tho writer had been permitted to tako a run. "flnn Jim n ntlll llvlni nr wna rmf long ago," continued tho old man. "In Cap. Jim's day when he was running an onglno out West, tho business was a good deal llko running a steamboat. Engines In thoso days were not numbered num-bered as now. They wero named after somebody or something. Cap. Jim's englno was named tho Chickasaw. Chicka-saw. "It goes without saying that with nil of tho advancements mado sinco then an engineer had to havo moro good horso senso than now, for now overythlng is put In his hands, whllo In Cap. Jim's day tho whole business was put on tho onglneorVor nearly bo. Whon tho Superintendent ant him out about tho nly'Ordollio gave tho onglneor was, 'Do the best you know how.' I usod to hear Cap. Jim tell about tho times ho had r.hns on tho old H. & St. J., tho Horrlblo & St. Jay road they usod to call it Ho said there was no Inspirators to forco water into tho boiler; no glass gaugos to toll whero you wero. "Tho pumps wero only oporated whllo tho onglno was In motion, and If n long wait on a sldo track ran your water down you had to uncanplo and run your englno up nnd down on i tho "main lino to fill your boiler. It ! you ran out of fuel between wooding " stations tho farmors would generously let you havo a supply, to bo repaid on tho return trip. With a good hot flro in tho box tho flames would roar ( out of tho stack. There weren't tho , - precautions about sparks they use-now. use-now. "Farmers wero frlondly toward tho railroad, nnd didn't light on It with a suit overy time . llttlo piece of meadow was burnod. The greatest dread tho englno driver had was tho-character tho-character of ttve trcclc ahead of him. Ho never know whether the lust tralii over It had smashed It into tho earth or not. When ho came to ono of tho few places whero ho felt tolerably I - safe lie would lot her slide, and tho llttlo old onglno would hoavo and jli.r;h llko a BlcIff-ln.npquijUJ--ItiviM.-, - s'S'V worso than a spoil of seasickness till' " " - n man got uhccI to It. "Tho las tlmo I saw Cap. Jim ho told me that tho old Chickasaw was Btlll living. My boy has graduated In mechanics and ho Is an Inventor, and all of that, but, smart as ho Is, I'll bet ho couldp't run ono of tho old tlmo engines to save his sheepskin. Do- , tween ourselves, I wouldn't llko to try It not now." |
