Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-06-20
Veteran Joe" Line Engineer
Tells Of Brushes With War
time Bushwhackers.
DAYS OF WOOD FOR FUEL
rr.irmen Forced To Repair Own
Boilers When FIues Blew Out
While Running-How En-
sines Wore Named.

"VSVPu ioiiIOdO burned WOOu anu n00
copper hues." said John Mccartney. q
veteran,e engineer OF the Joe" now living
in Brooktield.
"Ihese opper tlues were all right for
wood. hut We had a world Of trouble with
them when they began to- use coal. The
sparks We're more solid than wo0dffre
sparks. and they would cut through tho
lles. causing the steam TO blow out like
:he hlow-off from the safety valve. Often
lines the iue would burst with a loud
lnise.
The engineers of those days were taught
how to repair the break, while out ON. tho
run. III the accident was not too serious.
We carried iron plugs to drive in the
Role.
When a hue sprung a leak we had to
'iisco,nect the plunger from the CROSS
head-from the %pulnp-and- pump her up
by hand. To stop the leak the fire would
be drawn out of the tirebox and the en-
sineer would crawl in and hunt around
foc the hole. or else work from the front
end. wherever it might be. OF course.
t!e engine was hot and the fixing OF q
plug was a pretty delicate Job.
when an engine was sent into tho
shop for repairs the engineer would look
after the job himself. He had to be q
good deal OF a machinist to keep things
III order.
Engines Named for Counties.
"The first engines on the Joe were
ia.ned after the counties along the line.
aud then. after indian tribes. The states
and territories We're also used. and the
names OF the governors. The Pony FIX
press' engine was named after Missouri.
One of the engines was called X. NJ. Stew
art. after the original romoter OF the
road.
I'm the early days there we're no reeu-
lar switch engines at Rrupk fnlI E,oob
engineer had to make up his own train.
unless 1t was already made up at st. loo
or Hannibal.
The first roundholse was built at
Rrooktieid In 1859. When T first went to
work we laid over bet ween Buckin and
st. Catherine. Crhayer, now a corndeId).
That was the division point. There was
a turn table and a little straight engine
house that would hold two or three en-
sines, and a blacksmith shop.
Among tine early-day engineers that
! recall are Add Clark. who pulled the
Pony Express: j.. n. WILDER, who rose
To master mechanic and retired after 80
years service; George p. Chaplin, John
Mctiowan, Tom Davis and Frank Rullard.
There were wood yards all along the
line. The men In charge were called
FLU. agents The men who sawed and
supplied the wood for locomotives were
given tickets by the engineers. and the
mpan cashed these tickets.
Bothered by e~ushwhacker..
II began ON the road as engineer in
September, 1868. Before that had been
firing. 1 kept at work as engineer until
iSSS. the year of the big strike, when I
went to Nebraska to take charge OF the
Kansas City and omaha shops at Fair
field. My title was division master me-
chanic. The road mentioned was a part
OF the Union Pacific.
'In 1854 while y,iunipu O g a,o,uo.-
the east end. we were tagged east Of
Clarence. We were told that Sheibfna was
on fire.
Next day we ven through shelbina.
The bushwhackers had burned the depot
and freighthouse and had torn thtnrs nm
generally.
During the war our road was ,,seh
largely for the transportation OF troops
and military supplies and the bushwhack-
ers were constantly making trouble.
There were blockhouses at Charlton.
Grand and Platte rivers on the west. and
one at Salt river and on the Quincy
branch to the east. These were earri-
sonedi by federal soldiers.
1T was very difficult to get good. men
10. run engines during the war. The men
In the cab were SO constantly exposed to
bullets that the cabs were lined with sheet
IRON. AZ the beginning of the war enEin-
GERS We're paid $2.2 a day and fire,nen 9i.as
u day. These wages had to be constantly
raised TO get good men to stay with the
JOB. Finally they got down to a MILEAGE
basis. Freight engineers were paid 4 cents
a mile and passenger engineers 3h cents
a mile.
II was firing on the west end Of the
PONY Express run. We were hauling =
local freight east, and when we reached
Sa;llicothe we were ordered to wait there
TIL the fast mail shot by.
Made SO Miles an Hour.
" meyer stopped at Ch.llicothe at ali.
ous wllizzed by same"ass II thai thriving
city was merely q crosszroads. The oniv
Stops made by the Pony Express train
snAt day were TO take on wood or water.
inere were two brakemen to the one car.
In the car was the overland mail which
was to he carried to the far wext. rrrm. a.
Joseph on w. H. Russell'ss poniea. Ths
head officers OF the road were aiso In ths
car.
Add Clark was at the lever .HA4 xaa
the KING OF engineers 1T that time.
The Pony Express' engineer had or
aers 70 run against time and MAZE =
record. The safety with which Chart ~ot
ms sAwed-off train through IL ~ mnch
70 mis- credit as the rapid timeshe made
a. ! recoliect now. he covered the. ~
mites between the Mississippi ana heis.
eouIi rivers IN close to four hours: or
Z pout 80 miles on hour
MT. Mcsartney was born In New York
state August Is. 1889. ana came tn hSis-
souri, in 1850 to enter. the servir. - ~
fi'ann,bai and ST. Joe road: which .,.s
soA.tietctt February Is Of thaA y1nr ~
S"Asi-csed with the road for 1A.s,..r.
"sAsly7 III which time hr waa : lossus i, Ss,,..
sNs.s'eer. Mr.. Mccartney has hcsr IT,
.:..av ~ MS Fellow c:tixens- or Asnoosw.aa