The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-09-30
A Drunken Man Driving n LocOmo
tive at Full Speed.
STEAMSHIP GARNATIc, |
SUR. August %


The Troy New York; Times, of Sep
TENDER 23d, says: We learn from an
engineer on the Hudson River Rail-
road, the particulars of one of the most
exciting scenes probably that ever &C.
cured on the line OF that road, On
Saturday last the locomotive Arctic
was standing on the track at POugh-
keepsie, awaiting the arrival of the
9:45 A. NJ. train from this city, whichit
was to conduct to New York. The fire.
man OF the engine was recent en-
ployee of the road, and jumping of the
locomotive, repaired to a neighboring
saloon, where he became not drunk,
but utterly wild and ungovernable with
liquor.
The time for the arrival of the train
was fast approaching, and the engt-
neer, becoming alarmed at the absence
of his fireman, got of his engine to
look for him. During his absence the
fireman returned, and, Influenced by
the devil, mounted the engine and,
with one desperate clutch, opened the
throttle which was to set the ponderous
machinery in motion.
Away the Arctic sped with the speed
of the whirlwind. For a few minutes
all was CONSERVATION and excitement
among the lookers-on. In a moment
out of sight, bounding along over the
track at rate utterly fearful to con-
template, and suggesting most terrible
disasters TO such unlucky trains as
might be preceding it on the track.
What 10 dO-how TO stop the mad
career of the engine-were the ques-
tious which presented themselves for
solution 10 the minds of the railroad
officials at Poughkeepsie- There was
but one recourse, and that was to tele-
graph to the station master at New
Hamburg to throw open the switch at
that point and run the Tying locomo-
tive of the track. -
But before the agent at that place
could execute the order, the Arctic
came tearing along at its greatest
speed, passed the station in safety, and
was flying on its course like demon
of destruction, Orders were sent ahead
| for the track to be torn up, as ii was
determined that If possible no one
should be harmed by the freaks of the
madman btu himself, neither his life
nor the value of the engine being CON
sidered of the least account when the
lives of SO many others were depend
| ing on the result.
Fortunately the engine was stopped
| by causes within itself, rather than by
! any of the measures suggested for it
4 overthrow and destruction. The enRi
neer at Poughkeepsie, when he lett the
| engine to look for his absent fireman
had both pumps at work filling the
boiler with water. The fireman either
did not know how to shut off the flow
of cold water or had overlooked in his
frenzy and excitement the fact that the
pumps were at work, and neglected tc
shut them of, and after running about
a dozen miles the pressure OF watel
upon the boiler was so great as to causC
an overflow, the fires went down, steam
was exhausted, and the engine stop
ped for the want of the necessary dri-
| wing power.
The fireman then took the cushions
from the engineers seat, laid them
down in the gutter alonside the track
and coolly deposited himself upon
them for a comfortable sleep, unmind-
full of the terrible excitement and ap
prehensions of disasters he had caused
along the line of the road. The engine
was subsequently, brought back Il
| Poughkeepsie, none the worse for It'll
mad journey, and the faithless fireman
was discharged from the employ of thu
company.