AVERAGE SPEED.
The New York and Chicago limited express train, run on the Pennsylvania system of railroads, passes over the distance of 912 miles between the two cities in twenty-five hours and twenty-nine minutes, making an average speed of 35.29 miles an hour. All the known resources of mechanical science have been ransacked to produce appliances for reducing delays, so that the highest possible percentage of the time provided for the journey should be devoted to running. Water for steam-making is collected, as the train runs along, from troughs placed in the middle of the track; a system of absolute block signals, controlled by vigilant train-dispatchers, provides a clear line; and stops are made only for the purpose of changing the locomotives at the end of divisions. The lines over which the train runs traverse a multitude of cities and towns, most of them having the streets crossing the track on the level; and a great many other railroads are crossed at grade. Therefore, although the actual stops between Jersey City and Chicago are only seven, a run exceeding ten miles without meeting with the necessity of checking the speed is rare.