MIDDLE ISLAND RAILROAD CO.
Old Limber Jim – 151 Years Ago
This old photograph was sent to the great Alton Childers back in 1976 by E. Boyce in Lascassos, TN. How fortunate Doddridge County was to have someone like Dr. Childers with the foresight to collect and preserve these rare and precious stories and photographs of long ago. This is just one of many that will be found among the digitized newspapers that are in the process of completion around the end of April.
Remember, if you would like a complete copy of the thousands of issues, you can have your own digital copies as a “thank you” for a $1,000 donation. If you have already done so, know that we anxiously await the completion of the digitization process and will get your digital copies as soon as they are returned.
Now, the story of old Limber Jim as Dr. Childers told it back in 1976:
“More than 100 years ago [now 151 years ago] two Clarksburg citizens, R. T. Lowndes, a banker and merchant, and Ira Hart, a builder of boilers, sawmills, and other machinery, bought a big tract of timber between Avon and Big Isaac. At that time, this area was a vast wilderness of fine yellow poplar. As and old-timer expressed it: “It was powerful timber.” These two men built a railroad from Smithton to Big Isaac by way of New Milton and Avon. About 20 miles long, it was known as the Middle Island Railroad.
Just recently Guy Brown of Big Isaac showed me a business form used by this company. The letterhead’s wording is exactly as follows:
“M.I. JUNCTION W.VA.. DEC. 1ST 1879
MR. JAMES WARD
TO MIDDLE ISLAND RIILROAD CO. DR.
Transportation of and Dealers of all kinds of POPLAR AND WHITE OAK LUMBER, HOOPS, STAVES, TAN BARK, PINS, Etc
Also Family and Mill Supplies. Flour, Bacon, Salt, Oil, Coal, Etc on hand an Furnished to Order.
Depot at M.I. Junction, Near Smithton, Doddridge Co., W.Va., Principal office, Clarksburg, W.Va.
Nov. 17 – To Board W. Henry….21 1/3 days 8.68
Nov. 29 ??? by 22 ?? days in Nov. 22.75
Balance 14.07”
I don’t fully understand the bookkeeping shown but evidently the railroad was paying a board bill for someone.
The road was made of hickory ties with beech rails. Wooden strips one inch thick were nailed on top of the rails. As the strips were worn out, they were replaced by other strips. Two locomotives were used: “Nick of the Woods” and “Limber Jim”. “Old Nick” ran off the track, landed in the mill pond at the mill of N. B. Cox near Avon and was never put back into use.
“Limber Jim” gave good service for several years but would occasionally jump the track. One time it jumped the track near the birthplace of George W. Bland and pinioned its engineer, Henry Wanstreet, in the creek below. “Timely rescue prevented his drowning.”
“Limber Jim” and its string of flat cars hauled millions of feet of lumber to Smithburg, where it was then shipped east and west to markets. There is a story that Mr. Hart at one time proposed that they abandon the business as he did not think they were making enough money. Mr. Lowndes’ reply: “I know, Ira, we are not doing very well, but we are giving employment to 300 teamsters. Let’s work on.”
In 1877 “Limber Jim” blew up, killing the engineer. There are several versions of what caused the explosion. One account says: “Some say the engineer and fireman were intoxicated and let the boiler run out of water. This caused the tubes or coils to become heated. They stopped at a blacksmith shop in Blandville where they took on a supply of water. In rounding the bend on the Jarvis farm of the Maxwell estate, the water splashed over the heated tubes and the explosion resulted in wrecking the engine and killing the trainman.” Excessive speed is charged in another story. The men started to Smithton with the intention of doing the distance in quick time or “bust Limber Jim.”
Anyway, the accident brought to an end Doddridge County’s one steam railroad. Thereafter oxen or horse drew the flat cars. This is one instance in history where the horse replaced the locomotive.
Mr. Boyce, who sent the five pictures, can be seen in front of the New Milton School he attended. Located on Red Lick Road, it was closed in 1945. It still stands just across the road from Ed’s childhood home farm. Stacy McClain, who taught there, is its present owner.”
Pictured: Left to Right – 1st Row, Roger McClain, Jane McClain, Helen Keister, Pennie Cottrill, Matthew Stout. 2nd Row, Sarah Lou Ross, Alda Burbridge, Joan Cottrill, Rosier Bland, Dorothy Jones, Barbara Ross, Rosalee Prunty, Rosalee Ross, Bill Frey, Jean Burbridge, Fred Cottrill. 3rd Row, Eula Mae Keister. ? Prunty, Gail Burbridge, Dale Burbridge, Archibold Cottrill, Marie Frey, Billy James. 4th Row, Stacy McClain (teacher), Bruce Ross, Glen Burbridge, Rosalee Cottrill, Bob Boyce, Jimmy Frey, Jennings Cottrill.
I hope you enjoyed this article, compliments of Dr. Alton Childers. His work continues to touch our lives. We are blessed that he chose to be a part of our county’s citizens, and even more blessed that he chose to write a weekly article in Virginia Nicholson’s “Herald Record” for multiple decades.
God Bless.
Patricia Richards Harris