Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-10-08

A DrAnken Man Driving a Lccomo-
tive at Full speed.

The Troy New York; Times, of Sep
tember 23d, says: We learn from an
engineer on the Hudson River Railroad,
the particulars of one of the most ex-
citing scenes probably that ever occurred
on the line of that road. On Saturday
last the locomotive -Artic was standing
on the track at tPoughkeepsie, awaiting
the arrival of the 9:45 A. NJ. train from
this city, which it was to conduct to
New York. The fireman of the engine
was recent employee of the road, and
jumping off the locomotive, repaired to a
neighboring saloon, where he became
not drunk, but utterly wild and ungov-
ernable with liquor.
The time for the arrival of the train
was fast approaching, and the engineer,
becoming alarmed at the absence of his
fireman, got off his engine to look for
him. During his absence the fireman
returned, and, influenced by the devil,
mountdd the engine, and, with one
cluch, opened the throttle which was
to set the ponderous machienery in
motion.
Away the Artic sped with the speed
Of the whirlwind. For a few minutes
all was CONSERVATION and excitement
among the lookers-on. In moment the
engine with its maniac driver was out of
sight, bounding along the track at a rate
utterly fearful to contemplate, and sug-
gesting most terrible disaster to such un-
lucky treins as might be preceding it on
the track.
What to do-how to stop the mad
career of the engine-were the questions
which presented themselves for solution
to the minds of the railroid officials at
Poughkeepsie. There was but one re-
sourse, and that was to telegraph 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 Artic came
tearing along at its greatest speed, passed
the station in safety, and was flying on
its course like deanon of destruction.
Orders were sent ahead for the track TO
be torn up, as it was determined that if
possible no one should be harmed by the
freaks Of the mailman but. himself.
neither his life nor the value of the en-
gine being considered of the least ac-
count when the lives of SO, many others
were depending on the result.
Fortunately the engine was stopped
by causes within itself, rather than by
any of the measurs suggested fnrits over
throw an0 destruction. The engineer
at Poughkeepsie, when he left the
engine to look for his absent fireman.
had both pumps at work filling the boiler
with wafer. 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 to shut
them of, and after running about a
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 cushins
from the engineers seat, laid them down
in the gutter alongside the track, and
cody deposited himself upon them for
a comfortable sleep, unmindful of the
terrible excitement and apprehensions of
disaster he he had caused along the line
Of the road. The engine was subsequent
ly brough6 back to Poughkeepsie, none
the worse for its mad journey, and the
faithless fireman was discharged from
the employ of the company.