All Aboard the Jarrett-Palmer Express

After 1869, when Leland Stanford drove the ceremonial Golden Spike connecting the Union Pacific and Central Pacific rail lines to create the first transcontinental railroad in America, passengers could travel from coast-to-coast by rail. The voyage took approximately one week, at speeds averaging 20 mph.

The week-long trip was incredibly fast for the time, but in 1876, the trip was accomplished--one time only--in just eighty-three hours.

Henry Jarrett & Henry Palmer are the duo responsible for coming up with this amazing event. One might suspect they were in the railroad business, but in fact, they managed a New York theatre company. Eager for a way to promote their troupe, they determined they'd travel to the west coast by rail in four days, where the actors would get off the train and perform Henry V in San Francisco.

It was an incredibly complicated, cooperative effort that required tremendous planning and expense. Naturally, the trip received a good deal of press in the months leading up to the departure--which Jarrett & Palmer must have enjoyed, since tickets to Henry V sold well, too. At last the big day came, and with much fanfare, the train pulled out of the station in Jersey City, New Jersey, on June 1, 1876.

To complete the journey in the four-day time frame, trains would have to move at high speeds, and necessary stops would have to be as short as possible. All the way to California, rail workers ensured as smooth a path as possible, clearing the way of debris and diverting other trains onto side tracks so the Lightning Express could zip by. At every scheduled stop, supplies, water, and coal were ready for quick loading, as were staff, including conductors, brakemen, firemen and engineers. Likewise, the engine was switched out five times to avoid mechanical issues.

The Lightning Express must have caused a great deal of inconvenience for the railroads and passengers on other trains, but if anyone minded, they seem to have been in the minority. Day and night, people lined the tracks to get a gander at the train, and several towns shot off fireworks when it passed. Reportedly, a man's funeral was interrupted by the coming of the train; everyone went to look at it and returned to the church to finish the service afterwards. 

Businesses and agencies got in on the act, too. The New York Times shipped its newspaper to Chicago on the train, Wells Fargo put a safe in the baggage car, and the USPS created a postmark for mail that went on the train. 

Being a passenger on the Lightning Express wasn't the most comfortable experience, however. Traveling at a high rate of speed wasn't as smooth then as it is on modern trains. The jarring and jolting made it difficult to sleep, walk, or cook, so most food was served cold. When passengers did manage to catch a few winks, they awoke to cinders on their faces.

To be a coast-to-coast trip, the passengers took the train as far as it would go, Oakland, California, and boarded a ferry to take them to San Francisco. A mob was waiting, even though the train was twelve hours early.

At last, the passengers arrived in San Francisco. Despite a few difficulties with equipment and weather, the Lightning Express completed the trip in just three days, eleven hours, and 39 minutes--an astounding achievement in technology.

The production of Henry V was a success, too, just as Jarrett & Palmer hoped, but the legacy of the express train known by their names is far more lasting as a mechanical achievement, national source of pride and celebration, and a stepping stone for more efficient travel in America. 

For more, read: The Jarrett-Palmer Express of 1876, Coast to Coast in Eighty-Three Hours, by J. C. Ladenheim, Harvest Books, 2008.

Find on Amazon for more information

GIVEAWAY:

The Jarrett-Palmer Express inspired the train in my new novella, The Honeymoon Express, just released as part of The Rails to Love Collection by Barbour Publishing.

Enter to win a copy of The Rails to Love Collection by expressing interest in the comments and including a way to reach you before 11:59 pm EST Oct 6, 2016. A winner will be announced here on Oct 7. (Sorry, US only, please.)

BIO: Susanne Dietze is the author of nine new and upcoming historical romances. She has a special affection for trains because her father is a railroad enthusiast who pegged the engine on the book cover as being from New Zealand. You can learn more about her on her website at www.susannedietze.com.

Trains on Ice

by Anita Mae Draper

Some of you may be familiar with ice roads from watching tv shows like the History channel's reality series, Ice Road Truckers. Ice roads have been used for years as an efficient method of travel where ice freezes to a deep thickness from December to March or April.

