of men proceeded to detach and remove the gas tank from beneath 

 the car, explaining that no car lighted with gas would be allowed 

 to pass through the tunnel under 'New York City. This seemed 

 very unnecessary, as the gas fixtures in the car liad the appearance of 

 being out of use for many years. However, tliis gave an excellent 

 opportunity to water the buifalo. The first since leaving Newport. 



At 8 o'clock that evening we were again on the move and were 

 included in a train made up of baggage and express cars, due to 

 arrive at the Sunny Side yards in Long Island at 5 o'clock the follow- 

 ing morning, where a close connection would be made on the Pennsyl- 

 vania for Philadelphia and Washington. Several stops were made 

 during the night, and early the next morning realizing the fact 

 that we had been moving backward for some little time, opened the 

 end door to take a view of the surroundings and see how we were 

 placed. I was much surprised to find that an electric engine was 

 pushing us at high speed down a net work of tracks, with no other 

 car or person in sight. Anxiously peering through the drizzling rain 

 for some familiar land-mark, suddenly off to the left the Bronx 

 Industrial Exhibition Buildings came into view. I knew then that 

 another mistake had been made, for instead of being at Sunny Side 

 we were on the Xew Haven road at West Farms and no doubt being 

 sent up to the yards at Van Nest, which proved correct. 



As soon as the car arrived there and came to a halt I jumped 

 down and confronted the crew of the engine, asking them where 

 they got their orders to run this car to a place like this when it was 

 billed for the South with a rush order. My sudden appearance was 

 evidently a great surprise as in one voice they said, ''We thought this 

 was an empty car," but after a quick view of the interior remarked 

 to one another "Why, this is that car of buffalo," and started us 

 back at high speed for Oakdale. Here, after a hurried consultation a 

 special engine was made ready and took our car over the Harlem 

 bridge to the Sunny Side yards, where we arrived at 9.15, too late, 

 of course, to make our connections on the Pennsylvania. 



One of the express officials explained that through some mistake 

 our car had been cut out during the night at Old Town and later 

 picked up and sent down to the New Haven yards and also stated 

 that the schedule was now all straightened out so that we would have 

 no further trouble and would leave in the afternoon on a through 

 train for Washington, due to arrive the following morning. 



I could see no reason whatever for such mistakes as these, but 

 after a prolonged argument with one of the express messengers, 

 whereby he endeavored to show and convince me that no such con- 

 nection as proposed could be made, I discovered that he had the car 

 billed for "Harmony" instead of "Hominy" and could only be con- 

 vinced of his mistake by calling his attention to the card attached 

 to the car and exhibiting my voucher of identification, issued by the 

 Express Company at Newport. As this mistake happened a number 

 of times, it is quite evident the delays were often due to the close 

 resemblance of these two names. 



36 



