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Map Making.
“ Speaking of maps,” said Bill blot
ter, at a meeting of the Lollabout Club,
“ the average railroad man can show
you how the land lies in several direc
tions. For instance, if he is making a
map from Atlanta to New York, then
the railroad runs in a perfectly straight
line between those two points, whether
it goes via Charlotte, or whether it
„ goes via Knoxville, between the two
points. Then if it goes from Cincin
nati to points west of the Mississippi
river, it runs in an air line ; and fre
quently, too, mountains are leveled,
rivers are diverted from their
courses, and sometimes the Atlantic
ocean is pushed back a little in order
to straighten out the country for the
railroad to run over. And, boys, did
you ever see a railroad map that did
not show its own line perfectly
straight?”
“ Oh, yes,” said Jim Sykes, “I have
seen one.”
“ You have seen one. AVell, well,
on7y one, I’ll guarantee,” said Bob Mc-
Donner.
“Yes,” said Charlie Dobbs, “and I
want to know which one that one is.”
“Oh, well, boys, I thought any of
you knew that it was the ‘Sidetrack.’”
“Oh, yes, yes, yes, we remember
all about that now. it was a matter
of big discussion at the time the ‘Side
track, began publishing its maps that
they were the only honest railroad maps
in existence.”
“Now,” said Jim Sykes, “just look
here. I’ve got one of the ‘Sidetrack’s’
maps. You will notice that, starting
from Atlanta, it curves, or wabbles, a
little until it gets to the Chattahoochee
river and a little beyond. Then it be
gins to curve vigorously, and from Gil
more’s up to Vining’s, Mclvor’s and
Smyrna, it runs to every point of the
compass. Then it is reasonably straight
until it gets above Marietta and Ken
nesaw mountain, and there it runs
northwest, then southwest, then west,
then towards the north again, until it
gets about half way between Big
Shanty and Acworth, and we find it
turning almost directly west again.
Then after a little curve towards the
cast it makes within three miles the
most perfect horseshoe you ever saw,
and so on and so on. Just look at it,
boys, and see how it gets on up to be
yond Cass. Then it turns southward
to Kingston and northward again to
Dalton. Then it crooks around
through Rocky Face mountains like
an Indian runs, when he is trying to
dodge the bullets which the huntsman
is aiming at him. Ah, that’s a map
of its kind I”
“Well,” said Bill Motter, “don’t
you think the ‘Sidetrack’ sorter gave
itself away on that turn. People won
der why in the world it runs to all
points of the compass within less than
140 miles.”
“ 0h,n0,” said Jim Sykes, “that’s a
big feather in its cap. In fact it is
one of the strongest points which can
be urged in its favor; and you will
find before long that it’s competitors
will all be trying to do the same thing
with their maps. Os course, a good
many of them have their roads which
run just the same way; but they'll
soon begin showing their maps made
after the ‘ Sidetrack’s’ fashion.”
“ Well, what are you hinting at?
What do you think is the real point
which is going to attract public favor
about the ‘ Sidetrack’s ’ map? Every
body will admit that it is evidently an
honest map; in fact, almost straining
itself to be so.”
“ Why, boys,” said Jim Sykes, “the
first thing, it strikes me, the traveling
public wdl say about it, will be that
that road must run through a most
picturesque country with the wildest
mountain scenery of any railroad in
America ; and all will naturally pre
sume (which, by the way, is the case)
that it runs through a region which
offers more attractions to tourists than
any other railroad in America. They
will all see that the ‘ Sidetrack ’ is not
only “ the biggest thing for its size in
Ameriky,” but that it has more attrac
tions, in every sense, which are of ben
efit to railroads.”
Race Between the W. & A. and
E. T., V. & G., with the
Usual Result.
A number of months ago, before the
Superintendent closed down on the
boys, there were several instances of
races which were run between the
trains of the E. T., V. A G. R. R.,
and the Western & Atlantic railroad,
from Dalton, southward. The two
roads here run within a few yards of
each other for nearly a half dozen
miles and the temptation, occasionally,
was too great to withstand.
It seems that the Western A Atlantic
trains generally beat the E. T., V. A
G. trains in these races, and there was
some little crowing done by the W. A
A. men on this account. The E. T.,
V. AG. boys, however, claimed that
the W. A A. engines had never run
against their brag engine, the 162. It
got to be generally remarked by them
to the W. A A. train men, “Just wait
’till you tackle the 162, and she’ll show
THE KENNESAW GAZETTE.
you her heels in the most approved
style, and you will learn then what
running is.”
There was so much of this talk that
there began to be some little ambition
on the part of the W. AA. engineers
to get a chance at the 162.
This came about at last, and a gen
tleman who was aboard the W. A A.
train on the occasion was recently giv
ing us some racy features connected
with this trial of speed between the
two.
