The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-01-19
OLD TIME RAILROADING.
A Veteran Engineers "Reminiscences.

II
seven years ago by q veteran engineer,
Frederick Lunger, of Davenport, Iowa. He
was born in New Jersey, near Easton, Pa,
in 1903. He went to Mauch Chunk In 1882,
aud his first railroading was as mule driver,
hauling coal cars from Summit Hill to Mauch
Chunk, length of nine miles. From this
forstaste Of the business he concluded he
/ wouli like 1t, and being young man of
/ good habits and of fine physical proportions,
he had no difficulty in obtaining situation
as assistant in the Baldwin shops In Phila.
delphla. HIS first experience with q Loco
motive was in 1895, when he took the "Al-
bion,' an engine built by George Stephen
sou, and made one Of the " runs " OIL the old
estate road" from the "plsue," or level,
four miles above Philadelphia, to the ''plane"
one mile from Columbia, Pa. The trains
were let down from the planes TO- the lower
level Of the river towns at the respective
termini by stationary engines.
This road was State property, but the cars
were private property, and during the time
of Mr.. Lungers connection with it four in-
dependent and separate lines were engaged
in traffic over the road, viz: Leech's, Good
Intent, Peoples, and Pioneer. Each sepa-
rate line had its own cars and its own con-
ducters, and although joined together in the
train, competed with each other for freight and
passenger traffic. When they were ready to
start out ali were coupled together and
| hfou ~ hu hA S,at Tbn
paid the engineer, who vas a State officer,
and whose situation depended in a great
measure on political influence, was sixty
dollars per month in gold, while the fireman
trains mentioned, pulled by locomotives, and
which ran only in the daytime, there were
night trains pulled by mules aud horses,
which were changed at intervals of twelve
miles, after the manner of stage lines. There
were no baggagemen, each passenger looking
| after his own luggage, which was loaded OH
| van at the terminal points, and unloaded
either by the owners or porters feed by them
for that purpose. There were no tickets nor
ticket-agents, the conductor of each inde-
pendent line having way-bill on which he
entered the name of, and distance travelled
by, each passenger in his car, after the man
ner Of the old stage lines.
These trains had no brakes nor brakemen.
The locomotive had no bell, whistle, or
headlight. The fireman was furnished with
| a small tin horn with reed in the mouth
piece, similar to the horns now used for
making hideous the Christmas holiday by
the younger part of the population of to day.
These startling, if not melodous, instru-
ments announced their entrance and depart
ure at wayside towns, and their arrival at
the end of the route. The train usually
started from Philadelphia at a. m, consum-
ing an hour to get up to the "plane," stop
ping for breakfast at Morgan's Corner"
seven miles from the plane, and for dinner
at Lancaster, arriving at Columbia by pm.
Returning the next day, it started from the
Co lumbia plane at 10 a. M, dining at Paola,
aud arriving at Philadelphia plane at 5p. m,
seven hours run, including stops. The
first whistle Mr.. Lunger ever saw was built
by " Bill knight, at the Norris shop, Phila-
delphia, in 1895, and was on a locomotive
called the " Lafayette" afteward run by him
on the Pennsylvania road.
Mr.. Lunger remained IN this situation I'M
til 1888, having held under Governors Wolff
and Rlttner, when David r. Porter having
been elected Governor, he removed Andy
Mahafey, Governor Rttner's anti-M Mason ic
superintendent, aud appointed James Cam
eron, a good Democrat, to the position.
This gentleman, in true Jacksonian style,
long the spoils," discharged all the employees
without exception, aud replaced them with
good Democrats.
Mr.. Lunger dad not wait to be " bounced
but as soon as the election was over we mt to
the baldwin shop and engaged to 60 with
an engine they had just completed to Geor-
gia. The vessel on which 1t was freighted
having been caught in the ice In the Della
ware river, they did not arrive at their de-
stination until the spring of 1889, when he
ran the first passenger train from Augusta to
Brazilia. He was afterward put in charge of
a construction train, building track up the
main line to Union Point, and also greater
part of the Athens branch, working under
the management of J. Edgar Thomson, chief
engineer, and Dick Peters, managing super
intendent. He tired of the South, and re-
turned home to Washington, N. j., In the
fall Of 1910. In the winter following, having
received advantageous offers from the mana
ayers of the Mississippi Central Railroad, he
started for Vicksburg, but being accidentally
detained for some hours at Madison, Indiana,
he met Samuel Thomas, who was superin-
tending the road recently leased from the
State by John Sering. He was well ac-
quanted with Thomas, who offered him
better inducements than he expected to. OBJ
tain South; and he remained with him,
making the run of twenty miles between
Madison and Vernon. In 1S43 he went to
Lexington, KY, and ran q passenger train
from that point to Frankfort, under the su-
perintendence of VIM. r. Mckee. From |
there he went In the summer of 1916 to
vicksburg, running from Vicksburg to Jack |
son until the fall Of 1s4s, when he returned |
TO Madison, Ind.
He made these changes at the instance of
his original employers, the Baldwin Loco |
motive Works, and often for their benefit |
alone, to aid In getting new roads into sue
cessful operation. On the first day Of Octo-
Der, 1S4S, he hauled the first passenger train
which ever came into indianapolis, on what
Is known as the Jacksonville, Madison and
Indianapolis railroad, then under the man.
agement of Nathan B. Palmer, president,
and Samuel Merrill, superintendent.
Mr.. Lungsr returned to yicksburg the
same winter, and remained In his former sit
uation until 1852, when be retired 10 his farm
near Madison, Ind. In 1854 he was appoint
cd master mechanic Of the Lawrenceburg
shcp and superintendent Of eneines OF the
Cincinnati and indianapolis road, residing
part OF che time u indianapolis and the last
year At Lawrenceburg. This position be
held until 1856, when he gave mp rAilroading
and moved to Davenport, Iowa.
sJohn Sherman Is ssid by those that know
him best at Maissield, to be worth about
5000 He Is said 70 be nearly the exact
counferweight in money, ability and cool