Transportation hay to market across the St. Lawrence River, QC, 1903. Courtesy of McCord Museum VIEW-3618

And along with vehicle roads on ice, there were ice bridges for trains, often called ice railways. Now trains are heavy when compared to early cars or horses and hay wagons, and even much heavier than the 18-wheel trucks you see on Ice Road Truckers which means you need very thick ice to support the weight. Extremely thick ice.

Back in the early 1980's when I was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces and on exercise in Yellowknife in Canada's Northwest Territories, I got my first look at an ice road. It seemed to be nothing more than a line slaking across the North Arm of Great Slave Lake as shown in this photo I took on that cold March day.

Now imagine a heavy locomotive travelling on that stretch. Scary, isn't it? Why did railway owners take the chance with their freight and human lives to travel across ice? Time, money, practicality.

Before the railway bridge was erected in 1883 at Bismark, ND, goods and people were transported across the Missouri River by steamboats. When the river froze however, they erected a railway to continue the service.

The following 2 photographs show the Northern Pacific laying track and then crossing the frozen Missouri River at Bismark. In the Harper's Weekly image, railroad workers laying ties and rails across the ice while people watch. In the background, a train in reverse position with a flatbed provides the materials necessary to complete the task.

Across the Missouri River by rail, at Bismarck, Dakota, 1879.  Courtesy of the Territory Institute for Regional Studies, NDSU, Fargo (Folio 102.TrR34.1a)

Northern Pacific Railroad ice bridge over the Missouri River, March 1879. Courtesy of the Institute for Regional Studies, NDSU, Fargo (2029.15.1)

An 1880 ice bridge across the St Lawrence River was created as a protest against the high cost of using Montreal's Victoria Bridge. When the Grand Trunk Railroad opened the Victoria Bridge in 1859, it was hailed as the 8th Wonder of the World. However, the 6 million dollar price tag needed to be recouped somehow and it was done by charging high rates to cross.

Instead of using the bridge, competitor trains were ferried across the river in summer. Once the river froze to a minimum depth of  60 cm/24 inches along the 2 km/1.24 mile stretch, extra-wide beams placed every 7 feet helped distribute the heavy weight evenly over the wide surface area.

Railway on the ice over St. Lawrence River, Montreal, QC, 1880. Courtesy of www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/ObjView/v1141

Here's another view of the above ice bridge, also taken by noted photographer, William Notman. In this photo, you can clearly see how the tracks were placed upon the ice.

Ice Bridge across the St Lawrence, 1880. Courtesy of the National Archives of Canada William Notman Collection

Unfortunately, on January 5, 1881, the ice suddenly gave way beneath the locomotive and it sank, but not before the passengers were able to scramble out and away. This is depicted in the following drawing found in the January 15, 1881 Canadian Illustrated News.

Train Breaks Through Icy Saint Laurent, Jan 5, 1881. Coutesy of Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Quebec

History notes that the very next day, a lighter train was used and the train continued ferrying goods and people across the river each winter until 1883.

Sometimes ice bridges were put up for a single use occasion, such as on Christmas Eve, 1879, when rails were laid on the ice across the Red River from St. Boniface to Winnipeg, Manitoba in order to receive a new locomotive, the "J.G. Haggart", which had been purchased from the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia.

In 1899, the Scientific American reported that the Trans Siberian Railroad had built an ice bridge across the River Irtish and Baikal Lake.

And finally in 1923, Alaska Railroad built an ice bridge across the Tanana River at Nenana just prior to completing the railroad.

Alaska Railroad engine crossing the Tanana River on the ice at Nenana, 1923. Courtesy of Wikicommons.

1923 is the last reference I've found of a train crossing on ice. I suppose that with vehicles increasing in size and roads becoming easier to travel long distance trucking supplanted the need. Light vehicles certainly would have been safer.

But oh, it would have been majestic to watch a huffing locomotive travel across the frozen water.

Don't you think so?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita Mae Draper is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their four kids. She writes cowboy stories set in the West, and Edwardian stories set in the East.  Anita is blessed to have two short stories in Guideposts Books A Cup of Christmas Cheer collection which includes Here We Come A-Wassailing, published in Volume 4 Heartwarming Tales of Christmas Present, October 2014, and Riding on a Christmas Wish  published in Volume 1 Tales of Faith and Family. Anita Mae is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Management. You can find Anita Mae at   www.anitamaedraper.com

The Holliday Tour ~ Cyrus K. Holliday

December brings fond memories of holidays past. Today, I want to share with a different Holliday. ;)  I hope you enjoy.

