N&W in 1910--Unconscious

[NW Mailing List]

When I was in high school back in the 60's, I can remember my Grandfather
who lived in Kenova talking about how rocks were often thrown at the trains
in the older days by fellows in the more remote parts of Wayne County.  As I
recall, he seemed to feel there was residual resentment over how the land
for the railroad had been acquired.   He also used it as an object lesson
for when we were working in that part of the county; that is to say, watch
out how you behave, because those folks are apt to do almost anything if you
upset them.  Nobody ever threw rocks at us, so I guess we didn't do anything
too out of line.  He owned a funeral home, so of course a fair number of the
folks we worked with weren't in any position to throw anything.

 

Bob Huston

 

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From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org
[mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 1:36 PM
To: NW Mailing List
Subject: Re: N&W in 1910--Unconscious

 

This is slightly confusing to me.  How would it be that it would take the
fireman that long to find that his engineer is unconscious?  Even on the M's
and W's (and possibly others) where the engineer is alongside the boiler
forward of the backhead, I would think an "apparently lifeless" man would be
easily noticed by the fireman, who presumably would be able to see alongside
the boiler from his firing position.

Was there that little communication between the two in practice, or is the
firing work heavy enough that the fireman wouldn't have time to notice?

Matt Goodman
Columbus Ohio

 

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From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: 3N&W Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Fri, May 14, 2010 10:35:16 PM
Subject: N&W in 1910--Unconscious

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
November 24, 1910

 

UNCONSCIOUS AT THE THROTTLE OF HIS ENGINE

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Engineer Struck by Rock at Genoa and Not Found Until Train Was at Rodney

    Riding a distance of four miles unconscious at the throttle, Norfolk and
Western Engineer J. C. Neff, of Portsmouth, was found by his fireman inert
and apparently lifeless as the train was pulling into Rodney, W. Va.

    Neff is supposed to have been struck on the head by a rock thrown by
[someone], for a four-inch gap was found in his scalp.

    Neff says that the last thing he remembers is when he was passing
through Genoa, a distance of five miles to Rodney, where he was found by the
fireman as stated.  He was placed on board a freight and taken to
Williamson.

------

[Rodney and Genoa were on the old Twelve Pole line between Naugatuck and
Kenova.]

 

Gordon Hamilton

 

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