The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-11-07
THRILLING SCENES by RAIL.
New York Star.

New York Star.
"In the fall of 1S49 commenced run
ming the baggage on the New York AM
Eric Railway" said Mr.. John Camp
ono of the oldest through baggagemen il
the Company's employ, in conversation
with the writer at the Erie Depot, foo
of Chambers-street, "and rough tim,
we had of it, too, Railroading was q
that time in its infancy, the steam loco
motive was new thing, and was every
where regarded as. one of the wonder.
of invention. Doing away with, as il
did, the old tedious stage lines, and
making the distance in far less time
with none of the inconvenience of the
early methods of conveyance, it was, Of
course. generally attractive.
But still, when | look back and com,
pare our old caboOses, small wood-burn.
ing engines, rickety cars and cheap rails
with these modern coaches and solid
locomotives, comfortable cars, heavy
steel rails and reliable air-brakes, am
as much astonished at the Improvements
as people were at the first invention.
IOu ste, VIC lldl llO ItlldDlc dfTdIpe-
ment in the matter of brakes, and those
terrible old machines used for that pul-
pose were simply chain worked at
each end by sort of Wheel which,
when turned by strong exert0n, pressed
block of iron made to fit the face of
the wheel tightly against it, similar to
like construction on heavy wagon.
Well, the boys detested these brakes,
which were a dangerous thing to handle
by an inexperienced man, with the train
going at full speed. More than one poor
fellow has received his death from the
breaking of the chain while operating
these bungling machines. In the alb,
sence of a name for the brakes of that
day, the boys used to call them the
Armstrong Brake which was well APP
piled, as it required full amount of
of muscle and nerve to operate them.
81 began running from New York,
by way of Piermont, before the road
was open to Sufern's. We used to
transfer passengers and baggage up the
Hudson River to Piermont from our old
depot, which was located at the foot of
Duane-street, on two boats owned by the
Company, and from that place west
ward by rail. The completion of the
road down through New Jersey is of
more recent date. After few months
the road was opened to Elmira, and
thence up to Jefferson (nOw Watkins) at
the foot of Seneca Lake, and our traffic
was transferred from that place by at
to Geneva and on to Buffalo. The year
after we ran to Hornersville, and about
1851, or tbereabouts, we reached Dun
kirk, then the western terminus.
az think that the section from Port
Jervis to Deposit was about the worst
and most dangerous of any in the coun-
try, being either cut in the rocky cliffs
embanking the river, where, in case of
slight accident, the whole train would
have been hurled down the precipice
fully one hundred feet into the foaming
waters beneath, or laid through low
woodland marshes clear down to the
rivers level. 1t was in these high cuts
that The danger of rocks on the track
was feared. A slight rain. or the moisten-
ing of the ground occasiOned by the
frost leaving it in the spring OF the year,
would start large rock. which would
fall to the track, and, should a train
collide with it in the night, the chances
were in favor of wholesale slaughter.
From Lackawanna to Hancock we were
pretty near down to the lowwater mark,
and with slight freshet our track was
subject to being washed out for long
distance, thus requiring great deal of
watching and repairs; and in each case
of such wash-out | have known trains
to be blocked for day or two. IT'S not
the most agreeable thing in the world to
be thus delayed, and not house within
ten miles of the spot. Perhaps more ac-
cidents have occurred on this division
than on any other two divisions COM
bined, and it is a wonder to me that we
have not all been hurled into eternity.
From Deposit to Susquehanna it is up
and down hill, the grade running for
eight miles on each side of the sum-
nit at slope of sixty feet to the mile.
Along this section was the old Cascade
Bridge, familiar to tourists as the high
est structure of its kind in the State, and
which being washed out was subse.
quently filled in with gravel, over
stone culvert, making yawing ravine
on either side fully one hundred feet
deep. Along the Susquehanna and
Chemung Valleys the road is good the
scenery through this section is not sur
passed for picturesqueness throughout
the State, and hundreds of dwellings
and farms dot the hillsides and valley,
with here and there neat little village.
The principal stations on this division
are Binghamton, Owego and Elmira. In
those early days Owego was the largest
and most thriving of any, and was con-
nected by n horse railroad with Ithaca,
but times changes have more favored
Elmira and Binghamton,. until in fact
they have far advanced beyond their
sister village The road was ~ fair
condition the remainder Of the way to
Dunkirk.
sour cars we're rather poor affairs
compared with the palace, drawing-room