The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-05-17
The Oldest Locomotive Engineer in the
United States.

| Lufkins, generally called esquire"
Lufkins, of the Philadelphia d Reading
| Railroad. He is tall and thin.
mine has been very simple Iife,"
| said the Squire, land when | look back
over the thirty-seyen years | ran q
! passenger engine, it makes me wonder
that so few things stand out. It's all
dead level now. ! began engineering
when was just twentyyears old, which
was pretty young, and you see needn't
be tOttering on the edge of the grave to
be the oldest engineer. When | began
| hadn't served an apprenticeship as n
| fireman, but was well-trained ma
chinist. Locomotives were my delight
to study, and when | got one to run
myself my ambition was realized. l
Just settled down to my life work then
and there. AT first | was bothered by
people wondering at such boy engi-
neer, but | attended strictly to my
work, and soon | knew | was all right
and safe, and the officers came to the
same opinion before long. l loved my
work and never let my mind run off
the track. My engine and my duty
were more to me than anything else L
could think about. When an engineers
mind goes off on side trips his train is
apt to make violent attempt to
| follow"
didn't you feel the effects of the
work and responsibility on your
| nerves."
Il can't say I did. I've read of
doctors saying that no man can stand
the physical and mental Strain of run
ming an engine more than twenty-five
| years. | don't believe this is so. If it
IS, am great exception. | am just
as capable to-day as | ever was in my
life, and think | could 90 on and COM
plete my second twenty-five years. OF
| course, the engine shook me up, and
there was noise and exposure all the
time, but got used to these things.
They got to be as matter of fact as eat
ing. As to the sense of responsibility
| felt it, of course, but it sustained me,
| instead of breaking me down. Why,
it is the soul ofengineering, this thought
that one is taking care of the lives of
| others. If didn't have it, | wouldn t
| run an engine. Itwould be like run
ming a church without any God. And
/ would not work on any railroad if the
safety Of the passengers was not the
very first thought in every department,
from President down"
Odd your train ever meet with an
accident?"
Nothing bad. I've had little mis-
haps, but | never received a censure
from my superiOrs or my own self.
One time q man was hurt on nv train
and | heard he afterward died. He was
on a platform, where he had no right
to be, when q COW ran into my engine.
| She got caught in the wheels and two
coaches were derailed. The passenger
was thrown off and badly hurt 1
think there was suit against the COM
| pany and the company won it. That's
the only accident | car remember. 1t
was this freedom from trouble for so
many years that led me to resign my
| position about two years ago. Thinks |,
| am getting rather old in years. I'll
have to quit anyhow before Il great
while. If l quit after some misfortune
people will blame me, and the COM
pany, too, for keeping me at work. |
am Just rs good an engineer as ever,
and I'll end my service on my own mo-
ton. So sent in my resignation and
the company gave me satisfactory
place as detective between Broad and
Callowhill depot and Belmont"
''Have you kept any record of your
mileage?"
Yes, sort of record, but it would
take months to make up any figures
from it. 1t was q sort of account book
that | carried in my pocket. would
enter my boarding house expenses, my
mileage, and other things all together.
But | was an engineer thirty-seven
years, and ran all the time between
Philadelphia and Pottsville. This is u
| distance of ninety-three miles, but the
run actually made is 100 miles. for there
is Il lot of side running. For five years
at the start, had freight engine, and
all the rest OF the time 4 passenger en-
| CINE. For the last fourteen wears |
doubled the run most of the time.
| Now, YOU can make calculation from
these figures and facts. You say $780,
! 600 miles? That seems q great deal,
but | suppose it will do. think an
average of $50 miles a day for $50 days
! in the yearfor thirty-siX years would be
Il moderate statement. That drops u
whole year for safety's sake. But | do
not take much pains to study out such
sums in arithmetic. If I were u
Frenchman | suppose I'd know how
many times my travels would have car
ri2d me around the world and all such
things. | only know they carried me so
often between Philadelphia and Potts
vile, that | know every tie in the track
and almost when each was placed
there"
No doubt you witnessed many
changes and improvements
YES; but they came like boy
grows, and it wouldn't be easy to tell
when any one occurred. When | be-
gan there were no cabs on the engines,
and we had to dress warm for outdoor
work. Sometimes it wasn't easy to
hang on, but the time made in those
days was nothing to that now made
At sixty miles an hour, which is an or
binary rate, it wouldn't do to be with
out cab in cold weather. The wind
would cut the eyes out | remember
when the cab engines were first intro
duced here. twas on the Pennsylva-
mia road. which then belonged to the
| State. The engineers all raised great
row at the change, and there came near
being a strike. They said the houses
were death traps. and if an accident