It seems that one of the W. A A.
passenger engines, which for conve
nience, we will call the 32, had recent
ly been thoroughly overhauled and
was considered as good as new. The
c?
engineer, we will call “Dashaway,” be
cause that was not his name, and we
are not going to give any of the boys
away. This name, furthermore, suits
him very well, because he is one of
the best engineers in Georgia, and be
cause his record in this particular race
was in keeping with this name.
It seems that the W. & A. train left
Chattanooga shortly after the E. T.,
V. A G. train did, and arrived at Dal
ton first. It stopped at that point on
schedule time, and the conductor then
rang the bell. The train did not start,
however, and after a minute or two our
informant said that he walked down
toward the engine and found Dasha
way oiling up. He inquired of him
why he was waiting.
“Oh,” said Dashaway, “this engine
is running hot. She’s been running
hot ever since I left Chattanooga, and
if I don’t get her oiled up all right
now, she’ll trouble me nearly all the
way to Atlanta.”
He then went on “oiling her up” so
as to get her all right, and, as after
wards was manifest, killing time, “wait
ing for somebody.’
Within about a minute afterward
the whistle of a locomotive was heard,
and soon the E. T., V. A G. train
came around the curve down toward
the union depot in Dalton. She stop
ped as was customary, and our inform
ant who was passing back and forward
on the platform, noticed that the two
engineers were talking to each other.
The E. T., V. A G. engineer re
marked, “Oh, yes, 162 will show you
how.”
“Well,” said Dashaway, in a tone of
emphatic positiveness,” you pullout and
get over the crossing down yonder,
and go ahead, and isl don’t down your
162 with 32 I will give up my place
here to-morrow and go over and lire
for you.”
“All right,” said the E. T., V. A
G. engineer, “I’ll pull out, and that’s
the last you will sec of 162, except the
hind end of our train. If you can
beat me I’ll go to firing for you to-mor
row.”
“Yes,” said Dashaway, “that’s the
only time you fellows ever win races —
before they arc run.”
The E. T., V. A G. train left the
station and started out ata pretty live
ly rate; but before she had scarcely
crossed the W. AA. road below the
union depot, the W. A A. train was
after her. The two trains bad hardly
more than gotten outside the town of
Dalton before they were running at
the rate of at least twenty-five miles
per hour. Before they had gone a
mile and a half it is stated that the W.
A A. train seemed to be going at the
rate of almost a mile and a half a min
ute. Such running had hardly ever
been beaten in America.
After a few minutes the 32 was even
with the sleeping car of the E. T., V.
A G. train, ami then like a frightened
steed she dashed forward and passed
the 162, and her whole train apparent
ly almost as if they were standing still.
Having gotten decidedly ahead,
Dashaway checked up and allowed the
162 to get even again, and then the
32 and the 162 ran “neck and neck”
for a hundred or two yards, when sud
denly the 32 seemed to bound forward
again, and this time ran clear off and
left the 162 as if she were a switch en
gine. The race is said to have been
a thrilling one, and the brag engine,
the 162, was fairly beaten.
The second afternoon after this, the
two engineers met each other again in
Chattanooga, when Dashaway, 'with a
comical twinkle in his eye said, to the
other, “Well, how soon before you
will be ready to come over and go to
firing for me.”
Another gentleman who listened to
this narration about the race remarked:
“Yes, it seems that the W. A A. en
gines somehow or other have a quicker
movement than the E. T., V. A G.
engines, and can distance them when
ever they make any real attempt to do
so.”
It is more likely, however, that
the reason is that the AV. A. A. en
gineers have been raised up from boy
hood on the road, and know its every
curve and grade, as well as being ac
quainted with every peculiarity of their
engines.
However, this is all about a thing
which happened some months ago.
The boys have demonstrated what they
can do and have settled down pretty
well to the regulation manner of run
ning, and everything is quite safe.
All persons in Kansas City, or what
is known as Missouri river territory,
who expect to go to Florida and the
southeast, or expect to ship freight into
that section, will be unhappy if they
do not write to or call on Frank E.
Drake, General Southwestern Agent,
Western A Atlantic and Associated
Roads, Room 4 Northwest corner Fifth
and Delaware streets, Kansas City, Mo.
Merchantsand other parties in South
Carolina and North Carolina would do
well to bear in mind that the Western
A Atlantic and its connections are what
maybe properly termed the “Fast
Freight Line,” from New Orleans to
Atlanta.
The highest evidence of the truth of
this statement is shown in the fact that
a majority of the fruit business from
New Orleans reaches Atlanta via the
Western A Atlantic Railroad.
Order Your Goods From New
Orleans via The Western A At
lantic Railroad,
5