Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-07-29

IL 10 Qulte u ulSJlncJlOn 10 De inc
first railroad engineer in the world.
Strange as it may seem, 1t Is true
that the a who aided in driving thu
first locomotive attached to q pas.
senger train is a resident of Iowa.
Edward Entwistle, now past "a
years of age, was in charge of ~
stationary engine in a mill in Des
MoineS for many years, having come
west from New York first to Chicago
in 1914 and in 1856 to Des Moines.
At n time he did some managing
of engines on lake steamers, and
even had a brief experience driving
steamboats, on the Des Moines river.
The year of the accession of Queen
Victoria to the throne Entwistle came
to America to get work on a Hudson
river steamboat, but later went into
the numbering regions.
1t was at Tilsey's Bank, Lancaster,
England, that Mr.. Entwistle vas
born, March "a, 1915, son of a sol.
der who fought at Waterloo. At
the age Of ii years he was appren.
ticed to the duke OF Bridgewater in
his machine shops at Manchester, and
was set to work in the department
of building engines and locomotives.
At that time there were many tram.
ways in England and elsewhere, most.
ly operated by horse power, and a
few by stationary engines. Already
small locomotives had been built 10
haul coal trains, and these were
quite successful. Nobody had as
yet tried to haul people by steam.
The duke of Newcastle had con.
structed a tramroad from one of his
collieries to the "a. George Steph.
enson, who was In the employment of
the duke of Newcastle, was chief en-.
gineer of his various enterprises, and
he had constructed a locomotive
which operated by cog-wheels to run
on this coal line. Stephenson in.
sisted that he could make one which
would do the business without cog.
wheels, but everybody who knew any.
thing at all scoffed at him. and nc
built the thing in hiding. About this
time the duke of Newcastle and the
duke of Bridgewater and some others
built the road between Manchester
and Liverpool. Stephenson had
built the famous Rocket" to be used
on that road.
When the Rocket" was turned out
of the Manchester shop ready to begin
trips with passengers, the foreman
was asked to select a man competent
to run it. He said he had no man,
but he pointed to young Entwistle,
still an apprentice in the shop, and
said to Stephenson that the boy could
run the engine. And 81 1t was that
George Stephenson took with him on
his trial trip as his assistant on the
engine young Edward Entwistle, per.
mission having been secured in writ.
ing from the duke of Bridgewater.
When passenger traffic was opened
there was 81 miles of the road ready.
Before trying it out with a passenger
train, Stephenson and Entwistle took
out a car loaded with gravel and ran
il Is miles and back to see II every.
thing was all right. That was on
Sunday. The next morning when
the trial trip was made there was a
great crowd to see the experiment,
not only on the dock where the start
was made, but at all points along the
route to Liverpool.
1t was an odd.looking train. Two
fiat cars that had been built for coal
hauling had been worked over, and
old stage coach bodies had been
placed upon them for the distin-
guished guests. Officers and stock.
holders of the road and men with
titles Of all sorts composed the party.
Il continued as engineer on the
road for 23 months said Mr.. En-.
twistle, ''and soon became nervous be.
cause of the jolting which was given
me by the Rocket The road bed
was solid and the road was well con.
structed, but the locomotive was built
without springs and in such manner
that the entire iolting came upon the
locomotive. felt that | should have
to quit, and | so announced. | was
reminded that | was still an appren.
tice and would have to do what my
master said. ] replied that | was
a~pprenticed, but not to a locomotive,
and so went back into the shops
and others took the Rocket"
At the time Of the great Crystal Pal.
ace exposition in London a good many
ago, Mr.. Entwistle went over to
London from Des Moiues and was a
guest of honor amone the great peo-
ple OF England. He went to the Cen
exposition and saw the Rock
ct" on which he had commenced his
career. He has long been an honor.
airy member of the Brotherhood of Lo
connective Engineers.