The Charlotte Democrat., 1897-01-28
STEALING BIG ENGINES.
How the Confederates Took OFF the B
and o. Rolling Stock.

and o. Rolling Stock.
Ernest Schriver writes in the New
York Sun:
Among the earliest and most per-
picking problems that confronted
the Confederate leaders in the civil
war was that of railroad Transports
ton. The territory controlled by
them at the beginning of the strug
gle-roughly speaking, that lying
south of the Potomac-was threaded
by numerous railroads, the equip
ment of which was fully equal to
the requirements of peace traffic;
but when the war came and there
were masses of men, horses, food,
ordinance, and ammunition to be
moved, the lack of sufficient rolling
stock became at once apparent. The
Southern railroads had a few shops,
it is true, but their combined facili-
ties were not equal to the manufac-
ture of half the rolling stock needed.
Where were the much-needed loco
motives, cars, and machinery to
come from? European markets
were out of the question, and the
Northern shops equally SO, for obvi-
GUS reasons, even supposing that the
requisite funds had been forthcom-
ing. Invention, lashed by stern
necessity, soon fourd way out of
the dilemma, at once simple, old,
and effective, though not unattended
with difficulty and danger.
The plan, based on the axiom that
''all is fair in love and war;" was
nothing more or less than that of
seizing the rolling stock Of a North
ern road and appropriating it to use
on the Southern lines, which in
cluded the Raleigh and CASTOR,
from Raleigh, n. o., to near Peters
burg, Va; the North Carolina Cen
trail, from Raleigh to Charlotte, N.
c., and the Virginia Central, from
Gordonville, to Richmond.
First, the tender was uncoupled,
then the engine was raised by means
of jaekscrews and stripped of all the
parts that could be removed, such as
side and piston rods, valves, levers,
lamps, bell, whistle and sandbox.
All the wheels were taken off except
the fiange drivers at the rear. The
stripping was done to Tighten weight.
secure greater ease in handling. and
for the better preservation of the
running gear.
When this work had been com.
eted, what had a few minutes be
fore been splendid iron Pegasus
was a helpless, inert mass; mere
shell, deformed and crippled and
ready to submit to any indignity
even to that of being hauled over {
country road by the flesh and blood
horses whose Office it had SO long
usurped. The next step was tc
swing the prize around until it hung
poised in the air at right angles will
the tracks and to replace the mis-
sing forward wheels with heavy
truck, made especially for the pur
pose, furnished with iron shoe
wooden wheels aud fastened to th'
engines bumper by an iron boil
serving as a Inch pin. When th'
| jacks were removed the engine rest
ed on the fange drivers and tn
wheels on the truck. A powerful
chain formed the connecting linl
between the locomotive and tn
team of horses. The chain wa
fastened to the single, double, ant
'sfou'ble" trees by means Of whicl
the horses pulled. The arrange
ment was very ingenious and insur
ed steady and united effort. Th
horses went four abreast, and tn
forty, when strung along in pullin!
position, covered the entirs width o
the road and more than 100 feet o
its length. Probably no simila
team had ever before been seen o.
an American road.
When all was in readiness team
ster mounted the end of each foul
Longust gave the signal, the crack
of ten whips rang out, and the loco
motives novel trip was begun
All the engines were kept a
Richmond, until the last one ha
been seized, the original intentio
having been to do the repairing an
reftting there, but in May, 1865
when Mcclellan began his move
ment up the Peninsula and prepars
tions to evacuate. the capital wei
made, the dismantled locomotive
, and their dislocated members wei
, among the very first eight starte
out of Richmond. To have allowe
; those precious ''camelbacks" to ia
into the hands of the Norther
E troops after such risks and the e.
penditure of so much time, ingenl
ity, and labor, would have bee
! CALLING indeed. Col. Sharp, who ha
r them in charge, directed Mr.. Dull
e to hurry the prizes by rail to sa.
J, point in the South. They We
t taken to safe point in the Sout
e They were taken to place on Il
}. North Carolina Central road, j
s Alamance county, North Carolin
|, about fifty miles west of Raleigh.
e The movement was successful
l accomplished, and the engin four
;, another temporary resting plae
: Meantime the large shop buildin
a of the Raleigh and CASTOR Railro'
= at Raleigh were leased by the Sout
o ern government, fitted up with IL
), proved machinery, and the 'Confe
@ crate State Locomotive Shops" We
l. established. The shops were rea'
y for work by July, 1862, and t
captured locomotives and the c
40