A few years ago, back in 2009, the girls wanted to go to the museum. I love the museum but after you’ve seen it many, many time, the thrill kind of wears off. I couldn’t resist the pouty faces and the bouncing begs? I mean this was history after all, right?

Besides, they were advertising the Cyrus K. Holliday!

Now, I knew the museum had a train, I just hadn't realized it was my train. All right, so it wasn't my train since the two I use in one of my manuscripts are Locomotive No. 1 and Locomotive No. 2. The one at the museum is Locomotive No. 132, but since I haven't been able to find pictures of No. 1, No. 132 will have to do.

I believe the red photo below is No. 1, the trains look exactly alike, except for the No. (Just look at that lock ;)

The bright 132 was painted around the dome. I'm not positive what this was used for, but it seems to be where the whistle is located.

No. 1 didn't consist of private cars, but this one had one.

It's a bit dark, but this is a picture of the smokestack.

The lantern. Not only was the lantern used for the conductor to see further down the track, but also to warn people of a coming train.

Interesting, do you know what this is called? A cowcatcher.

Coal. ;)

A look at the passenger car. When No. 1 first began to roll toward Wakarusa and Carbondale, Kansas, it carried one passenger car. The afternoon excursions were so popular they added a second. Stories tell folks exited the train, had themselves a picnic while the rail workers turned the train around, and then got back on for the return trip.

As you can see there are four seats. I can't imagine putting any more than sixteen passengers in this car.

Not sure I'd enjoy sitting in the first row. The heat radiating off the stove would have been intense.

I'm taking a wild guess, water?

These are compartments above the seats. They weren't very big, my laptop would fit in there but not much else.

I loved these baskets. And do you see the etching on the glass? I didn't notice it until I was going through the pictures.

They thought of everything. I wonder if a train caught on fire and that is why they have the vent holes above the lamps.

Does she look sinister, or what?

She's been daydreaming about robbing a train in the old west ever since. ;) Five years later and her favorite show is still Gunsmoke and Rifle Man.


Did you know that the smaller wheels in front of the driving wheels were called bogie wheels? They were invented by U.S. engineers so the trains could maneuver the sharp curves on the rugged terrain.

Christina writes historical romance set in ancient Judah and Kansas. She's published with Love Inspired Historicals. You can find more about her at threefoldstrand.com

ROYAL GORGE WAR

www.davalynnspencer.com

Davalynn Spencer here, with a look at the little-known railroad war fought along the upper Arkansas River in 1878-79.

The town of Leadville boomed nearly over night when Rocky Mountain gold prospectors found silver in the late 1870s. One way to reach the riches was up the Arkansas River canyon. Two railway lines—the Denver and Rio Grande (DR&G) and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe—each determined to lay track along the river bed. Trouble was, the Arkansas cut through a sheer rock canyon that climbed to more than 1,000 feet above the water and narrowed in places to only 30 feet across. One train might squeeze through the granite bottleneck, but not two.

By 1878, DR&G lines ran nearly into Cañon City, Colorado, a little mine-supply town that lay a hundred miles southeast of Leadville at the mouth of the great canyon gorge. But the Santa Fe boys beat the DR&G crews up the hill and started grading a rail bed west of town into the canyon. DR&G couldn’t get past court injunctions, so they built a few small stone-walled forts along the river’s mountain path and sabotaged Santa Fe crews by rolling down boulders, tossing tools in the river, and impeding progress any way they knew how. Eventually, both sides hired armed guards.

While road crews fought it out in the canyon, owners battled in the courts, and the DR&G won the right to build through the gorge. Not to be outdone, Santa Fe threatened to build parallel tracks in the spirit of competition. Fearing financial ruin, DR&G management offered to lease their tracks to Santa Fe for thirty years, and a brief truce ensued.

But Santa Fe finagled freight away from Denver up north, and continued to lay its own track through the gorge. DR&G sent crews to the west end of the gorge where they began work on their tracks.

