The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-08
80 In Pioneer Railroad Days.
akN
Xxx 1u.;aou+s p.c.,od Nv ts Death Of va4or,n Fnoineer
* Anioen's Neo'lie' y ~ o0N' - e''A a. -4l5 No.


was telegraph operator. When the
west bound express arrived at Turn
er's, Minot telegFa phed to the operator
at Goshen asking him whether the
east bound train had left that station.
The answer was that the train had not
arrived at that station yet. showing
that it was much behind it's time. Su-
perintendent Minot then wrote and
handed to Conductor Stewart, the first
one ever written, an order to run his
train to Goshen regardless of the train
coming east The conductor took the
order, and handing it to his engineer,
told him to go ahead. The engineer
read the order, and passing it back
to Stewart, exclaimed
" Do you take me for damn foolf
won't run by that thing"
Conductor Stewart reported to the
superintendent, who went forward and
used his authority on Engineer Lewis,
but without avail. Minot then climbed
into the cab and took charge of the
locomotive himself. Lewis jumped off
and got in the rear seat OF the rear
car. The superintendent ran the train
to Goshen. The other train not having
reached that point yet, he inquired
for it at Middleton. 1t was not there.
He ran to Middleton. and so on to
Port JerviS, where the east-bound train
entered the yard from the west as the
other went in from the east. An hour
had been saved to the west-bound ex-
press, and the telegraphic system Of
running trains was adopted at once
on the Erie, and it soon became uni
VerSal
The running of the great excursion
train over the Erie in 1851 was big E7ith
results to one individuals future. At
Paterson there were two locomotive
builders who were intense riVals-Rog-
h n no
greater reputation and had made
many locomotives for the Erie, but
Swinburn had furnished some, also.
Two of the famous engineers of the
Erie in that day were Cad Lyman and
Josh Martin. Lyman ran between Port
Jervis and PiermOnt, and Martin be-
tween Port Jervis and Bennington, the
road having been opened to that place
in 1S49 In October, 1850, Swinburn
delivered to the Erie a new locomotive,
famous now as the "old H. and En-
gineer Martin was anxious to have it
on his run. 1t was given to Cad Ly-
man, however although he was par
t1al to the Rogers make of engines. He
used the locomotive a few months,
and reported that he could not make
time with it. 1t was condemned and
put in service on a gravel train. This
was great blow to Swinburn, for he
had a large order for locomotives from
the Erie Josh Martin at last got per-
mission to try the condemned II. Swim
burn took 1t back to the shop, over
hauled it, and found nothing amiss.
Martin took the locomotive on his run
and made his time with it on the
crooked Delaware division easier than
with any locomotive he had ever run
He had run the II but few weeks
When the great event of opening the
road to Dunl1irk was at hand
After Cad Lyman abandoned the
SWinburn engine he was placed in
charge of Rogers locomotive, the 100,
and in May, 1851 he was notified that
he was to run the first section of the
grand opening excursion train from
Plernont. When the day came his
favorite Rogers engine was attached
to the train, but before they had ar
rived at Suffern the locomotive was
stuck" and it was necessary to push
the train with the locomotive of the
second section. The consequence was
that they arrived at Middletown, only
fifty-three miles on the way, nearly an
hour late. AT Middletown Supt. Minot
telegraphed to the agent at Port Jer-
Wis to have Josh Martin feady with his
SWlnburn engine on the arrival of the
train at that station to take the first
section on its way. Josh was there
and took the train out. 1t is declared
train has never been run over the Del
aware division of the Erie at such
speed since. The distance between
Port Jervis and NarroWsburg is thirty
four miles, and the. run was made in
thlrty-five minutes, according to the
testimony on record of the conductor,
engineer and several passengers. The
officers Of the company who were
aboard the train were astounded The
passengers were alarmed, and many of
them begged the conductor, Poppy
Ayers, to stop the train and let them
off. Martin landed the train at Sus-
quehanna, after many stops in the
Delaware valley, for Webster and
others to make speeches to the people
that thronged the way almost on
schedule time, having overcome nearly
an hours delinquency in time. He
made Sw1nburn's fortune that day, for
no more locomotives of that make
were ever condemned on the Erie rail-
road. The railroad company gave
Martin a handsome gold watch, which
he carried until the day of his DEATH"