Newspaper Page Text
12
THE RACINE.
A “Sleeper” with a Charmed
Life.
Somehow or other everything which
is a part and parcel of the Western &
Atlantic Railroad organization seems
to be attended with unusually good
luck or special Providence, whichever
one you may term it.
This is true to such an extent that
the men on the Western & Atlantic
Railroad have naturally come into the
habit of thinking what they have on
their road is a little better than the
same thing that any other railroad has.
We can best illustrate this idea by a
reference to the old sleeping-car, “Ra--
cine,” which has been running on the
Western & Atlantic Railroad, either in
local or through lines, for the last doz
en years or more.
The Racine is said to be one of the
oldest cars in the Pullman service;
but, as a Pullman official recently
remarked, she is one of the best
constructed and strongest cars ever
turned out of the Pullman company’s
shops. In her early days she was
considered a model of a fine car, and
all of the wine drinking and “show
you a palace” occasions were given on
her.
Some of the incidents in her career
have something racy if not almost phe
nomenal connected with them. It is
stated that some few years ago, for in
stance, when she was running in the
through line of the Great Kennesaw
Route, she was the last car of an L. &
N. train, which was derailed between
Montgomery and New Orleans. The
engine leaped from the track, dragging
the postal car, baggage car and every
other car in the entire train, until it
came the Racine’s time to go.
This she declined to do in a very
practical manner by breaking the
coupling which connected her with the
next car; but, as the track was torn
up some fifty yards or more by the
derailment of the rest of the train, it
seemed that she had the common fate
before her.
The momentum, however, carried
her straight forward, now jumping
from cross-tie to cross-tie, until reach
ing the point where the track was all
right, she bounced forward and leaped
squarely on the rails and ran nearly
two car lengths and then stopped,
smiling and making her best bow T , as
it were, with nobody hurt, though sev
eral of the passengers were like the
Yankee in a railroad accident in Ver
mont, “ right smartly skeert.”
On another occasion she was in an
accident on the W. & A., a number
of years ago, (it has been a long time
since the W. <fc A. had an accident
worth recording.) The rest of the
train left the track, and inasmuch as
the W. & A. never does anything by
halves, this time the Racine had to
keep company with her partners.
When the train-men recovered them
selves, however, and looked around to
see how badly everything had fared,
the Racine merely reported one broken
window glass —nobody hurt and noth
ing else the matter with her.
On still another occasion she was in
an accident where the rest of the train
left the track and the Racine did like
wise ; but following the example she
set in the first instance recorded, she
jumped on the track again and came
to a full halt, although the rest of the
cars still remained off.
Without going into the recital of
any more of the escapades which she
has had a part in, during her long ca
reer, it is well to call to mind the fact
that a couple of winters ago, while
standing down opposite the Markham
House, she w’as discovered to be on
fire, the pipe of the stove being defec
tive.
Some one seeing the flames, and
learning that they had the Racine, re
marked, “I wish the darned old thing
w T ould burn up, and then they w’ould
replace her with a pretty car!”
The fire had gotten considerable
headway, and if it had been any other
car there would have been nothing left
but the trucks and wheels and a bill
for the insurance company to settle;
but not so could it be with the Racine.
The efficient fire department of At
lanta turned out in a hurry, and, al
though the night was so cold that the
water was freezing, still enough of it
was secured to extinguish the flames,
and the damages next morning were
found to amount to less than fifty dol
lars.
One of the W. & A. men remarked
of her, that Pullman must have “rub
bed his rabbit foot” over her when he
built her.
The Racine does not run regularly ;
but is held as a supernumerary car,
whenever the Oconee, the Ocmulgee,
or any of the other regular cars are
sent to the repair shop for a day or so,
and whenever she comes out she seems
to bring good luck with her.
It mav have been that for several
nights business had been rather light;
but, as was remarked a short time
since, “if the W. & A. people want to
be certain of having a good crowd on
I No. 11 or 12 just let them hope that
' some of the other cars will get out of
fix and that the Racine will have to be
put on the run. If she is, then you
can count on it that there will be any
where from ten to fifteen people who
will want railroad tickets and sleeping
car accommodations that night over
the W. & A.”
So remarkable has been her record
for good luck that it has gotten to be
a by-word among the train-men of the
W. & A., when informed that the Ra
cine is to be put on for the run that
night: “Well, if you have got the
old Racine you are just as sure to get
to Chattanooga on time as if you were
already there. You can’t have any
accident or miss a schedule if she’s
i along.”
Talk about the “old reliable” as be
ing a favorite title. You would pay
as great a compliment if you would
substitute the word “Racine” for “re
liable.”
“A homely old critter she is; but
she is the Mascotte for safety and a
crowded train for whatever conductor
THE KENNESAW GAZETTE.
has her,” was said about her recently,
and as this is a good expression to stop
with, we will quit right here.