As earnings dwindled, DR&G went back to court in 1879 to break the lease and stopped Santa Fe from operating on the D&RG lines. By this time, the roughs and railroad men’d had enough, and guns and rifles replaced picks and shovels.

Doc Holliday

Santa Fe hired W.B. “Bat” Masterson who was sheriff in Ford County Kansas at the time. Historians still argue over who got Masterson his U.S. Marshall’s appointment, but he brought in his friend J.H. “Doc” Holliday to hire recruits.

Sixty or so men, peppered through with several gun slingers, took up positions at the Santa Fe roundhouse in Pueblo, thirty-five miles east of Cañon City.

Determined to drive out Masterson and his boys, engineers and lawmen on the DR&G side rode to Pueblo to commandeer the cannon from the state armory. But the cannon wasn’t at the armory. It was already at the roundhouse, pointed outward by Masterson, Holliday, and heir hired guns.

History says a DR&G man met with Masterson, convinced him to surrender, and everyone went home. Some argue that Masterson left with a wad of bills, but others believe a court-ordered DR&G right-of-way through the gorge sealed the deal. Lore says one man was accidentally shot.

Royal Gorge train

DR&G paid Santa Fe a handy sum of nearly $2 million for its work on the route and the rails reached Leadville in the summer of 1880.

But not without some help through the narrows.

In 1879, C. Shallor Smith engineered a 175-foot steel bridge that hung from one side of the canyon by girders spanning the river. It is still in service today, known as the hanging bridge.

(Read about life during the Railroad War in Branding the Wrangler’s Heart, release date May 2014 from Heartsong Presents.)

When the handsome, dark-eyed cowboy sauntered into Davalynn Spencer’s life, the gate to adventure swung wide. So began her journey writing for national rodeo markets and winning awards in the process. Her passion for words has also taken her from the city crime beat of a mid-size daily newspaper to publication with David C. Cook, Standard, Chicken Soup for the Soul and others.  

The Chunky Creek Train Wreck of 1863, Hickory, MS

The Chunky Creek Train Wreck of 1863 happened during the American Civil War near the town of Hickory, Mississippi on the Chunky River. On February 19, 1863 the Mississippi Southern train left the Meridian, MS depot at 3:00 am to transport Confederate soldiers to the Battle of Vicksburg. Several civilians were also on board bringing the total number of passengers to around 100.

The engineer was under strict orders to get to Vicksburg as quickly as possible, and the soldiers themselves were eager to get to the battlefield.

But they never made it.

Instead, they barreled toward the Chunky Creek, thirty-five miles west of Meridian, toward certain death.

In an article detailing the tragedy, Greg Boggan describes the scene, “The continued flooding caused by winter rains had weakened the bridges significantly. A train had crossed the west Chunky bridge the day before, but only after all passengers were removed from the train. Debris continued to build up from the flood, and the bridge trestle had shifted by several inches due to the weight of the debris.”

According to Mr. Boggan, the bridge had shifted as much as six inches out of alignment with the tracks. Workers had made a futile attempt to repair the damage, but didn’t have enough crew and resources to get it done before the next train was due.

An elderly man had been placed in the Chunky hills with a lantern to stop the train, and a pole had been erected about 100 feet from the bridge--a common warning system employed at the time. No one knows why the engineer failed to heed these warnings, but regardless of every effort, the train continued on through the night toward its tragic destination.

The engine ran off the track as it hit the bridge, plunging into the ice-cold flood waters. The boxcars, loaded with passengers and cargo, followed like a string of dominoes crashing against each other.

A reporter later described the scene, “The wreck presented a frightful experience. The engine is out of sight in deep water, with the box cars crushed to pieces, lying directly upon it, portions of which are now above water, while three more, laden with barrels and boxes, in the stream, are piled up in confusion. Confounded.”

Many of the passengers were trapped in the wreckage or killed on impact, while the icy waters of the flooded creek swept others up and away.

Help for the survivors came quickly, but even then it was too late for over 40 Confederate soldiers and civilians. The First Battalion of Choctaw Indians, under the command of Major S. G. Spann, was based at a Confederate military training camp near the crash scene. Led by Jack Amos and Elder Williams, these brave soldiers rushed to the scene and plunged into the flooded creek, rescuing many who would have perished had they not performed such heroic acts.

