Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-10-14
A Drunken Man Runs of with Loco


The Troy Times learns from an engi-
neer on the Hudson River railroad the
particulars of one of the most exciting
scenes probably that ever occurred on
the line of that road. On Saturday last
the locomotive Arctic was standing on
the track at Poughkeepsie, awaiting the
arrival of the 9:l5 am. train from this
city, which it was to conduct to New
York. The fireman of the engine was a
new employe on the road; and jumping
off the locomotive repaired to neighbor-
ing 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 en-
gineer, becoming alarmed at the absence
of his fireman, got off the engine to look
for him. During his absence, and inhu-
enced by the devil, the fireman 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 few minutes all was
CONSERVATION and excitement among the
lookers-on. In q moment the engine with
its maniac driver was out of sight, bound
ing along over the track at q rate utterly
fearful to contemplate, and suggesting
most terrible disasters to such unlucky
trains as might be preceding it on the
track. What to do-how TO stop the
mad career of the eugine-were the
questions which presented themselves for
solution to 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 flying locomotive
off 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 it was deter
mined that, if possible, no one should be
harmed by the freaks of the madman but
himself neither his life nor the value OF
the engine being considered of the least
account when the lives of so many others
were depending on the result. For
tunately, the engine was stopped by
causes within itself, rather than by aRy
of the measures suggested for its over
throw aud destruction. The engineer at
Poughkeepsie, when he left the engine to
look for his absent fireman, had both
pumps at work filing the boiler with
water. The fireman either did not know
how to shut off the how of cold water or
had overlooked in bis frenzy and excite
ment the fact that the pumps were at
work, and neglected to shut them of, and
after running about dozen miles the
pressure of water upon the boiler was so
great as to cause an overflow, the fires
went down, steam was exhausted, and
the engine stopped for the want of the
necessary driving power. The fireman
then took the cushion from the engineers
seat, laid it down in the gutter alongside
the track, aud coolly deposited himself
upon il for a comfortable snooze, un-
mindful of the terrible excitement and
apprehensions of disaster be bad caused
along the line Of the road. The engine
was subsequently, brought back to Pough'
keepsis, none the worse for its mad jour
ney, and the faithless fireman was
discharged from the employ of the con-
pany.