A pair of ice
tongs are placed so as to grasp the passenger by the seat of the pants or
the polonaise, as the case may be, when he or she gets on the platform.
These tongs are connected with the air brakes, in such a manner that by
the engineer's touching a spring the whole force of the compressed air
takes possession of the tongs, and the passenger is snatched bald-headed,
metaphorically speaking. For instance, a passenger gets on the platform at
Portage, and the ice tongs grasp him or her securely. If he or she pays
the fare, the door is opened, the tongs release their hold, and
the person is allowed to enter. But if the engineer should find that they
had no money, or that their pass had run out, and they were trying to beat
their way, he would pull the string and they would be lifted back on the
depot steps and stood on their heads, raised in the air and made to see
stars. Col. Johnson has been offered a fabulous sum for his patent, but he
has not decided whether to sell or lease it. A trial trip was made at
Milwaukee, the other day, and though the machine was not perfect, the
experiment was not altogether a failure. A car was arranged with the
apparatus, and went out to the Soldier's Home. Col. Johnson and a number
of prominent railroad men were on board. They got a veteran soldier and a
Polack waman to allow the machine to experiment on them.
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