The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-03
WHEN ROADS WERE new
Interesting RGCOlleCtiOnS Of an Old
time Railroad Engineer.

How Josh Martin Made the Great
swinburne Fortune With Old II.
The Davy Crockett That Made
Time in 1S32-The Antelope and
the Carroll ..of CarroIlton-How
Charley Minot Ran the First Train
by Telegraph and Poppy Ayres In
vented the Bell Rope.
From the New York Sun
sIf old Josh Martin was here to see that
beauty, he'd just go crazy" said a veteran
ex-railroad engineer, who remembers
many interesting things about the early
DAYS of railway transportation in this
country, speaking of the magnificent new
giant locomotive the Erie railway engi-
neers have built for exhibition at Chi
cago. And yet, Old Josh would say, Just
as sure as you live:
"'Shes a daisy but I'll bet she amt a
marker long side of old II, when you
come right down to diggin' in for work.
Now, there's story for you. Old II.
She made the big fortune of the Swim
burues of Paterson, or rather, Josh Mar
tin made the fortune with old IL Yet all
that Josh ever got out of it was a pretty
fair gold watch, and when he died a few
wears ago, over 20 years old, he was MAX
ing a living on a switch engine in the Erie
yards at Jersey City.
FIFTY years ago the Rogers loco
motive works hadn't made Paterson IA
nous all over the world, but they were
laying the foundation for their present
fame and fortune One of the first
practical locomotive builders in this coun-
try was the late School Commissioner
Swinburne of Paterson. He began bust
ness in small way soon after Rogers had
started his locomotive works, and thetwo
engine builders became bitter rivals in
business The Erie was then in operation
only between Piermont and Middletown.
Both Rogers and Swinburne had turned
4 out locomotives for the road. Two of the
original locomotive engineers on the Erie
were Josh Martin and Cad Lyman Josh
believed that the SwinbuIne engines were
the best, and Cad declared that they were
q no good The Rogers engines, he held,
were the only ones that could be de-
pended on.
In 1S49, when the Erie was opened to
"a Binghamton, Josh Martin was put on
run between Port Jervis and that place
and, mubh against his wishes, was placed
in charge of a Rogers locomotive. That
locomotive was named the Oneida, but
Josh called her The One Idea, because
he said, she only had one idea, and that
was that she couldn't make the run on
time. A year after that the company
ordered a new engine from Swinburne,
81 although tho officers of the Erie then
were more in favor of the Rogers make
81 To remove the impression from their
minds that he couldn't build as good a To-
connective as Rogers, Swinburne dill most
OF the work on this engine with his own
81 hands. She was known as the Seventy
one, and when Swinburne delivered her
TO the company he made the request that
Josh Martin be selected to run her. But,
no, sir! The company put her1n charge
Of Cad Lyman, who was on 'ecOrd as
determined enemy of the Swnburne ma
chimes. Cad took the locomotive, but
after every run reportd that she
wouldn't do he couldn't pake time with
her, and must have a Fogers machine.
Josh Martin as regularlyreported that he
couldn't make time witt his Rogers loco
u motive, and begged toAaye the Seventy
al me transferred to hin. But, instead of
tat, Seventy-One WIS taken off regular
4 duty and put to WORK on gravel train
Well, that was an awful slap in the
lee for SWinburne, and the treatment of
II seventy-one Just about broke Josh
Nlrtin's hedrt He kept begging for a
Clnce at h(r and Swinburne kept urging
Jon's planyand at last Mike Brant, the
# miter mechanic of the road, got tired of
the imgrtWities, and he told Josh to
tar scV9tyone and go to h with her
II waited 70. All the old boys will re-
me berllke Brant and how he could
sw,r. nat was all Josh Martin wanted
HeoldWlnburne to, take the old ga
bac tfthe shop and overhaul her and
seevhAiled her. There wasn't thug
thenafr with her and Josh changed his
Rogrdgine for the seventy-one. and
was adppy as lark. After making his
hrstrflth her he sent his report in.
This Jthe way it read:
Iole gal is hummer Had all 1
coulqIo keep her from making the run
an hhhead of time.
"4can imagine how much of a
teaThat was in Swinburne's cap, but
1t WI anything to what Josh and the
Il for him a few months
latdIhat little job not only saved
SWfue' out 1t set him up in business
ande MIN the boost that made the
haPzen million dollars he left when
Lyman was running a Rogers en-
glfo when the road was to be opened
alEay through from Piermont to
Df IN May, 1851, he was notified that
hito pun the first excursion train.
Ied from Piermont with it. Presi-
dilllnore, Daniel Webster and all the
gflen OF the day were on the train,
Nj famous old Dodworth' s band fur
me music. There were eight or
4rs IN the train, and it was all Cad
engine could do to pull it, They
pore IMAM an hour late when they
Port Jervis, and that wasn't hardly !
on the trip. Charley Minot, the !
lIendent of the road, was on the |
and when he got to Port |
ne ordered Josh Martin out !
ms pet II to take the !
on II ne could. Vol, did he? | |
ne did. He whirled that train. |
me most distinguished lot of passen- |
looard that ever sat at one time in a |
Pdq traln on this or any other CONT |
along theprecipices of the Delaware |
IN a way that scared everybody |
sI 10 death. And well it might. He |
tne run to Narrowsburg, thirty |
miles, in thirty-fve minutes, and |
3 ne got to Dupont, 80 miles, he had |
r. Up the lost hour. He landed that
usloh IN Dunkirk safe and sound, and |
IL 10Y and other things and Swim
fortune was made And Joe got |
TSSent OF gold watch That's why | |
maV II old Josh was here, and should |
s as Dig beauty the boys have made,
me daisy, but III bet she amt a
ECt5 longside Of old n. when youcome
l'euoWn to diggin in for work.
M WASH great while before Josh
H. Iook the II and showed what was
ra, 81.