The sun., 1889-11-10

James Ferry or Rrooklyn Ran on eye
Charleston and IHanhburR 81 Tears AGO

active for his age, James Perry lives quietlyin
Vanderbilt avenue, Brooklyn. and looks htck
to his youth whom he was one Of the earlbst
locomotive engineers employed In the Unted
States. In 1888 1Ir. Perry was sturdy yohna
blacksmith working at his trade In Bkrka
county. Pennsylvania. but anxious to lind
place In tho machine shops Of Philadelphia
He failed in this because the shops were
! crowded, and, as nothing better was at band
became a clarinet player in sort Of TRAVELLING
| circus Toward the end OF the second sdasopl
IN the spring OF 1886. he found himself in
Charleston, and diseustod with the show busl-
ness because the we'll. ordered showmen with
whom he had started out had combined with an
| older and less reputable conn pany. At this time
the Charleston and Hamburg Railroad
running 1876 miles, across the state, was
a very new thing, being one Of tho earliest
railroads built In this country. Locomotive
engineers were needed, and rs Perry was a
skilled mechanic, he was looked upon ps the
! sort OF raw material from which engineers
should be made. Accordingly he became
fireman along with negro, in accordance with
| the custom of having one white man Rnd one
negro to do the firing. Perry speedily learned
how to run an engine. and in the end bought
Off the English engineer In charge. and OBJ
:" ran from Charleston 10 Aiken. 100 miles"
said tho old gentleman, first us ongtneer oil q
freight train and afterward with n passenger
| train. A railway Journey was looked upon as
| n serious and dangerous undert aking in those
days. for there were a great mnny accidents.
There There were sixteen enGlneers and hremon
and a half years, OF service. II earn ed y
two accidents during my whole time and peo-
| pie having n journey to- make used to come to
the depot to learn on what dny MY engine. the
passenger train al, 4 O'Clock in the morning
and reach Aiken about 10 the afternoon. We
| lost good deal Of time in stopping for wood
and water. Then, too. passengers had way
TO get q drink at grocery stores near the sta
tion. The engineer was boss OF the train in
those days. He whstSd when really to start
rang a bell. 30 that the passengers might get
back from the barrooms and stow themselves
Blockville for dinner. and about the same
length Of time at o place twenty or thirty miles
out OF Charleston for breakfast"
Mr.. Perry could not recall Just what sort OF
one. but he knew that the fare on the 100 miles
Of hisrun was somewhere between 81 and S.
Passengers usually came to tho baggage cars
TO pick out their baggage when they reached
that there could have been no checking sys.
tenn. Now and then the color question came up.
tsnn ~ was astea OF course @ hat gangs OF slaves
be carried in freight cars. The negroes travelled
little on their own account. but q good deal in
company with their masters. An Englishman
travelling with negro body servant was forced.
much AGAINST his will to send the negro to the
language on the subject and was somewhat
roughly handled.
But you should have seen the road bed"
said Mr. Perry when l first went on tho
road there were few cuts or fills, but great
many trestles varying in height from three feet
and the road bed was much improved. The
rails rails were @ nat strips OF iron about two inches
stringpieces were rotten in places. and at such
one, end: These were called snake 6eads, 1
were were not not Very very high 6N the Ihe' en- engine 'rsn rsn
over them and did no harm. but now and then
from tho stringpiece. and threw II eight or ten
feet IN the air. Now and then snake beadi'
WTnid run % TP into tro s passenGer car and III
that at times the wheels Of the engine would be
within within aSe- M -eighths Of an inch Of dropping be-
tween the rails. Later improved rails were
one,third less fuel.
They had inclined cylinders the two driving
wheels were not moro than four feet in diam
ered % ae Tbe
size OF the present street, cars: and the seats
were usually ARRANGED lenGthwise OF the
q heavy train. They We're "a usuaiiS isis
only. one passenger train daily each way.
stations were ten or twelve miles apart, and !
peope stared %s NJ S nrsttW bnr @
nightly interested in the watering and wood
ing up Of the engine"
pay as full engineer was $1,000 a year, con- |
siderablV better than the pay of locomotive !
money fifty years ago is taken Into account. |
he could not recall the wages OF fremen, but
,snop supposed they were pretty low. as negroes
some confederation. He himself had married |
Whil IN the service OF the railroad company.
and established comfortable home in Charles
ton.
His two accidents. and narrow escape from
railroadng In the case of the first accident
ne was running freight train, and the Presi-
een ee1h oI nS tnS company was iathe rear car The
some blunder had been made in the work
Perry discovered. on going round q curve, that
the engine ran hard only on curves on one side
OF the road. The President inquired why he ran
be careful At an unusually SHARP o'sH curve. Ht' a
lew miles further on. however. the wheels left
the 1ss tract and the engine t9Ppied over No one
Perry, was still freight engineer, he volun-
t@eeTed @ to push passenger train whose engine
with resipous smoke from the pine knots used
as a. fuel li,, He got the train to within mile Of
if.disabisd engine. ThlnIins % the S''1 COAST Est
10 ss Aiken aFERDahs W hs E FSder
OF his train at a pretty high speed. Suddenly
pun pun Of M steam ahead warned him that he was
with difficulty to stop his engine within six
inches OF the rear car. Didn't you sec usi"
chorused the panic stricken passengersI "0f
course l did" said Perry, pale and nearly
speechless with fright but determined that no
IN accident.
d, My last accident ended my connection with
Inc railroad" said the old gentleman. Il was I,
running down toward Charleston one day,
when | saw that something was wrong at a
turnout which haq to make. signalled for
iown breeks and tried to stop. but not 10 time
20 prevent the Marion from running Off the
rack. Nobody was hurt but there was a new
assistant civil engineer In charge of that part
)f the road. and he undertook to lecture me. i
old him that knew my business better than
40 did and ne said that he was In charge. |
Then told him that he might stay in change,
md that as for me I'd hand in my resignation. |
Then he tried to make peace but lust took |
ny engine on TO Charleston, loft him 10 do as
10 pleased with tho train. and next day l |
landed in my resignation. The officials tried
o persuade me to stay. but refused and that |
vas the last OF my locomotive engtneering L ! 4
'rought weak back out OF the business from
INJURIES received one time or another. but it's
m interesting time to think about. row that
ailroading has grown to what 1t is to-day"
DIDN'T MIND losing ms STORE.