Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-10-09
A Drunken Man Driving a Locomotive
at Full Speed.

WE learn from an engineer on the Hud-
son 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 Poughkeepsle,
awaiting the arrival of the 9:45 a. m. train
from this city, which it was to conduct to
New York. The fireman IF 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 sungoVernable
with liquor. 4ls $3.50 &
The time for the arrival of the train was
fast approaching, and the engineer, becom-
ing alarmed at the absence Of his fireman,
got off the engine to look for him. Dur
ing 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 whirl- wind For few minutes all
was CONSERVATION and excitement among
the lockers on. In a moment the engine
with its maniac driver was out of sight,
bounding along over the track at a rate
utterly fearful to contemplate, and suggest
trains as night be preceding it on the
track 47'
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 railroad officials at Pough-
keepsie. There was but one recourse, and
that was to telegraph to the station master
at New Hamburg to throw open the switch
at that point, and run the flying locomo-
tive off the track. But before the
agent at that place could execute
the order, the arctic came tearing along
at it's greatest speed, passed the station in
safety, and was flying on its course like q
demon 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 engine being considered
of the least account 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 measures suggested for its overthrow
and destruction The engineer at Pough-
keepsie, when he left 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 over
looked in his frenzy and excitement the
fact that the pumps were at work, and
neglected to shut them off, and after run
ming about a dozen miles the pressure Of
water upon the boiler was so great as tc
cause an overflow, the fires went down
steam was exhausted, and the engine
stopped for want of the necessary driving
power. ea q. -teHI- .#J I
The fireman then took the cushions
from the engineers seat, laid them dowr
in. the gutter alongside the track, and
coolly deposited himself upon them for 6
comfortable snooze, unmindful of the ter
rible excitement and apprehensions O
disasters he had caused along the line O
the road. The engine was subsequently
brought back to Poughkeepsie none The
worse for its mad journey, and the faith
less fireman was discharged from the EN-
ploy of the company Troy Times.