Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-06-25
Some of the Tricks Played by
Balky Locomotives.
A REGULAR SHEETIRON MULE
Obstinanoy and Passion of the
Iron Horse.
The Antics OF the Rail Described by a MINI
chausen of the Throttle - Interesting
"Reminiscences Related by the Engineer
of the 'sBnck Road" Freight.

dropped off at the round house to in
duge in social smoke and chat with
''the boys. "
After putting away in silence for
few minutes he observed, addressing
no one in particular, but cycling the
Lewiston journal romancer with sus-
picion:
"They're hansom' an strong, an
can 90 some, but they lack indi-
vidooality-je jest alike all on 'em-they
lack Individuality"
And as he regarded through the hazy
film, floating gracefully from his briar-
wood, the four big mogul "Schenec-
tadys,' each peering from its stall
like huge mastiff in its kennel, con-
tinued:
"In the good old, smoky, wood
burner days back in the '7Os, the
engines were just like persons; all had
different quirks an notions an con
stitutions, an tempers. an you had to
get used to 'em or else you couldn't do
nothin' with 'em. All of 'em had indi-
vidooality-yessir, individooality-in
them days.
"Bout the first Of my ridin' on the
right hand side of the cab was done
for the g. & p. on the little branch
road about 'leven miles long, runnin'
from Tarrytown junction down to
Duck Trap harbor at title-water. |
used to have a new engine every week
or two because they thought most any
thing good enough for that line and
give us all the old rattle-traps that
nobody else'd have Twas rare lot
O. invalid and looney machines had
T. tackle down there.
"Now, there was oil 10, the one
'twas runnin' there when | was first
sent down. She was an old settler
run there SO long that she was Jest like
milkman's boss. Why, she'd run
clear from the junction to tn harbor
without any one touchin' the lever or
throttle-just yank the bell rope couple
times and she'd start and pull up to
tn flag stations if the rag was out; if
twasn't she'd just boom along by.
She bad brains, yessir, brains.
But she was obstinate, turrible OBJ.
stinate-reg'lar oil sheetiron mule, 10
was, and bound t. have her way th'
same old way, too. Now, | don't pose
you'll b'lieve what I'm goin' to tell
ye, but il my old fireman, Bill Multi
gan-ye all know'd Bill-was alive,
bod bear me out in it. Wall, ye see
there was bad piece O. gradin' down
through Crambry holler, sort or quakin
ma 'sh like, and the comp'ny built a
new piece of road round it.
THE first day the new piece was let
into tn main line, me n old 10 come
down with the reg lar train same s
common and what ye s'pose she did
but jump tn rails when VIC come
TO tn new piece and keep right
down through the boiler on the old
grade. Fact, yeFsir. Some places
there was rails an some places there
wasn't but bumpety- bumpety whacl1
sine went. threw her over and shut
off steam, hut she had the bits in her
teeth an on she went. Tho passengers
were most scared to dcath-we had q
big lot, six or seven--and got kinder
skittish myself. | didn't hire out to
run no trains cross lots, and me n
Bill was bout on the point Of iumpin'
when, what d'yO think, she struck
onto the old line again with ev'ry
wheel on the iron. We pulled INTO the
harbor two minits ahead Ct time,
which was such an unheard Of thing
that they rung tn church bell, fired q
cannon and had a gen'ral celebration.
For a couple OF weeks we had d
tussle with her every day to keep heI
from scootin' down through th' boiler
stead of goIn' out round til new way.
'Yessir, she was a tough and bralny
old pile, but as ] was sayin', she was
dreadful obstinit and wilfu, and that
was what did 'er up finally or she
might a-been runnin' to-day 70 sec
down to TIL harbor we used to run
clear down on wharf t. nit on the
turntabe. On the end uf the wharf
was big bumper n would 20 the
whole length of the overheard. Old Il
had grudge agin' that bumper n
would go the whole length of the wharf
purpua to hit it whack Wall, ont
day tn ole brute was uglier'n Mikr
and acted like Satan all the way down,
She run over COW at Perkins crussin
and killed dog goin' through Pug
town, squashed braknnan's finger a
Sullivan's brickyard and pulled on
three drawbars a-climbin' tn Rrim
stun Hill grade, She wound IN be-
'ollish career in good shape that day
she did, yessir.
Whom we got onto tho wharf sb,
lest made up to knock the stuiiiu' on
OF that bumper and she did. I se
what she was up to and threw he
over, chucked on ths gravel and stcan
and Mulligan set up the hand brake
but no 90. Back she como ker whgcl
agin the bumper There was the gosh
darndest snappin' aud rrackin' d.,
smashln as you mover heard 10 al
your life. The whole husinusA old 10
bumper and all, won't 'rpll overheard
yossir, plum over tho wharf into i
feet Of water, and that wasn't th
whole of it, either. Mo II Bill iumpe,
Jest as she tipped over the edge and
hope never TO put on til air usin /
she didn't keep right on hackin' righ
out into the bay yesnir, Why, shn't
backed cloar TO Cuby | pups4, bnt sh
run up agin little yacht thai had
rodiag iiyin' from th' rear und sh
stopped short. II that Yacht hadn'
a-tiaggcd 'er | cal'lnto tho clmuan
never seen OF 10 again. That ffacIl
uid her clean Up and gucse sho'
never run agin.
We had So awhile and she was
Gurus machine an invalid an fu,W /,
time. She was nice D. look AZ, ma.
new an' all shinin' aul bright. iii
awful hard to got along with, In nirt
bright sun4hiny weather aho'a ru
elegant as yuu please and make tin,
sometimes N spite Of all could d.
Eat you let thoro come TIP i long g'raiD
or foggy spell, then she'd suffer. s,he'
cough, an choke, an whne1o, an spoez,
an have the tisieby mi AMY I'd,
awful Sho wouldn't steam nor ial,
q nor nothin' and OH top u all hr
othe9 ai'lictions she'd have henori
haEe eyory onco in while, ycssir-
tuDes would epring a leak and stall L
Jest whore va happened to be. Sh
Wa7 a@ful porticiticr about fcod In
give her iust 50 many aticks IL woo
!ust so often and there was jest or