Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-06-27
VHIMS OF LOCOMOTIVES.
An Engineer Tolls OF Their Many
Strange Actions.
They become Deransed and Naniaca''
s.,ncr from Nervous PRESERVATION an"
Arc Generally Like Human 1se-
inr,-One That Had the Grip.

locomotives become dcranged and
maniacnl, like human beings, s'.io
John Bowchcr, the oldest express en-
cinccr on the l,i9 -Four. Eowcher has
the supcrstitions common to nearly all
men in his business.
II assure you," Bowcher cqnt'nneo'
that locomotives require regular resi-
constant attention, even nursing when
thcv don't feel right An engine will
take spells when nothing you can 90
will make it act properly. Then the
| shop Is the only place for it, and there
,py machine has got to go, or quit inc
; service of the road"
..Do certain engines get bad chaIac-
ters--develop some unexpected taln' III
the blood so to speak; after being IN
use for awhilc?" was asked by q re-
porter who met Mr. Dowcher Mt re-
union of locomotive engineers.
"Thcy certainly do grow unmanase-
able sometimes Generally this Is
from ovcrwork. Engines are ike
thoroughbred horse in that particular
respect. They will get 'o1f their ieeu
by which I mean that 1hcy VII nv
pump up right, the furnace will cloe
and the efficiency of the fuel will not
be obtained They suffer from . iacK
Of energy, You are liable to stall on
an upgrade. They will act badly on
tho curves, manifcstinc a decided IN
clination to mount the rails or to take
sudden starts that will endanSer the
couplings. .,o
.old No. 8 that l used to make the
best time with when she was 'r'en.,
had an annoying habit Of starting WIN
an awful jerk. It didn't matter now
care fully 1 opened the throttle, nov
thoroughly understood the cona't'on
Of the steam, away we jumped e'.S
time. 1t seemed as II the steam =.
cred itself somewhere and, after IL
got ready, let itself go. The old mon
s.cr has been broken up, and ! am
c}ol of it. She was the last OF 'he
.ecven- -tootcrs.' The number CT seven
!, foot driye-whccls now in use arc very
few. lido not personally know OF any
"Six feet seems to be. about rlRn''
But, recurring to the temper OF INC
corr olives. they are affected by ene
!, weather. which is readily understood
but q dull, heavy sky or dense h'
mospherc has Il like effect Ihls @ can
not explain in any way Whatever. W.;
Mart Smith, who was strict c'uici'
man, couldn't do anything with ono
his engines during Lent After has,el :.
d,y tho disinclin alton to make time ds
appeared. , ,.,cn.rc
'.Shc would 'nuS1ic
c,,,cd upon. Sounds very absurd
doesn't it? But it's true. The Erl
J is the only distcn. ,er to which ca
1il,cn a locomotive such as MnrtS "as
When n machine gets so. tell you sh
must have trcatmcnt-thc pest scfei
tific overhauling. She needs nasseu
needs Calvanlsm.
..When once locomotive has 10;
force of character or self-respect' oot
shc eyer regain it?" was asked
d ..Gencrally not" said Bowcher' ne'
itativcly. II know recent case
which an engine rccoVcred lio'ii
stroke of this paralysis and became
sho l. to-dav. the best on the roa
yvhon cnrinc No. II, on the Louisvill
Now Albany & Chicago road, came o.
Of the shop brand new, little mo-
than y wear ago, she was successive
nut in the hands of a half dozen OF I,
"a, hest engineers on the road to make u
run from Lafayette to New Albany.
AFTER n fair trial every man, wit
out exception, pronounced NO, -
utterly worthless piece OF macniifer
The general superintendent hearo
the engine and ordered her condcHhe
. but the master mechanic blurtco o"'
him: 1.,.
n mighty mean run, and she knows II
\, we'll as you DO
wanted the locomotive to have anoth
chance Wen, she got it, ana
Won il was to have been her laS' Oh
shed have been sold for scrap IRON
run off the track into forest an" &C
vcrtcd into the motive power for " 81
mill No. II was sent up to lnoi'
" apolis and put on the run to Monon-
went to the round house and looR
hcr over. for I'd heard OF her ana
a yerv curious. I was asked "ha'
y thought was the matter. spen'
hour over her and everything appear
~ to be right. l took an or DAY a''
down fifty miles on her
..Shc made great time. To-day
&c tho fastest on the road and the m
r.1i,hIe She can pull n vestib
train of five cars a mile niin'
Now she's the pet, the banner eng
of the road a month ago she was
4, fair way to be turned out to dlc,
Ills, now nothing Is too rich for her DO
She has the best engineer and hrci
and the best attention in the shoP.
.You speak of the need OF rest
Bowcl,er. Must it be regular? m
arv. at regular timcs?'
'J' Most assurcdly," was the pro'
rep,v. "A locomotive must be alIo'
+, recover her residence. That's
word, you have it spelled corre
only one |. Remember a locono
that pulls ont it's breath in the ror
house (where it has been in state
'Vus quiet and rest), backs up to Dig tr
and. at the sound of the conduct
hell, rushcs off on n hundred-mlle
at fifty or sixty miles an hour, Is u,
a heavy nervous strain Don sini'
mean exactly what say.
M nrs J. IL sss in sss sss esa
;s a, the HIGHEST tension. The en-