HOW THE MELBOURNE EXPRESS GOT THROUGH.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11590, 22 May 1903, Page 5

HOW THE MELBOURNE EXPRESS GOT THROUGH.

A LADY PASSENGER'S jSTORY.v

The Melbourne paetengew •β-ho boarded - the express at the Victorian railway station - on Monday morning, readied Sydney oh Wednesday morning about tax. o'dock, alter * an eventful journey lasting tmv daye *U bob, j. a couple of hours. ' < r i One of the lady paesengeni willingly *f- '„*"* forded an interview on arrival to » rapre-, ,4 eentotjve of the "Daily Telegraph." j "We left Melbourne railway station." ehe r - J stated, "about eight o'tSock oa Monday' morning. There were only *ro other BjnA- Si ney-bound lady passenger* besides tttjmU J • "Of course *bere was tremendous casHfe"' (*- ---ment, and there appeared to be a very strict * ' * guard of police at every turn. W* did aot __ 1 / know much about the engine-driver nod the ' "> fireman when we etaitod/ but we cow a >/ J good deal of them later on, wiwa the irtUn „ . J ';' went tttoivj at l'aecoe •Vale,' about two \i£ mil«si from Eseendon. Ax tar c* we coold > ( % nwke out, somothing vrent wrong witii,the engine, and it >ras plainly evident tfcat the -. incline, hed -been greased with \ ton»' wb- ----astance. . , ' * -^ "Phe passengers for a *un« ieg»fi|«>J the \ - affair ns a hug* joke, twrt, the driver and fireman apparently did not look upon itin ' < that light. Eventually matter* were pitched up, mid n start woe made, bufc at sadrt 'ft - " miai Tβ .pace as to make thus jooroey awjfuHy * •tedious. How«\-cr, we were >refl l up, and had reading inatt«r to help i*'*° n paen «.way the time. At. every incline ex- I traordinary precftutione were taken, and in, t eeveral instances the train w«e brought to L a standstill for a few mintitee and the lin« examined. Tha guard busied himoelf a-, '" good deal in ee*ing to the brases, and 1» remarked, in answer to a question regarding ' the rrpoed of the train, that it -ma 'beifter to be (sure ihan sorry. , "In one place the rail* had been black- , -' leaded, in another greased,' ,and in ooe vmj and another the situation became monotonous fis iha day wore on, owing to the tedious crawling along of the engine, ti» , examination* of the line, and the want, of creature comforts. Fortunatrfy, moat of Uβ had a fair supply of eatables and fruit, and we were not hungry. ■ "Finally.we reached toward* lfce evening. Here the engines were changed, m well ac the driver and fireman (both of whom we were told had been so long oa duty a* to be fagged out),'and another ' etart was made for Albury. Por a time the new engine went along all right, but ' the pace was very slow, and ac darkueee wo* approaching we hegan to thick that tl>*rewae little hope of (seeing Albury that night. This surmise proved to be correct. "Something went wrong with the engine 4shortly before we came in eight of Wanga- / ratta. Some eaid on the train thM a lot of soap had been placed ia the boiler ( while others affected to know all about it, and asserted that a plug of some sort had blown out, and that the engine had < been doctored. Anyhow there wan Jtttle steam left, and I firmly believe that nothing but the incline, which forttmatejy wet free from ?reafte, helped to take the train, down into Wangaratta, 145 miles from Melbourne. An it was now getting dark, it was decided to camp for the night. Some of the male passengers remained in the train, and others found lodgings in the town. The Mayoress of Wengaratta very kindly offered myeelf and another lady passenger accommodation for the sight, to that we were very comfortable. X lady pameager had boarded the train at Eenalla, and she and the remaining lady passengers were sheltered for the night by a lady in Wan- ' garatta. The engine had been fixed up during the night, and everythidg was in - readiness at 9 o'clock the following morn* ing to start for Albury."