The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-17

that he was to run one of the eXcur-
sion trains that were to carry guests
of the road to Dunkirk to partlcl>
pate in the opening of the road from
he Hudson to Lake Erie. The train
was to start from Piermont. 1t was
composed Of nine cars. That whole
train cost less than the prise OF an
ordinary Pullman car of today. bnt
it had cargo Of human freight such
as no other train since then has car
ried on this continent. President
Fillmore Daniel Webster, his Secre-
tray of State John j. Crittenden, his
Attorney eneral, N. X. Hall, his
Postmaster General; and w. e. Ora
ham, his Secretary ofthe Navy, were
ON board. w. H. Seward, Hamilton
Fish, and Stephen "A. Douglas. Uni>
ted States senators, were Of the party,
Ex Governor Marcy and Daniel S,
Dickinson were also numbered among
the excursionists. Seth Dodsw,rth's
Band furnished music during the
trip. The train was draped in the
national colors, and flags tlutterei
from every spot where one could be
fastened on the train. 1t was not
only to be the longest railroad ride
on one continuous line of railroad
under one management that had ever
been taken in America, but it Was TO
be historical, because it was to be the
Inauguration of railroad co!ununica
ton between tue seaboard and the
great lakes.
Engineer Lyman coupled No. 100
to the precious train and started with
it from Plermont. Before he got to
Suffern he found that his engine was
not able to pull the unusual load and
make any Kind of time. He reached
Suffern several minutes late. and there
another locomotive was iput On to help
him ont. When they cached Middle
town the train was three quarters of
an hour behind the time that had been
scheduled for it to run by.
"Then Charles Minot, who was
the superintendent of the road and
one of the passengers Oh the excur~
sion train, telegraphed to the agent
at Port Jervis to order Josh Martin
and No. II to be ready on the arrival
of the train there to take it On west>
ward. Josh was on hand with his
pet engine when the excursion train
arrived. Swinburne, the locomotive
builder, was one of the excursionists.
He had not known until the train
reached Port Jervis that his lOcomo>
tive, which had once been condemn
ed by the company, had been or
,lered to go on with the train. The
Rev. Henry butcher, now one Of the
oldest residents of Port Jervis, was
a with, IS of VIII It occurred then He
, -a. that Swinburns climbed up On
the locomotive by josh Martin )
side looking very pale and trembling
violently. He knew that with such
) trial as was about to be put upon
lis handiwork, after failure of a
specimen Of his rivals work. his en-
; tire future rested. Ii the trial was
successful he felt that he was IL ma,ie
man. Ii it was failure he knew
alat he had many Years yet of hard
struggling before him.
'''Josh,' he said, What do you
think? Gan We do it?'
Martin stood on the foot>hoard a.
cool as if he had nothing more serious
to perform than the switching of u
treig hit Car. Hegrasped the thro tile,
and turning to Swinburpe, said:
'Swinburne, if can't make you
this trip, I'll ditch old II AMI go u
the devil with her,
"A minute later they pulled out,
and No. II WINS whirling the train
: along the precipices of the Delaware
9 division, There has been some fast
; russinS over the Delaware division
of the Erie since that day, but nc
train ever made the run between
Port Jervis and Narrowsburg, a dis
a lance of thirty four miles, as quickl y
;, as that pioneer through train did
e heavy as it was for its day. The
! time was taken by the conductor
! who was the late Captain Ayers, ia.
military known as Poppy, and by
several of the passengers, and rec
: ord made Of it. The run of thirty
! four miles was made in thirty.ay&
minutes. The great speed of tn,
train alarmed many passengers, ant
0 several left the train at Narrowsburg
: When the train reached Deposit
g al uoiloo e, m lol L.