Year: 1868

An Exciting Railroad Adventure
"A Drunken Man Runs off with
a Locomotive. -.. ~. ....., .'..-


IFrom the Troy On. Y > Times. Sept. 2a.l


We learn from an engineer ON the
Hudson River Railroad, the particulars
of one of the most exciting scenes prob
ably that ever occurred on the line of
that road. On Saturday last the loco


motive Arctic was standing on the
track at Poughkeepsie, awaiting the ar.


rival of the GAS A. M. train from this
city, which it was to conduct to New
l York. The fireman of the engine was, a,
recent employe of the road; and jumping
off the locomotive repaired to a neigh
boring saloon, where he became not
drunk, but utterly wild and ungoverna-
BILE with liquor. The time for the ar
rival of the train was fast ap-
preaching, and the engineer becom-
ing alarmed at the absence of his
fireman, got off the engine to look for
him. During his absence, the fireman
returned, ands influenced by the devil,
mounted the engine, and with one des-
-perate clutch opened The throttle. which
was to set the ponderous machinery in
motion. Away the Arctic sped with the
speed of the whirlwind. For few min
utes all was CONSERVATION and excite
ment among the lookers-on. In mo-
ment the engine with its maniac driver
was out of sight, bounding along over
the track at rate utterly fearful to con-
template, and suggesting most terrible
disasters to such unlucky trains as might
be preceding it on the track. What to
do-how to stop the mad career of the
engine-were the questions which pre-
sented themselves for solution to the
, minds of the railroad officials at Pough-
keepsie. There was but one recourse, and
that was to telegraph to the station mas
ter at New Hamburg to throw open
the switch at that point and run the fly
ing locomotive off the track. But be-
fore the agent at that place could exc
cute the order, the Arctic came tearing
along at its greatest speed, passed the
station in safety, and was flying on its
course like demon of destruction. Or
ders were sent ahead for the track to be
torn up, as it was determined that, if
possible, no one should be harmed by the
freaks of the mad man but himself, nei-
ther his life nor the value of the engine be-
ing considered of the least account when
the lives of so many others were de-
pending on the result. Fortunately the
engine was stopped by causes within it.
self rather than by any of the measures
suggested for its overthrow and destruc-
ton. The engineer at Poughkeepsie,
when he left the engine to look for his
absent fireman, had both pumps at work
filling the boiler with water. The fire.
man either did not know how to shut
off the flow of cold water, or had over
looked in his frenzy and excitement
the fact that the pumps were at work.
and neglected to shut them off, and after
running about dozen miles, the pres
sure of water upon the boiler was so
great as to cause an overflow, the fires
went down, steam was exhausted, and
the engine stopped from the want of the
necessary driving power. The fireman
then took the cushions from the engin-
eer's seat, laid them down in the gutter
alongside the track, and coolly deposited
himself upon them for a, comfortable
snooze, unmindful of the terrible excite
ment and apprehensions of disasters he
had caused along the line of the road.
The engine was subsequently brought
back to Poughkeepsie, none the worse
for its mad journey, and the faithless
fireman was discharged from the employ
of the company. ...-... ana.