Good Work Rewarded

New Hampshire Sentinel, March 3, 1888 - The night express train from Boston, last Thursday, had attached to it besides the regular cars, the elegant private buffet sleeping and parlor car used by the president and officers of the Wagner Palace Car Co, with Dr. Webb, of New York, the President, and Col. Flagg, the Superintendent of the company, on board.  After leaving Boston a hot box on the car delayed the train at a number of stations, and although a new box was put in the heating continued.  Arriving at Fitchburg an hour or more late, the train started over the Cheshire road drawn by two locomotives, which were provided so that no time need be lost.  The hot box on the Wagner car continued to heat, however, and made a good deal of work for the trainmen. At length when the train got about half way between Fitzwilliam and Troy, the tire on one of the drivers of the locomotives Sam’l Gould, which was helping the regular engine, broke in two.  The engineers, fireman and trainmen had a hard job to get this engine to Troy so that the passenger train could pass by and continue on its journey, it being necessary to run the engine slowly so that men could walk alongside and keep watch of the broken wheel.  Dr. Webb and Col. Flagg now took a lively interest in the men’s work upon the disabled engine.

Upon the arrival of the train at Troy, these gentlemen handed the Engineers a twenty-dollar bill each, asking them to give a part of the money to their firemen, and also ten dollars to Fred Trask, one of the brakeman whose efforts in helping the train along had been seen to be particularly effective.   Fifty dollars were thus unexpectedly added to their wages, which these Cheshire employees got for their night’s work.  It is needless to add they would not have received this money, had not the experienced and wealthy travelers whom they had on board had been pleased with the manner in which they performed their duties.