The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-05-27
OLDEST en-
CINE DRIVER
How Edward Entwistle Ran First Pas
seneer Train in England.

Edward Entwistle, who was the en-
CINE driver on the first passenger
train in England, is resident OF Des
Moines, iowa The old mechanic, hale
and hearty, is just entering his nine
tieth year. and he looks back over a
long vista of progress and invention
and tells with wonderful enthusiasm
how George Stephenson, whom he
knew, established his great invention
as a practical possibility
81 was born in TillsIey Banks, near
Manchester, England, March "a. 1915,
said Mr.. Entwistle during recent
conversation with a representative OF
Success. lat IA years of age l was
apprenticed to the Duke OF BRIDGE
water in his machine shops at Man
chester and was Immediately set to
work on locomotive.
locomotives had been in use for
about four years, hauling coal from
the Duke of Newcastle-s colleries in
the North of England to the seaboard-
They had not yet been employed in
passenger traffic, however, although
such use was in contemplation.
"George Stephenson, the inventor OF
the locomotive. had no early educa-
ton. AT the age of 90 he did not even
know the alphabet. but was an ap-
prentice in the machine shops OF the
Duke of Newcastle. AT that time he
attracted his employers attention by
his remarkable inventive genius, ana
the Duke obliged him TO limit ms
working hours to eight, so that he
might put four or five hours each day
into study.
.Stephenson was construction boss
on the new railroad. II was stu
pendous undertaking, and the stock
holders were annoyed because OF the
DELAY in finishing it. For Is miles it
crossed a bog called Chatmos, where
the turf had to be removed sometimes
TO a depth of 20 feet and its place fill
ed with clay and gravel.
When the day approached tor the
completion of the road, George Ste
phenson asked James AShcraft, lore
man of the Duke of Bridgewater's
shops, for a man to run the ROCKET.
Ashcraft replied that he had no man
that he could recommend But, ne
said. as he pointed to me, IT you can
get leave to take that lad, I'll warrant
him. He saw the Duke and brought
from him a written permit for me 10
run the engine, which he read TO me
in the shop
It was on a Saturday, about the mld-
die of September, 1881, when these
arrangements were completed, and the
time for the formal opening OF the
road was set for the following Mon
day.
SUNDAY morning Stephenson callea
me to the shop and we took out the
engine for a trial run. Hitched 10
car of gravel we ran down the track
about Is miles in Is minutes and then
back to Manchester.
"When Monday morning came
George Stephenson and ran the
Rocket down to Liverpool to bring
back the first passenger train on It's
trial trip Great expectation ana IN
tereste prevailed among the people
Crowds stood at the dock to watch the
train depart, and lined the track along
tho entire route for 81 miles. Two
fat cars. upon which had been mount
ed four ordinary stage coaches, constr
1ured the train. and they were crowd
ed with people, oloSAic4>tN''
road and men of note among the NO,
bility of England were the principal
passengers.
1T was about 10 O'Clock in the morn
ing when we started, amid the shouts
and cheers Of the spectators Inc un
was made in about AS minutes Win
only one stop, at place called Grana u
Junction, that the only sad incldent u
the trip occurred. The Duke OF Hu nus
kinson, one of the principal stockhold'
ers of the road, saw the Duke OF vel
lington, the hero of Waterloo, in an l.o'l
err coach, and the two alighted g g
shake hands They stood on the he
tracks and did not notice gravel sa
train Approaching until the crowd
shouted to them turned in time ttc
. see the two men jump. The Dukelo q
]WeIlingt escaped, but IIuslin5or