Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-10-06
TIE CITIZEN.
WHIMS OF ENGINES.
Al ENGINEERS NARRATIVE SHOWING
THEIR PECULlARlTlES

. They Very Oiten fali into pu"er nuiHN anu
EaILy speIIs-The Antics of Some Ia
mou, Machines-OId 100 Killed the
| Engineer in lit OF Rage.
1t sounds queer to say that locomo-
tiyes have their likes and dislikes,
said a veteran engineer, but it actual
( ly does seem sometimes as if they
I had, and all old-time engineers believe
| il. I've seen locomotives when they
{ acted as if they were human beings.
/ They get the sulks and have balky
I stresks, and when they're in such
/ moods you cant make time with them,
/ do what you may Then, again, they Il
/ be as clipper and willing as a trotting
horse. and you actually have to hold
'em in place TO keep EN- from running
into stopping places ahead OF time.
There isn't an engineer of any expert
ence at all who can't tell you OF in
stances by the dozen Of engines that
positively would not make time with
some engineers. but which would get
there every time in charge OF some
other engineer You might say that it
was the fault of the engineer that such
engines did not make their time, but
l have known as good engineers as
ever mounted a footboard who have
been transferred from locomotives
placed in their hands to run because
the locomotives would not make their
time. but which, under the hands OF
another engineer, neither as skilful nor
as experienced, would never run be-
hind.
Take the case of Josh Martin and
Cad Lyman, two of the early engineers
on the Erie Railroad. and neither of
them with a superior in his craft at
that day One tine a new locomotive
was turned out of a Paterson shop for
the Erie, and Josh Martin wanted her
the worst way He ran on the Della
ware division, from Port Jervis to Sus-
quehanna. The superintendent
though, wanted the engine for the
Eastern division, between Port Jeryis
and Piermont, and so he put her in
charge of Cad Lyman. Cad ran her,
or rather he tried to run her, but she
had made up her mind about
something, and she wouldn't make any
kind of time for Cad. She would stall
without provocation and acted con-
trary generally Cad tried her for a
week, and then reported the locomo-
tive No good and she was condemned
to run the gravel train. She worked
as balky and sulhy as ever, though.
and at last the superintendent ordered
her to the scrap heap.
Josh Martin heard Of the fate the
locomotive had been sentenced TO, and
he came down the road a-fying. He
begged to have the engine for he liked
her, and said he was sure she would
do all right with him. The superin-
tendent yielded to Josh's appeal, and
told him to take the locomotive and
give her trial. Josh did so. He
mounted the cab at Piermont, and
when he opened her up she went like
a bird She made the trip to Port Jer-
Wis quicker than any locomotive had
ever made it before, and Josh Martin
ran her for years on the Delaware di-
vision after that, and altays on time
as easy as could be. The locomotive
was the old II, and she is remembered
yet by all the old engineers, and is
well known to the younger ones by the
tradition of the road.
When Cad Lyman gave up that To-
comotive because she wouldn't work
under him, he was put in charge oi
another new locomotive. This loco
motive was a favorite of President
Loder Of the Erie. She behaved the
best kind, and Cad was tickled all but
to death with her. When the date came
round for the opening Of the railroad
through to Dunkirk Cad and his loco
motive were chosen for the distinction
Of pulling the first through train from
the Hudson to Lake Erie. The occa-
sion was to be historic one, and Cad
was proud But what did that locomo-
tive do but Just get the sulky. | don't
know why. Neither did Cad. She did
though, and acted up so outrageous
that she was an hour behind schedule
time when she logged into Port Jervis
with the train only seventy miles from
the start. Cad Lyman was the worst
feeling man, Pspose, that ever had q
locomotive kick with him, and he fell
worse when he was ordered to take his
balky engine off and saw Josh Martin
hook onto the train with old II loco
motive that Cad had turned in as nc
good. Josh and old II yanked The
train through with bells on.
And what do you think Cad Lyman'l
feelings must have been when he hook
ed onto another train to run back tC
Piermont to find the engine that hat
baked and smked so outrageously
with him on what ought to have beer
the greatest trip on record, just turr
in and let herself out SO cheerfully anc
lively on the way back that 1t was al
Cad could do to hold her in Now, how
do you account for that? It is true
and matter OF record Cad was 81
cut up by this conduct of the locomo
tive that he applied to have her ex
changed for some other one, although
she worked like a thoroughbred eve
since the day she refused TO pull III,
great pioneer through special. Th
company would not make the chang
that Cad wanted, and he refused L
run that locomotive any longer am
quit the road. This locomotive wa
the 100. When Cad gave her up sh
was placed in charge Of Bill Lyman
Gad's brother. There wasn't a bette
engineer on the road than Bill, and h
knew that make Of locomotive particu
| larly, for he had worked In the shon
and helped make EN-. But VIII; dit
this rantankerous locomotive 100 do
She sulked with Bill frcm the time h
took her. Sometimes she'd squirt
little, but II she did she made up for
by tagging worse than ever Bill wor-
ried along with her for nearly year.
! but she wouldn't work under him at
all. One day In the spring OF 1852 she
baked for certain at Chester station,
Just as she was pulling out with a
train. Bill pounded her, for he was
mad, but 1t seemed as II she actually
shook her head Ike an ugly horse. Bill
socked it right on to her, and suddenly
she gave a squirt ahead exactly like
the quick start of a ballSy horse. Then
everything roared and shook around
the place for a second or two. The
vicious old 100 had exploded her boiler
She tore and riddled herself frightful-
| ly, but the horror of II all was that she
had killed poor Bill Lyman and his
fireman. Cad Lyman lived many years
after that, but he always regretted his
abandoning Of that locomotive, for he