Evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1907-1913, 1907-12-27

MADE INITIAL TRIP
NEW YORKER A PASSENGER ON
FIRST AMERICAN TRAIN.
Stephen Smith Dubois Still in Fine
Mental and Physical Vigor at
Age of 94-Remembers
the Ride We'll.

AS an example OF mental and phys
ical vigor at the age of "a, Stephen
Smith Dubois, who a few days ago
completed the task of cutting aid
stacking the product of five-acre field
Is probably one of the most remark
able old men in the country of whom
. there is record He is the only
living man who rode on the first pas.
senger train run on a steam railroad
In America-the Mohawk and Hudson
Troy. Not only is Dubois the only
living link that connects the railroad
history of the past and present, but he
was one of the two passengers who
rode in the coach, drawn by an engine
called the Yankee. The other pas
senger was his uncle.
1t was the first official trip, and
with foresight which has not been
followed in later years, the inhabitants
of Troy insisted that the directors of
the road should assume the first risk,
for there was nobody willing to take
tile chance of ride behind .con-
traption" that they believed was like
ly to blow up at any moment.
Il was born up in Cayuga county,"
said the old gentleman, as he rested
for moment from saving a thick
stick OF timber, "and came to New
York in 1S47. My wife died In 1S43
My youngest son, the baby of the
family, is SO, and very good boy.
That / am the only living man who
rode on the first railroad train must
be true, because / was only a boy of
16 at the time, and the directors
rode with were grown men, some of
them old men.
g When first came to New York the
northernmost house in the city was
on Twenty-sixth street, near Madison
avenue. Beyond that was all green
fields. Corporal Thompson's cottage
was built few years later, think,
or If it was built it was not used as
halfway house in 1S47. Over on the
east side there were only few shan
ties above Twelfth street. You had
clear view of the East river from
what is now Central park.
When | was a boy up in Cayuga,
Indians of the Seneca tribe-you
know Seneca county is close by
used to come into Waterloo, where
lived for a time. but We didn't pay
much attentions to them. They were
always peaceable, and never harmed
anybody so far as | know. l was "a
years old when l came to New York in
~, and if | do say it myself, would
MT give way to any man in any kind
of contest When was so years old
was as good as most men at 25.
Il have lived the greater part of my
life in the open air, eaten and drunk
everything that came along, and have.
chewed tobacco for about rs years. ]
gave up smoking 80 or 40 years ago,
and my guilds of chewing have become
smaller. Here is what use now
The old man took from his vest
pocket tiny cube of tobacco. 1t
could not have contained more than
the sixteenth of a cubic inch.
Lost all my teeth something like
80 or 35 years ago." he continued, 80
| can't chew like / used to. A small
plug of tobacco will last me about six
weeks. | don't sleep we'll at nights
now, but when ! was young used to
take long maps Sleep is great thing
better than food or drink"
The most remarkable physical
achievement of the old man this year
was cutting the corn from fve-acre
field. He piled this up in 200 "stonts,"
and it is standing to-day as monu-
ment of his prowess. He cleared the
same field year ago, and then shelled
the corn by hand taking each ear
and scraping over bar laid across
bushel measure. When the measure
was full he would empty it and begin
Smelling it again. Early in the spring
of this year he dug up a big cherry
tree by the roots and cut it into fire.
wood