The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-03-08
DEATH OF CAPTAIN KNIGHT.
he PASSED AWAY YESTERDAY MORNING
AT NINE O'CLOCK.
He was In The seth Year OF His Age and
was the Oldest Locomotive Engineer
In the United stvtes Master OF Trains
for the Coast Line since 1873.

Yesterday morning at 9 o'clock death
gathered within its fold a remarkable
with a remarkable career. At
h a hour Captain James knight. mas
ter of transportation Of the AtIantic
Coast Line, passed way at the resi-
of his son-in-law. Mr.. s. p. Coll
lier. on Front and Walnut streets He
was conscious UP TO five minutes before
the vital spark left the tenement Of
having since the month came in
last Friday arranged for settling his
accounts. he knew 10 be due. He knew
all aroun him. and as the b Of life
flowed out he folded his hands in an
of prayer and passed away
with a beautiful prayer audibIy whis-
pered.
Around the deathbed were ali Of Cap
knights children-Mrs. John L.
Pool. Of New Orleans. La; Mrs. s. p.
Mr.. Eugene knight. and Miss
knight. the last three residents
of Wilmington. Mrs. o arrived here
on Saturday and one OF his earnest
had been that she could get
here before h died. BY his bedside
were also his -four grandchpdren-Mr.
James knight Collier. his namesake;
Mrs. Thomas a. Council, of Easton,
Md; Mr.. Samuel z. Collier, Jr., Of
Jacksonville, Fla. and DR.. G. Kirby
ICollier. of Baltimore. Md. Just a few
minutes before he died, Captain John
F. Divine, general superintendent. OF
the Coast Line, who had been asso-
lciated in railroad work for forty-five
years with Captain knight. arrived at
his bedside, and thus a Sife-iong friend
tship came to an end in the presence of
death.
Captain knights death was III to &
general breaking down. owing TO the
infirmities Of age. Fol- two years he
has been feeble. but he was faithful to
the end. He attended to his duties till
the 9th of last November. since which
thine he has been confined to his hone.
He vas a man of powerful physique
land even at his advanced g in death
his is a manly form. his face plainly
indicating a nan of strong character
~listics. The deceased was in the Seth
year of his age, having been born No
vember 8. 1916. in the city of Suffolk,
Va, then a mere hamlet. He was the
IL vi ~ kNNi NAN 49,
the last of them to pass away. having
lived to a greater age than any in Z
rather long-lived family. He married
Miss Louise Anna Loring, of Ports
mouth. Va, who passed away in this
city May 16. 1883. She lies asleep in
IOakdale cemetery and by the side of
her dust. his mortal remains will be
Ilald this afternoon.
Captain Knight was the oldest liv-
ling railroad engineer in the limited
States if not the oldest railroad man
in America. He was the son of a pros
porous Virginia farmer, and when the
son, some eighteen or nineteen years
of age, elected ~railroading as his life's
work, his father Strenuously objected.
He persisted and the first duty he was
assigned TO was to act as mai agent.
While running back and forth on the
train he learned to be a locomotive en-
gineer, and hen he began a railroad
career that has been remarkable for
it's faithfulness, zeal and efficiency.
That he had chosen his right calling
his life work amply attests.
He began his railroad career Janu-
airy 1, 1885, and for sixty-six years he
has chung to that work. His first work
was with the Portsmouth and We'Gon
railroad, afterwards the Seaboard and
Roanoke. In his early career he was
both engineer and conductor of his
train, n at each station he would col
ilect the fare get on his engine and not
again see his passengers until he stop
ped his rain, as he could not in those
Iearly days pass from one c0acn to a II
other.
On August 5, 1874, he came with the
Wilmington and Weldon railroad, and
hauled the first iron to lay the tracks
of that road, doing SO when he was
running on the Portsmouth and Wei
t6On road For MANY VaQrS he ran &C
%Iengineer and conductor on the Will
mington n Weldon railroad, and
Iowned his own train hands, having
bought negro slaves for that pur-
Ipose. He was with the road before it
Twas completed and in it's construction
he rendered valuable service on nearly
Ievery mile of the track.
Nearly fifty years ago Capt. Knight
was regarded as an expert railroad
man and when the North Carolina
railroad was being built from Colds
lboro to a point where the city of Dur
ham now is, his assistance was asked
for On more than one occasion. AT
the solicitation of the officials who
were having that o. built, the viii
Imington and Weldon Railroad Compa-
my loaned" him for six months to
the North Carolina road, so on the LIST
iof March. 1855. he ran the first train
from Goldsboro to Durham, then the
IiocdlloH VI d SHldll Sndnty OepOt ana q
water station.
During the civil war, Captain knight
was assigned by the confederate gov
Iernment to act a. superintendent OF
motive power Of railroads, with head
Quarters at Goldsboro, and when, ir
1855, all h railroads in North Carroll
Ina had fallen into the hands Of Gen.
Ieral Sherman, who had invaded the
state with the Union forces. he found
captain knight faithfully at his post
General Sherman then appointed him
superintendent Of motive power. fol-
the government Of the United States
for all railroads in North Carolina, and
he held that position until all railroad
property was restored to it's owners
captain knight then resided at Colds
lboro and General Sherman made his
residence general headquarters.
After the war Captain Knight re-
lsumed his connection with the VIII
Imington and Weldon railroad, and in