The Portland daily press., 1898-06-04

kIueH SOss a du0 iVO'
ssIt sounds queer to say that locomotives
have their likes and dislikes," said vet |
erap engineer, "but it actually does seem |
sometimes as if they had, and all the old
time engineers believe it. I've seen loco
motives when they acted as if they were
human beings. They get the sulks and
have balky streaks, and when they're in
such moods you can't make time with
them. do what you may. You might say
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 footboard who have been trans
ferred from locomotives placed in their
hands to run because the locomotives
would not make their time, but which
under the hands of another engineer nei-
Their as skillful nor as experienced would
never run behind.
Take the case of Josh Martin and Cad
Lyman, two of the early engineers on the
Erie railroad, and neither of them without
a superior in his craft at that day. l1jOne
time new locomotive was turned out of
a Paterson shop for the Erie, and Josh
Martin wanted her the worst way He
ran on the Delaware division, from Port
Jervis to Susquehanna. The superintend-
ent, though, wanted the locomotive 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 provooation and acted
contrary generally Cad tried her for a
week and then reported the locomotive
NO good, and she was condemned to run
the gravel train. She worked as balky
and sulky as ever, though, and at last the
Superintendent ordered her to tho scrap
heap
"Josh Martin heard of the fate the loco
motive 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 superintendent yielded to Josh s
appeal and told him to take the locomo
tive and give it trial. Josh did SO. He
mounted the cab at Piermont and when
he opened her up she went like bird.
She made the trip to Port Jervis quicker
than any locomotive had ever made it be-
fore, and Josh Martin ran her for years on
the Delaware division after that, and al
ways on time as easy as could be- That
locomotive was the old II, and she is re-
membered yet by all the old engineers and
Is we'll known to the younger ones by the
tradition of the road
When Cad Lyman gave up that loco
motive because she wouldn't work under
him, he was put in charge of another new
locomotive. This locomotive was favor
lite of President Loder of the Erie She
behaved the best kind, and Cad was tic
killed. ali but to death with her. When the
date came round for opening the railroad
through to Dunkirk, Cad and his locomo-
tive were chosen for the distinction of
pulling the first through train from the
Hudson to Lake Erie. The occasion was
to be historic one, and Cad was proud.
But what did that locomotive do but just
get the sulks. don't know why. Neither
did Cad. She did, though, and acted up
SO outrageous that she was an hour be-
hind schedule time when she logged into
Port Jeryis with the train only 70 miles
from the start. Cad Lyman was the worst
feeling man, s'pose, that ever had To-
connective kick with him, and he felt worse
yet when he was ordered to take his balky
engine off and saw Josh Martin hook on to
the train with old II locomotive that Cad
had turned in as no good. Josh and old
II yanked the train through with bells on.
"And what do you think Cad Lyman's
feelings must have been when he hooked
on to another train to run back to Pier
mont to find the engine that had baked
and sulzed so outrageously with him on
what ought to have been the greatest trip
on record just turn in and let herself out
SO cheerful and lively on the way back
that it was all Cad could do to hold her
in? Now, how do you account for that2
1t is true, and matter of record. Cad
was so cut up by this conduct of the loco
motive that be applied to have her ex-
changed for some other one, although she
worked like a thoroughbred ever since the
day she refused to pull the great pioneer
through special. The company could not
make the change that Cad wanted, and he
refused to run that locomotive any longer
and quit the road. This locomotive was
the 100
"When Cad gave her up, she was placed
in charge Of Bill Lyman, Gad's brother.
There wasn't better engineer on the road
than Bill, and he knew that make of loco
motive particularly, for he had worked in
the shops and helped make EN-. But what
did this rantankerous locomotive 100 do?
She sulked with Bill from the time he
took her Sometimes she'd squirt a little,
but If she did she made up for it by lag
glng worse than ever. Bill worried along
with her for nearly a year, but she
wouldn't work under him at all. One day
in the spring Of 1852 she baked for GER
tain at Chester station, just as she was
pulling out with train. Bill pounded her, 4
for he was mad, but it seemed as IL she
actually shook her head like an ugly
horse. Bill socked it right on to her. and
suddenly she gave a squirt ahead exactly
like the quick start of a balky horse. Then
everything roared and shook around that
place for q second or two. The vicious old
100 had exploded her boiler She tore and
riddled herself frightfully but the horror
of 1T all was that she had killed poor Bill
Lyman and his fireman. Cad Lyman lived
many years after that, but he always re.
GREETED his abandoning of that locomotive
for he said that If he had staid by her
there was no doubt that she would have
ended her days usefully and in peace and
the awful tragedy of her ending would not
have been. New York Sun.