"Old Peppersass"

After their New London conference last week (see col 3), the Governors of Alabama, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia journeyed into the heart of New England as the guests of New Hampshire's Governor Charles Tobey to witness the ceremonious return of "Old Peppersass," world's first mountain-climbing locomotive, to the White Mountains. Named because of the pepper-shaker aspect of its vertical boiler and mushroom stack, "Old Peppersass" was built in 1869 to haul e-xcursionists (including Presidents Grant, Hayes, Cleveland) up the cogway to the top of Mount Washington. Withdrawn from service in 1893, it went the rounds of exhibitions, was "lost" for years and only lately "found" by the Baltimore & Ohio R. R.

At the foot of Mount Washington last week, B. & 0. officials presented the antique to the Boston & Maine R. R. which in turn gave it to the State of New Hampshire. Before taking its place on a pedestal, "Old Peppersass" to prove its mettle started one last journey up the cogway to Mount Washington's summit.

The party of Governors and officials preceded it in modern cars. Laboriously "Old Peppersass" puffed its way up the steep incline, reached the top amid cheers. Then it started down again. Suddenly a wheel broke. Engineer Edward C. ("Jack") Frost, its pilot in 1869, lost control of it as it gathered headway. As it plunged toward the Jacob's Ladder trestle over a gorge 75 ft. deep, its five occupants jumped clear. One of them, a cameraman riding on the tender, jumped into the gorge, died instantly. The rest were safe. Old Peppersass thunderously tore up the ties, jumped the rails, shot out into space, hit the mountainside, exploded.

The Governors, descending the cogway in their own cars, were marooned because "Old Peppersass" had wrecked the track below Jacob's Ladder. They were transferred to relief trains, hauled back to the mountain top. The spirit of celebration disappeared with the daylight. Officials in summer suits shivered as the temperature dropped below freezing and a chill wind swirled around Mount Washington. Women became hysterical, fainted. By midnight the alarm had spread and automobiles climbed slowly up the ten mile carriage road to the summit. Into them by lantern-light were loaded the 200-odd celebrants, to be carried 40 miles down the perilous mountainside. The last to leave, as dawn broke, Governor Tobey.