Jack Amos, Pvt of the First Choctaw Battalion

in MS,CSA in 1905 at age 77

As soon as it was day, rescuers began the gruesome task of recovering bodies and cargo from the swollen stream, and a first attempt at righting the engine was made. History says that over $80,000 was recovered from the baggage of W. P. Grayson, a paymaster for the Confederate government out of New Orleans. Mr. Grayson perished in the tragedy.

On April 28, 2003, the Sons of the Confederate Veterans placed a wreath at the site of the Chunky Creek Train Wreck in observance of Confederate Memorial Day. As part of the ceremony, the names of identified soldiers and civilians were read.

Claiming Mariah

released February 1st!

It's available in bookstores and from online retailers,

and has been seen roaming around at

Wal-Mart.

Too fun!! :)

If you spot a copy out in the wild, I'd love for you to shoot

me a message (via facebook or my website) with location and a picture.

Tyndale is giving away FIVE copies of
Claiming Mariah. Ends 2/28

---

Pam Hillman was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn’t afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove the Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn’t mind raking. Raking hay doesn’t take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that’s the kind of life every girl should dream of! Claiming Mariah is her second novel. 

www.pamhillman.com

Crush, Texas—A Town for Only One Day

By Vickie McDonough

One of my favorite tasks as a writer is going on research trips and discovering interesting tidbits of history. While researching End of the Trail, the final book in the Texas Trails series, I learned about a unique historical event. It’s called “The Crash at Crush” and is the brainchild of George William Crush, a passenger agent of  the Missouri, Kansas, & Texas Railroad, also known as “the Katy.”

In an effort to better promote their railroad, Katy officials agreed to Crush’s unusual suggestion of crashing two retired train engines. The locomotives, Old No. 999, painted bright green, and Old No. 1001, painted a vibrant red, were displayed prominently during tours throughout the state and the “Monster Crash” was advertised all the summer of 1896. The event was free, with the exception of the train fare to deliver attendees to Crush, which cost $2 for a ticket from anywhere within the state.

George Crush chose a shallow valley fifteen miles north of Waco for the location, and in early September, five hundred workmen laid four miles of track afor the collision run, built a grandstand for attendees, three speaker's stands, two telegraph offices, a stand for reporters, and a bandstand. A restaurant was set up in a borrowed Ringling Brothers circus tent, and a huge carnival midway with dozens of medicine shows, game booths, and lemonade and soft-drink stands were built. Lastly, a special depot with a platform 2,100 feet long was constructed along with a painted sign, informing passengers that they had arrived at Crush, Texas.

Twenty thousand people were expected, but by early afternoon on September 15, somewhere between 40-50,000 had arrived. At 5:00 P.M., engines No. 999 and 1001 backed off to opposite ends of the four-mile track. George Crush trotted a white horse to the center of the track and raised his white hat. After a long pause, he whipped it sharply down. A huge cheer rose from the crowd, and the locomotives lunged forward, whistles shrieking as they barreled toward each other at a speed of 45 mph. In a thunderous, grinding crash, the trains collided. The two locomotives reared up like wild stallions as they rammed together. Contrary to predictions, both boilers shattered, filling the air with hot steam, smoke, and pieces of flying metal. Spectators turned and ran in blind panic. In the end, several people were killed and at least six others were injured seriously by the flying debris.

The wreckage was toted away, with souvenir hunters claiming pieces of the debris, booths and tent were removed, and by nightfall, Crush, Texas ceased to exist. The Katy railroad settled all claims against it, and George Crush was fired that same day, but he was rehired the next day and worked for the Katy railroad until he retired. Here’s a link to a You Tube tale of the crash and some cool historic photos: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL5i_ZBzYk0  

I hope you enjoyed the story of the Crash at Crush. What’s the most interesting historical event you’ve read about?

