everything had been made ready for trial in motion, careful
observers were stationed on each side of the track, and the
order was given to release the machine. What follows is best
told in Maxim's own words:--

'The enormous screw-thrust started the engine so quickly that it
nearly threw the engineers off their feet, and the machine
bounded over the track at a great rate. Upon noticing a slight
diminution in the steam pressure, I turned on more gas, when
almost instantly the steam commenced to blow a steady blast from
the small safety valve, showing that the pressure was at least
320 lbs. in the pipes supplying the engines with steam. Before
starting on this run, the wheels that were to engage the upper
track were painted, and it was the duty of one of my assistants
to observe these wheels during the run, while another assistant
watched the pressure gauges and dynagraphs. The first part of
the track was up a slight incline, but the machine was lifted
clear of the lower rails and all of the top wheels were fully
engaged on the upper track when about 600 feet had been covered.
The speed rapidly increased, and when 900 feet had been covered,
one of the rear axle trees, which were of two-inch steel tubing,
doubled up and set the rear end of the machine completely free.
The pencils ran completely across the cylinders of the
dynagraphs and caught on the underneath end. The rear end of
the machine being set free, raised considerably above the track
and swayed. At about 1,000 feet, the left forward wheel also
got clear of the upper track, and shortly afterwards the right
forward wheel tore up about 100 feet of the upper track. Steam
was at once shut off and the machine sank directly to the earth,
embedding the wheels in the soft turf without leaving any other