Saturday, July 11, 2015

Central Pacific 1866 (Letter)

From: "Sue Agnew" sue.agnew@gmail.com

I am researching a man who traveled the Central Pacific from Sacramento to its terminus around October 18-22, 1866. Do I assume correctly that the end of the line at that time was at Alta? His destination was Sierraville. Would he have taken a stage the remainder of the trip?

In a letter to family back in Michigan, this man wrote that "The train on the Central Pacific R.R. proceeding to climb the Sierra Nevada mountains ran off the track on a sheer precipice, but the coaches and passengers did not follow the engine 90 feet down the abyss." I am skeptical about this account, since it seems to me that if the engine went down into the abyss then the other cars would have followed. Certainly they wouldn't have come loose very easily. Am I correct about my assumption or would the cars have remained on the track?

Also, if what he says is accurate, then there would have to be another engine brought in to take the cars along their way. I would also assume this would have been newsworthy, but I cannot find any account of such an incident reported in the area newspapers of that time.

I would appreciate knowing your assessment of this man's account, since your organization would be much more familiar with the CPRR of that era than I. If you feel it is possibly a true account, do you have any suggestions as to sources that I could use to document this incident? ...

—Sue Agnew, Tahlequah, Oklahoma​




"During the trip up the Sacramento river the Crysopolis narrowly escaped collision with a returning craft. The train on the Central Pacific R.R. proceeding to climb the Sierra Nevada mountains ran off the track on a sheer precipice, but the coaches and passengers did not follow the engine 90 feet down the abyss."


Letter to Charley Lemmon, 1866Letter to Charley Lemmon, 1866.

Insurance policy from The Locomotive Engineers Mutual Life and Accident Insurance Association

From: "Jeanne Strausz" jstrausz@hotmail.com

I am fascinated by the history I read on your site. My father worked on the rails in Cleveland in the 1940's. I have a policy from The Locomotive Engineers Mutual Life and Accident Insurance Association from July 1, 1970. It matured July 1, 2013. Do you know where I could cash this policy? Did the company change names. It was interesting that I have a piece of history in my hands. ... It was a retirement policy for me for $1,064.00. That would have been a lot of money in 1948 when I was born and when I was 17 years old. That is when the policy was started. ...

Jeanne O. Strausz MSRN, CSN
Adjunct professor
Tabor College Wichita

Number plate (Unknown)

From: "Jim Gajderowicz" jgajderowicz@comcast.net

I am looking for some information regarding this number plate I bought from a railroad collection. It is 13 inches across the top and 9 inches across the bottom and 10 inches top to bottom, with scribed edges on the back sides. ...

—Jim Gajderowicz


Number plate