een said, it was hoping only against hope. But to despair was
impossible in the face of such running; and when Erie, 8-1/2 miles
beyond Dock Junction, was reached, the 95-1/2 miles from Cleveland
had been done in 85-1/2 minutes, at an average speed of 67.01 miles
an hour. The average speed for the whole distance from Chicago was now
63.18 miles an hour, which was crawling close up to the record. But
424 miles had been covered, and only 86 miles remained. If the record
was to be beaten, the speed for those 86 miles would have to average
over 70 miles an hour.

Was it possible to do such a thing? It never had been done, of course,
in all the world; but the essence and the object of the whole day's
run were that it should defy all precedent. There were few people,
however, of those on board who in their hearts dared harbor any hope;
especially as the engine which was to be tried at this crucial moment
was a doubtful quantity.

All the engines used upon this run were built by the Brooks Locomotive
Works, of Dunkirk, N.Y., after designs by Mr. George W. Stevens, of
the Lake Shore road. The first four engines, which had hauled
the train as far as Erie, were of what is known as the American
type--eight-wheelers, comparatively light, but built for fast speeds.
These locomotives weighed only 52 tons, with 17 by 24-inch cylinders
and 72-inch driving-wheels. They had been doing admirable work in
service, having been built to haul the famous "Exposition Flyer"
in 1893; and that they were capable of very high speeds, for short
distances at least, even with a fairly heavy train, had been shown
in the earlier stages of this run, when all had reached a speed of 70
miles an hour, and two had touched and held a speed of well over 80.

The last engine was of a different type, and a type which among
experts has not been considered best adapted to extremely high speeds.
Somewhat heavier than its predecessors (weighing 56-1/2 tons in
working order), this engine was a ten-wheeler, with three pairs of
coupled drivers and a four-wheeled swivelling truck. It had the same
small cylinders (17 by 24 inches), and driving-wheels of only 68
inches diameter. It was a bold experiment to put such an engine to
do such work; and nothing could well be devised for fast speeds more
unlike the magnificent engine "No. 999," which was built in the New
York Central Railroad shops at West Albany, and is the glory of the
New York Central road, or than the London