Releasing September 1st:

Pioneer Christmas Collection--Journey along with American settlers who learn that despite where the trail takes them or how primitive their lodgings may be, Christmas is all about the heart. Determined to honor Christ's birth, these pioneers find a way to make Christmas happen in places like a cave, a tipi, and a dugout. Modern readers will enjoy a peek into life before commercialism took over the sacred day, distracting us from the true blessings of faith, hope, and love. Enjoy nine original novellas of Christmas romance as penned from many of today's leading Christian authors, including Lauraine Snelling, Margaret Brownley, Kathleen Fuller, and Vickie McDonough.

Vickie McDonough is an award-winning author of 27 books and novellas. Her novels include the fun and feisty Texas Boardinghouse Brides series and the 3rd & 6th books in the Texas Trails series. Her novel, Long Trail Home, won the Inspirational category of the 2012 Booksellers’ Best Awards. Whispers on the Prairie, the first book in an exciting new series set in 1870s Kansas released in July and is a Romantic Times Recommended Read. To learn more about Vickie, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com

Chapel Cars

Hi!  Winnie Griggs here.

As I was researching circuit preachers for a minor story thread in one of my books I came across an interesting little rabbit trail I couldn't resist pursuing.  The tidbit referenced a very unique tool utilized by clergy and other missionary-minded folk who were attempting to do their own brand of ‘taming the west’ - namely Chapel Cars.

These utilitarian traveling churches were constructed inside modified railroad cars.  They rode the rails from town to town, parking on sidings for as long as they were needed, then moving on to the next stop.  Space was set aside for very modest living quarters for the missionary and perhaps his wife.  The rest of the space was utilized for church services.

They were furnished with pews, a lectern, an altar table and in some cases an organ.  Depending on size and construction, they could accommodate 70+ people.  The Chapel Car served as a home, church, Sunday School, social hall, library and meeting place.  They carried bibles and tracts to be distributed all along the lines.  The missionary and his wife, in addition to their usual ministerial duties, were expected to function as singer, musician, janitor and cook.  They helped organize permanent churches, including raising the necessary funds and helping to construct the buildings.

The idea of the chapel card was not original to the U.S - they had existed in Europe for some time.  The first Chapel Car in the America was commissioned by Reverend William Walker, the Missionary Bishop of North Dakota.  The task of ministering to the people in such a vast and sparsely populated territory was a daunting one.  That, and the fact that many towns didn’t have the funds, or any certainty of permanence, to invest in a building, and it seemed a better solution had to be found.  Having knowledge of the chapel cars used in England, Bishop Walker decided that would be a workable solution to his challenge.

These Chapel Cars traveled throughout the West and Midwest.  They visited mining towns and logging camps, tent cities and fledgling towns, bringing their gospel message and the reminder of civilization to people who had seen neither for a long time - if ever. 

And their appearance was surprisingly well received in these wild and lawless places more often than not - especially by the ladies of the area.  The arrival of a Chapel Cars signaled not just the chance to attend Sunday services, but the arrival of someone to perform weddings, funerals, baptisms.  It also provided a welcome excuse for social gatherings.  In addition, many a rough and tough cowboy who would have balked at attending a traditional church, seemed to feel differently about these side rail services.  In fact, the very novelty of the Chapel Car brought folks from miles around just to have a look.

Of course, they didn’t always receive a warm welcome.  There were instances of Chapel Cars being pelted with eggs and refuse, defaced with graffiti and even set on fire.  But these were rare instances and the cars and their custodians survived to continue their mission.

In actuality, the peace-minded missionaries who rode the rails played a larger part in bringing peace to the lawless west than any gun-toting lawman or vigilante.  They traveled in their mobile churches to remote areas of the country, bringing spiritual direction and a civilizing influence to people who were starved for something to offset the violence and loneliness of their existence. 

Chapel cars remained in use on into the early twentieth century.  With the advent of World War I, however, the railroad tracks had to be kept clear for troop movement.  In addition, new regulations prohibited the railroad companies from giving ‘free rides’ to the Chapel Cars, something that had been common practice up until then.  And as paved roads and automobiles became more common it was easier for people to travel on their own to attend church.  Thus, the Chapel Cars that had brought their spiritual message and civilizing influence to the rough and tumble west faded into history.

So, where is the most memorable place where you have attended a church service and what was it about it that made it memorable?