The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-11-17
RAN THE FIRST TRAIN
FROM SEA TO LAKES
Interesting Incidents Recalled by the
Death OF Charles II. Sherman.
VETERAN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER

lie Ran the First Train Between
Tidwater and the Lnkos--When the
Erie Employed but Three COnduc-
tors, One of whom Still Lives.
How Charles Minot Used the Telc-
graph--Josh Martins Great Feat.
"Charles ii. Sherman, who died at
Dunkirk, n. Y, the other day" said
a veteran railroad man to Sun re-
porter, was the engineer who took into
Dunkirk the first passenger train that
ran through from the Hudson river to
Lake Erie on the Erie railroad-the
first train that ever made the trip be-
tween tidewater and the lakes on any
railroad. 1t was one section of an eX-
cursion train that left Piermont, then
the eastern terminus of the Erie, on
May ID, 1851, to celebrate the opening
of the railroad that had been nearly
twenty years in building. That section
of the pioneer through train carried the
most distinguished party that was ever
got together on railroad train before
or since. In it were Millard Fillmore,
president of the United States, and his
cabinet, including Daniel Webster and
John j. Chittenden; stephen A. Doug
las, William II. Seward, Hamilton Fish,
Ex-Governor Marcy, Daniel S. Dicltin-
son, Charles O'Conor and six carloads
of others, judges, statesmen, Journal
lists, all men of great fame in that day.
Daniel Webster rode much of the time
sitting in a big easy rocking chair
placed on q fiat car as an observation
car, so he could see the country he
said. The trains were in charge of
the officers and board of directors of
the railroad company, among whom
were William +. Dodge, Mashall O.
Roberts, Sheppard Knapp, John j.
Phelps, and Charles NJ. Leupp, Benja-
min Loder being president of the COM
pany. Dodsworth's famous band ac-
companied the excursion. Cad. Lyman
was the engineer Of the first train out
of Piermont, and Captain Henry Ayers
the conductor The engine of the sec
ond train was in charge of Onderdonk
Merritt and the conductor w. II. Stew
art.
"The trains ran to Emira the first
day. On the next day they ran to Dun
kirk. At Hornellsvlle Charles II. Sher-
man took charge of the first train as
engineer and w. d. Hall Of the second.
That part of the road was entirely new,
and locomotive was run a short dis
tanCe behind the second excursion train
to be on hand to help in case of a
breakdown. This locomotive was In
charge OF w. A. Kimball. The first
train was preceded by another loco
motive run by II. q. Brooks, then an
engineer in the employ of the Erie
That locomotive was the first one that
ever sounded a whistle on the shore
of Lake Erie west Of Buffalo. Brooks
then an engineer on the Boston anC
Maine railroad, was hired by the Erie
to fetch the locomotive from Boston
1t was carried on vessel from thai
city to New York, where it was loaded
on an Erie canal boat and Transported
to Buffalo. From there it was taken or
a Lake Erie steamboat to Dunkirk
Brooks set it upon the Erie track a
that place in November, 1850. 1t wa!
the pioneer locomotive of the western
end of the Erie railroad, and wal
named the Dunkirk. Brooks remained
with the Erie, He became superinten
dent of the western division and mas
ter mechanic. lie left the road in 1868
and founded the Brooks Locomotive
Works at Dunkirk.
TRAVEL UNDER DISADVANTAGES
Brooks, sherman, Kimball, Hall, anc
many others We're all brought from th
Boston and Maine railroad by Charlie
Minot, general superintendent of tn
Erie, who was himself a graduate o
the Boston and Maine. He was a sol
of Judge MinOt of the Massachusett
Supreme court. He was the first to us
the system of running trains by tele
graphic orders, which he did on tn
Erie in the fall OF 1851. Sherman, tn
veteran engineer who died the Othe
day, was IS years old. Kimball is still
living at Hornellsvile. Hall is at ia
taVia, n. Y, where he is running
switch engine on the New York Contra
railroad. They, with Sam Yaples q
Hornellsville, are the last of the pion
eer engineers of the Erie that came o
the read with Charles Minot, nearly IL
ty years ago.
"W. II. Stewart, the conductor VIII
started from Piermont with one sec
tion of the great excursion train.
living at WaVerly, n. Y, at the age &
Ss. He began as conductor on the Fri
in November, 1912, when the railroa
was only fifty miles long, and had bee
in operation but little more than
year. This was between PiermOnt an
Goshen. Three conductors We're the
all that the business Of the Erie II
quired, Stewart was the third in III
service, Eben IL. Worden having bee
the first conductor to run a regulG
train on the Erie, and Henry Ayers III
second. Worden did all the work O
the road from its opening in Septen
Der, 1S4l until October, 1912, Whe
Ayers was added TO the service Stew
art following him two weeks late
There were no such things as caboOsC
on the freight trains i'll those days, M
cabs to the engines. The cOnductO
had to ride on the locomotives. The
was no protection from snow or raj
IT was not an uncommon thing to S,
the engineer and conductor coVerC
with ice. There were only two tick
offices on the Erie, at Goshen and Che
ter. The conductor was provided wit
tickets for each station on the road,
square tin box to carry them in, and
bag containing so in small coins al
bills. This was carried in the box, al
was the conductors capital for the da
1t was to make change with when pa
sengers offered money larger than II
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