A REMARKABLE TRAIN JOURNEY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11589, 21 May 1903, Page 5

A REMARKABLE TRAIN JOURNEY.

ADELAIDE TO iIELBOUKNE IN' 3 DAYS 191 HOURS. INCIDENTS OF THE RIDE. Ihe piece de resistance among the few nttractioiis provided for sightseers at Spi.noer street on Tuesday, save the "Age," was the arrival of the Adelaide express. Owing to i-uike exigencies the word "express " waa something of a misnomer, but in .'pile of all obstacles the train reached its oeslimitioji, Driver Dick bringing bis locomotive to a standstill a quarter of on hour before midday. _„I B was the train which left Adelaide at 4.30 p.m. on the day of the strikers' declaration of war, so that the journey of 483 miles occupied three day. 191 hours, as against 17 hours in v-tnml times. An average of 6 l-3rd miles an hour for the entire journey does not represent actual travelling time. But, m view of proved case*) of treachery, the Railway Department felt bound to lay the train up b.tween nightfall and daybreak. Had the pn&wmgerti been a lot of picknickcrs, they could not have appeared merrier as they aighted and tripped onto salute their friends across the wood fence harrier. All were in high spirits, and had become friends, since they had shared mutual discomfort,-), and participated in what they regarded as an (historical exprrs- journey. They had picked mushrooms together en route, and eaten them off the earnc plate; they had attended church at Dirrhoola; they had run along in front of the engine sanding tarred rails this side of Ballarat; they had cheered vociferously in opposition to boohooing strike sympathisers at Horsham and Ararat; and they had visited the theatre at Ballarat—all in the course of an erpiefs railway ride. Many passengers who had not eeen one another before leaving Adelaide dined together in the city to celebrate their unique experience. One of the 48 through, passengers gave the following interwating story of the journey and its incidents: — "Leaving Adelaide at the usual hour on Friday afternoon, we ran into Scrviceton a few minutes '.ate about midnight. We had been told that a delay of about four hours might possibly await us. Having stopped about lialf an hour, people got out of tho train, and then the stationrnaster told us there wan no hope of getting away until eight o'clock nest morning. Those of us who could not .get sleepers had to bunk anywhere, a few spare blanket* bans hawaled - '■•■■■--■■*" — ■■ " w - --——■—

found. On Saturday morning the ntat'on-mMt-r kept putting i» off from hour to .our until midday, when he told us that 1,000. Foreman L*rt«, of Stawell, waa oringing tho Melbourne tram on. this train, in which a clerk was acting a« tircm_n, came in about two o'clock. There, are on'v a handful of houses at rx-rviceton. and wp'had eaten evcrytbini; there was m tixe place, which wan cliie tly mutton. Anyhow, we all went out gathering mwhrooms, and got a couple of bushel--. Tb.-n we «t and peeled tliem on the platform, and aftcrvi.rdfl ato them stewed. There were not nianv plates about. Well, when the poor pawcnsrM came in by the Melbourne train they found nothing left, only «nne dry trend and our scrap- They were ravenous ;1!< r ih-ir long trip, and nr-hed the kitchen i,f tta alr-adv depleted rcliesiinvnt room. ••{■teaming "out of {"eiviceton about 3.40 ~ m. on "Saturday, we hoped to make HoriWim that uighti but at Dimboda our driv.i. Mr Lu<di<\ thojoughiy exhausted alter b'iir,- twenty-two hourfl on the footplate., had'lo eiv-'up. He had Iven on his l*<*t irom dav'ceuk on Friday morning until Saturday ia.ht. The passengers did not wish him "to go on in trie circumstance*, and we put up for the night. There, are four hotels at Dunboola, and t-ney did a K-ariii" trade-. About thiity of us made a rush for Uie solitary birb r to be shaved, and he was so sta'_?"K-d that he could scarc-U- bold the razor. On Sunday morniti_ the «.-t_t!onm*«rr held out hopea that we would be- aUe to proceed, but in the Pltrir.oon a not ire was. posted saying that, the train ■« "aid .mo!- leave before 7 h in. 011 MorT.Tav. S-» we all all ended service in the Uimboo'a church. Tlien we mw the nights ot the town—a new wen, and the racecourse. "Leaving at seven on Monday nmrning wo got far a.* tlhnor. hy. wher* we had to wait for a tecocd engine that was being brou-ht, from Horsham. then wr. ran on to "Horsham and Ararat. At, botn crowds hoati-d the train, and we iv_*e.nger3. taking the part of the driver, nf cours/: cli«-.ivd an lustily as w.- could. From Ararat fair was made to Bailarat, where we had a very hot reception indeed. But the police hept th" strikers off. Tin- usual -twenty minnten here' was shouted by th- porters; we had a cup of tea-, r-sunicd our seats, and the doors w.iv locked. Then, niter hah an hour or so tl;o engine was uncoupled. \\ c got out. the while a went on between tho driver and rtation-mti.-d.T. When evenluallv th'- engine steamed off +0 the yards, the crowd ot.t-ide yelled with delight. Though we could hii"---* Iftt at 3 20 we liad to mako' up our minds for another all night wait, so we went off to 'do the. town, and visit the theatre. "Leaving Bailarat a few minutes after seven o'clock yesterday morning, wo canio r.n tho "leaseel tails at the Wnrrenhcip Bank, "it took nbouT an hour to go four iniU.'--. F.vciv pa«t*enger turned out, and walked, the men running in front of the locomotive, ar.d throwing sand on the tar, which was making the wheels skid. At last we got past, the bad bit, the all aboaid order was given, ar.d on we went tobpenter street, without further incident.'