The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-02-22

The following dispatch from Packers
burg, this state, will be read with great
interest by West Virginia adies'
A letter from Cairo, Richie county,
stares that Miss Ida Hewitt, daughter
OF Richard Hewitt, who is known as
tho only woman engineer in the world
and who has been engaged by the
women commissioners OF the Worlds
Fair to run the first train over tho
grounds on tho opening day OF the OK.
hibition has perfected all arrangements
to ill her part OF the engagement and
will leave for Chicago about a week be.
fore the dav appointed Tor the opening.
Miss Hewitt has had an extensive
wardrobe prepared for her use during
the Fair, ono OF her unique costumes
being that OF & Spanish girl OF the
fourteenth century, which she will wear
on the engine during her first trip. She
i5a brunette beauty, aud the costume
suits her admirably Speaking Of Miss
Hewitt III huntington u few months
ago, one OF the Worlds Fair commits.
siorers said:
II think this young lady will prove
one OF the attractions OF the fair, Gspe-
Cinitv to those interested in machinery
and in the work that woman can do
in the world II is a known fact that
she does notrun on her fathers road
because shells obliged to, but because she
has Il love Tor machinery, especially n
locomotive. She developed this trait at
an early age and had hardly reached
her teens before SHE was better posted
on the running aud management OF
locomotive than arc many men who
have made 1t q life work. She was
never without wrench or q hammer
and was always trying 10 get up some
improvement on the machinery in the
mill or on the road. When she first
took hold OF the throttle she was as
much ut home as shc is to-day, and no
male engineer has ever been employed
by the company that has made Il better
run over tho line than has Miss Ida.
"She is as modest as any girl | have
evor met and does not crave the notori.
ETY. that her adoption OF the business OF
an engineer has given her After it
was first published year or SO ago that
she was engaged in this business she
had the largest mail of any person in
her town. Letters poured in from all
over tho world, and it would have kept
a photographer busy long time sup
plying the demand that was made upon
her for her picture. Cigarette people
wanted it for their collections, ma
chinery men for their catalogues and
calendars and illustrated papers for
their weekly or monthly editions
Money was sent her in abundance to
pay her for her trouble, but the girl ro-
fused all offers and stuck TO her engine.
We had great difficulty in securing her
consent to run the engine at the fair, rs
she did not care TO 20 out in the pres,
enCe OF the great crowd that she knew
would be there, but finally she was per-
suaded TO accept our offer, and we con.
graduate ourselves that we were sue
cessiu There is one thing certain, she
shall want for nothing while she is in
our charge, and everything that We can
doto make her stay in Chicago pleasant
will be done"
1t was reported that n proposition
had been made TO Miss Hewitt to be-
come member OF the Brotherhood OF
Locomotive Engineers, and that she
wittily answered that sho could not be.
como brother to them, but that she
would be u sister. prominent
brotherhood man was asked about this
matter last night and said: Eyes, wa
did make proposition to her to Join
We want her rs sort OF daughter OF
the brotherhood the same rs there
were daughters OF the regiment during
the war. Nature has made her an en-.
gineCr and there is one thing certain,
she shalt never want in this world
while the Brotherhood OF Railway En-.
gineers lasts. She has not signifed her
intention OF accepting tho offer made
but we adopt her al the same and she
is one OF Us"
The road upon which Miss Hewitt
learned her business and upon which
she is now running is known as the
Cairo & Little KnnNwha, and Is feeder
for tho Baltimore u Ohio at Cairo from
the lumber districts back in that yicin,
ity. 1t is mostly owned by the father
OF the young lady, who is a man OF
prominence and wealth. The peculiar
employment that Miss Hewitt has SO.
lecled has not unsexed her in the least
and she is as much at home in the par.
Tors OF the most cultured aud fashion.
able people in Parkertburg and other
cities where she has friends as she is in
the cab Of her favorite engine. She is
also model housewife, aad is thor.
oughly up in all the little details Of
housekeeping, at which she occupies
herself when "ol her run"