The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-12-29

eldest e. g,neer on this division of
the Chicago and Northwestern road.
In a recent issue of The Northwest
ern, Mr.. Norris writes his expert
ences On the road as follows:
Il have had over fortyfour years
CO ntinuous service for the Chicago
nd Northwestern. / was born in
Ler'nick. Shetland Island, Scotland,
October IS lS4S. coming to Port
Wis, in the spring of 1S49. In
go while my father and older
Their were in the Civil war, l
ant to work at Portage on the Mil
ukee railway as engine wiper and
"all boy. and at the time the soldiers
1--WE home in 1864 | was firing
'e-bcdied men were scarce at that
'i'~e and boys of my age We're in
reat demand.
Il continued in this service till
September 1866, when | saw two
new engines being hauled in
70 Winona, Mimi They were Nos.
9 and 10, Hinckley build, 16x24 inch
cylinders 1-2 feet driving wheel
center on the No. 10 and 5 feet on
the No. g. They were named the
SldTSI1Onl anu the 81. ttltI anu
were the ninth and tenth engines
then in use on the Winona and ST.
Peter railway then built from Vino
ma to Owatonna. They were towed
from La Crosse, Wis, to Winona up
the river on a barge, as there was
no railroad between those points at
that time.
81 followed those engines to Wi
mona and was given No. 9 to fire in
September, 1866, under Master Me-
chanic NJ. B. Snyder and Superintend-
ent Atkins. On October 5, 1869,
the first night switch engine was put
on in Winona yards, and I was pro-
noted by Master Mechanic F. C.
Ford and given this engine to run.
This lasted during the fall rush;
then l was set back firing until in
the fall Of 1870 was given a regu-
lar road engine, which was a small
Rogers No. 2, called the 'Winona,' TO
pull a mixed train between Weaver,
now on the Milwaukee and Winona
Junction, which was the first train
In service east of the river. With
this engine / pulled the first service
train over the Mississippi river at
Winona on a pile bridge through the
ice. After three months Of this, /
took the three-spot (No. 81 st.
Charles to do construction work be-
tween Winona and Winona Junction.
The ice bridge having gone out, I
was sent with engine via Owatonna,
Pamsey, Grand Crossing, across the
Mississippi on ferry to La Crosse
and on to Winona Junction.
After the permanent bridge, now
in use, was built, | kept the same
engine in freight service both ways
out Of Winona to Baraboo in the
cost and Waseca west. | followed
This with construction work from st.
ter to- New :Ulrn. acting as both
g7eer and conductor. While doing
his CONSTRUCTION work our engines
ere wood burn ers, and as there
ere no water, tanks We xhad. to car
wooden puTnfHb~ On the SACK eiiid
The tank which we put down
trough the bridges 70 get water.
~"> engines were wood burners up
1'75 when they were made over
into coal burners.
"- nter 7 tcck way freight Winona
- WHseca and theastlie day hill job
toc'ytonIIiI1 fseg,sa1 9 10 fos. S79
,7sfsr, 2s5, 81 .,H. css.
e IF stone : day from the quar-
- fer the division :..s ed:
"or'plete their tunnels, as our
aims previous to this ran over the
nr'"ukee' from Sparta to Camp
Douglas Junction, then over the Wis
: nSin Central to Elroy and on to
7oraboo on the Chicago and North
mora to Baraboo
''Tn 1879 I was sent to Sleepy Eye
:" rull the first regular passenger,
.'oery Eye to WATERFOWL, S. D. In
fo93 the division was changed to
Tracy and I ran from Tracy to Red
field. s. D., and from Tracy to
Watertown, S. D. In 1890 I took the
nm between Tracy and Waseca, in
which service | am still engaged,
making thirty-two years regular pas
senger service.
During this forty-four and one
half years Of continuous service for
the Chicago and Northwestern rail-
way / have worked under Master
Mechanics NJ. B. Snyder Dave Van
Buskirk. c. Clement, F. C. Ford, w.
A. Scott, William Smith. William Nc
Intosh, w. H. Hutchinson, e. B.
Thompson, w. E.. Durham and C.
Coleman; and superintendent Hub
Atkins, S. Sanborn, w. p. Cosgrave,
w. D. Cantillon, Harry Sanborn, w.
B. Beck, A. L. Goetzman, E. G.
Schevenell and William WaIliser. l
have been No. l on the Minnesota
Division since 1902"
From Thursdays Daily.