human
So they ran for eight miles, and Billy Maine--he was firing--never suspected anything wrong--for of course he couldn't see--until they struck the Mississippi bridge at full speed. You remember crossing the bridge just before we pulled in here. It's twenty-two hundred feet long, and we always give a long whistle before we get to it, and then slow down. That's the law, he added, smiling,
gpt
THEY STRUCK THE MISSISSIPPI BRIDGE AT FULL SPEED.
human
I've stopped, said Bullard,
gpt
Would you reverse her?
human
No, sir. All engineers who know their business will agree on that. I'd shut the throttle off, and put the brakes on full. But I wouldn't reverse her. If I did, the wheels would lock in a second, and the whole business would skate ahead as if you'd put her on ice.