The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-09-21
ON A RUNAWAY ENGINE
DISASTROUS RESULT OF TEST or FIRST TLOCOMOTIVE OUT OF BOSTON

struck Down Grade and Mover
 stopped Until the Roundhouse Was
 Demolished.
 | It was a proud day for Reuben Finch when he was selected as engineer or the big eight-wheeled freighter, Massachu- setts Back in the forties, when rail roading was young and innovations l were regarded with an interest not laded W tL the many invent 'ns aru contrivances of modern science, the news that the Western Railroad, which now forms part of the Boston x Al | bany system, had put on mammoth freight engine, larger than any yet tfled' excited a widespread curiosity, not lml- ted to the circle of railroad men, which was then much smaller than 1t IS now Among the engineers and firemen, now eyer, the curiosity had something Of eX- | ctement mingled with it, borne of the desire to be put in charge of the great engine. And so Finch was an enVled man the day his appointment was made known. Not less fortunate than Finch, in the estimation of his brotherhood. . l WdS JdlilcS hdlSSy' N'io ."N'' 'N'- to run with him as fireman on the Mas sachusetts Il was something to be placed in sharge of a mighty monster, which made all the other engines on
 the road look like children's toys
 Early in December the Massachusetts was brought up from the shops at Low ell, and was sent up and down the roau' | while Finch adjusted every little part | till she was in good working trim The test of the engine was awaited with l great interest as fabulous tales were
 told of the number of cars she could haul The test was to be a severe one,
 but there was one thing that interfered | there were not cars enough around to make it interesting. In those days the
 freight traffic was very limited Each
 road kept it's own cars on Its own road, as the railroad men say, and the variety from every road in the country could not be seen on each track, as it Is to- day. So, to get enough cars, tribute was levied on each passing freight train. It delayed the traffic a few days, but goods sent by freight in the fortes were not perishable.
 The test was to be made over the track from Worcester to Sprintield, and on Dec, IS, lS40, thirty five cars had
 been collected, enough, 1t was thought
 to give the engine a most thorough test
 for thrty-five cars was a tremendous
 load as loads were then. In the after
 noon Finch and Marcey oil5d up the
 parts anew and made everything ready
 for the triumphal trip to Springfield,
 A couple of toots on the whistle, a
 changing of the bell and Finch, opening
 the throttle, felt the great engine roll out on to the main track with seeming
 ly as little effort as though thsre were
 not a string of freight cars behind her
 nearly a quarter of a mile long. There
 were two or three men in the cab with
 French and Marcey, among them Will
 son Eddy, known the country over In
 later years as the veteran master ms
 chanic of the Boston & Albany Rail-
 road. Maiestically the Massachusetts swung along and there was nothing to mar the smoothness of the machinery's motion It was brisk winter day and
 the rails were covered with frost, but the great wheels did not slip, Railroad accidents were new things then and it
 was as yet an undiscovered fact that an
 engine could run away, with its engin- ger powerless to control it. There were but two brakes on the train but thls
 caused no uneasiness particularly as ; there was that great engine to be de-
 pended upon,
 In those days the railroad had not yet
 been extended across the Connecticut River at Springfield but the abutments for a bridge were being built. Betore the handsome Boston X Albany station was built at Springfield there was a steep grade which swept down into the ! city from the east.
 Beginning about mile back from the city the track dropped down past the , station. and came to an end at the river bank, three hundred yards below This was the jumping off place, for the , tracks had not been built out on the
 bridge. TO the right, diverging slightly from the main track, spur led to the
 roundhouse which stood on the river bank not far away, It was here that
 the engines were faced about for the J return trips.
 f As the Massachusetts, coming in triumphantly from it's fifty-nlile run , approached the brink of the hill mile back from the river Finch organ to slow
 down and as he did so he began to real ize that the heavy train had consider
 able impetus. He was afraid to risk go- ing down the grade with so few brakes , and decided to stop and block the , wheels, seeing that the track was very
 slippery. So he shut off the steam and , annlied the brakes To his surprise they
 seemed to have no effect on the heavy } train
 "Watch out, Finch" said Marcey, "ol vouu have us on the down grade. Its pretty slippery f Finch made no reply, but nervously ' reversed the throttle, sending the wheels | spinning backwards over the greasy f rails in spite of the weight of the engine , hut not staying in the least the move , ment of the train. The din in the grade . came nearer and nearer and at last , Finch cried:
 { My God, boys, I don't believe l car , stop her!"
 Then the engine suddenly leapec . forward as it felt the sleeper grade, anc , the speed in creased each second in spite of Finch's efforts as car after car swept Q over the brink and pushed forward witt a force that was not to be resisted. Tht , occupants of the cab could do nothins but cling to the engine with a helpless
 ness which became despair, as they saw