A Railroad with Gold Roadbed
and Marble Ballast.
The Marietta & North Georgia Rail
road, which is reached via the West
ern & Atlantic Railroad at Marietta,
is probably the only railroad in Ameri
ca which, in addition to being ballasted
a portion of the way with marble, also
has its bridge piers made of white mar
ble. Quite a “daisy” line, one would
say.
It is also the only railroad in Ameri
ca, probably, which runs right through
a gold mine.
A funny anecdote is related in this
connection of the linemen of the West
ern Union Telegraph Company, who
were erecting the telegraph poles along
this road a short time ago, for the pur
pose of extending the telegraph line
from Marietta to the upper terminus of
the road.
Arriving at the gold mine, they
were just in the act of digging a hole
for a post, when a brusque old country
man came up, and in a somewhat for
cible manner notified them that they
could not dig in that soil, as he had
leased it.
Upon explaining to him their pur
pose, the countrymanagreed to a com
promise, which was to the effect that
the telegraph folks were to dig the
hole, and that he was to wash the dirt,
and that they were to divide equally
the gold therein found.
The work of excavation accordingly
commenced, and within a short time
was done with, when the countryman,
who had been closely watching the
procedure, remarked to the telegraph
man that a the latter could “have every
durn’d bit of gold which could be
found in that dirt,” as he would not
wash it for the small amount he saw
would reward him for his pains.
The “Old Reliable” Georgia
Railroad.
This is the expression that is gen
erally used in speaking of it. Its
schedules are wonderfully regular.
In fact, even “The Sidetrack” takes
off its hat to the Georgia Railroad,
when it comes to regularity in making
advertised schedule time.
Taking the sleeping-car lines which
run from Nashville and Cincinnati
over the Western & Atlantic Railroad,
to Atlanta, passengers make close con
nection in the Union depot at Atlanta
for Grovetown, Augusta, Aiken and
Charleston, S. C.
No other line from the West goes
into the Union Passenger Depot. On
the contrary, if passengers come from
the West via any other line to Atlanta,
en route to the points named above,
there is a cold, dreary omnibus trans
fer in Atlanta.
Only one change of cars, (and that
in the Union Depot at Atlanta,) for
passengers coming over the Western &
Atlantic Railroad between Cincinnati
and Aiken, or Nashville and Aiken.
The Kennesaw Route always ahead.
Old Folks at Home.
’Way down upon de S’wanee ribber,
Far, far away,
Dere’s wha’ my heart is turning eber,
Dere’s wha’ de old folks stay.
All up and down the whole creation,
Sadly I roam,
Still longing for de old plantation,
And for de old folks at home.
Chorus—
All de world am sad and dreary
Eb’ry where I roam,
Oh! darkies, how my heart grows weary,
Far from de old folks at home.
All around de little farm I wander’d
When I was young,
Den many happy days I squander’d,
Many de songs I sung.
When I was playing wid my brudder,
Happy was I,
Oh, take me to my kind old mudder,
Dere let me live and die.
Chorus —
One little hut among de bushes.
One dat I love,
Still sadly to my mem’ry rushes,
No matter where 1 rove.
When will I see de bees a humming,
All round de comb?
When will 1 hear de banjo tramming,
Down in my good old home.
Chorus —
Looking Out for No. 1.
The Marietta & North Georgia
Railroad runs through what was for
merly called the “ fork field ” of old
Uncle Jack Alexander.
Old Uncle Jack was a character in
his day, being a zealous Whig politic
ian and also a very well-to-do farmer.
In his latter days his mind began to
turn to the fact that it would be best
for him to make his will. According
ly, on the occasion of a visit of his
warm persona] friend, General Han
sell, he concluded to put this idea into
effect.
Hansell commenced to draw up the
document. Alexander would enumer
ate the various items of property which
he owned and give the disposition of
them to one relative or another. Af
ter some time had been taken up in
this, at last, after meditating for sev
eral minutes, he slowly remarked :
“Well, Hansell, I believe that is
about all. I don’t call to mind any
thing else I have to will away.”
“ Oh, no,” said General Hansell,
“ there’s one thing that you have for
gotten, and that’s very important.”
“ Oh, why, what is it?” said Alex
ander.
“ Why, it is the fork field,” said
Hansell, “your fine farm which lies
right at the junction of the Cartecay
and Ellijay rivers. You have not
willed that to anybody ?” •
“ Oh, no, Hansell, I didn’t forget
it; but the truth of the matter is I
have concluded I will keep that my
self. Old Jack ain’t dead yet, himself.”
Only via the Western and Atlantic
railroad can you go to Elizabeth, “the
marble city of Georgia,” where there
is the most wonderful marble cutting
machinery in the world. Tourists
will miss it if they do not stop at Ma
rietta and go up to Elizabeth, only
two miles distant, immediately at the
foot of the famous Kennesaw Moun
tain.