Here is a interesting old Waltham Model 1857 i won on ebay last week in a big old 5 or 6 ounce case..There is nothing rare about the Watch what peaked my interest was the inscription scratched in the back cover,,It,s hard to make out the best i can tell is ..

CE benedict c. inglish had this when killed on gravel train at Homet,s ferry Pa.

My Daughter did a goggle screach on Homets Ferry and found a report of a train Wreck there on oct. 27th. 1912.

Report says
On oct 27th there was a rear end collision between two freight trains on the Lehigh Valley railroad at Homets Ferry Pa. resulting in the death of one employee and the injury of one trespasser..No mention of the name of the person killed..I wonder if there is a way i can find the name of the person killed..

2

3

4

Wow

What a find. Would be interesting if you could find any relatives.

Samie,
Interesting stories are always a nice accompaniment with a watch.
Now you have to find the rest of the story.

Could this be a clue...the Marathon County, Wisconsin, Historical Society has a photo of the "C. E. Benedict" steam locomotive converted to a switcher at work in the Wausau depot. This proprietary photo caption says it was taken "before 1900." Here's the photo
Could this locomotive be named after the person who owned your watch?
Concerning the inscription on the watch, my understanding is a gravel train hauled railroad grade gravel or crushed stone to build, repair or improve a roadbed beneath train tracks. This may help when looking at old newspaper microfilm to try to pinpoint the train accident. Maybe a librarian could help, since it is a needle in a haystack kind of thing. Good luck.

Interesting watch & story Samie. Are you planning to restore the watch?

Thanks John for the info. and the link,,The C. E. benedict locomotive info is interesting maybe there is a connection..I have been thinking about checking old newspapaer microfilm,,I am going too let my daughter and my grandkids help with finding information for me ,,The computer age is great for someone able too use it ..

Ed i may restore it, If i do find out that the watch did indeed belong too the person killed in the wreck i will put it in a display with the info on the watch and person and just leave it as is,,Who knows the crystal was destored still pieces in the bezel and hand missing it may be just like it was after the wreck. I do know that inside the case there is a lot of what looks like coal dust or some sort of black dust all over the inside of the case..

I happen to live in the next county over from Marathon Wi. Get to Wausau all the time. I will put in a call to the county historical society to see if they have information on the C.E. Benedict.

Seems too much of a coincidence. Very well could be that they named an engine after him.

I sent an e-mail to the Lehigh Valley Railroad historical society to see if they have any more on the accident at Holmets ferry.

Thanks Bruce that would be great it would be nice too find relatives if i did i would give them the watch..

I think the inscriber was identifying the train first, CE Benedict. Then they said that C. Inglish was the man killed.

This is rare and fascinating provenance for a watch. i think you should put that one under glass. What a specimen!

I will try to see if I can locate anything on this also, just a note, it appears to me that the person that died in the wreck in 1912 was the Engineman Pierce.

Tom

I did find info on a C. Inglish who was born about 1832 and in 1850 lived in Albany, Bradford County, Pa where Homet's Ferry is.

You guys are getting close! Will this mystery be solved? Stay tuned to IHC185!

If this is the same Inglish, then, he would have been 80 years old when the accident took place, and the watch would have been an old timer even then. If this old guy was still working at that age he must have been using the same watch for many years, unacceptable for the new standards, but "grandfathered" in.

I can find no other mention of the C. Inglish that was born in 1832 other than the 1850 census.

There was also a Curtis Inglish born a few years later but no other mention of him either.

I will keep looking.

Tom

Ok

Here is an update on this watch. Historical Society in the county that Homets Ferry PA is in, looked into the train wreck of Oct 27 1912.

They came up with a couple of news articles that confirm the accident happened. They also send an obit for the engineer.

Neither CE Benedict or C. Inglish were listed as being crew members of the three trains involved in the wreck.

Person killed was the engineer Charles Peirce. He was pinned in the cab and died a few days after the accident. Another person, Harry Johnson who was riding in the cab was also injured. Louis Plank the fireman, and Michael Birmingham, were thrown from the wreck and escaped unhurt.

So it would appear that the train wreck of Oct. 1912 was not the one that is inscribed on the watch.

Historical society is looking to see if they can find information on any other train wrecks for Homets ferry.

What is the age of the watch?

I am still trying to see if the CE Benedict engine that is in the photo may have a connection.

Engine is an older 4/4 that was converted to a yard engine. It could have been put back as a freight hauler sometime after the picture.

Great Info Bruce!

I guess if that accident is ruled out, then this won't help, but I thought I would post in case maybe some of the engine numbers could mean something.
This is from Accident Bulletin: Summary and Analysis of Accidents on Railroads in the United States Subject to the Interstate Commerce Act

LEHIGIH VALLEY RAILROAD.

Rear-end collision between two freight trains, at Homets Ferry, Pa., on October 27, 1912, resulting in the death of 1 employee and the injury of 1 other person.

This accident was caused by the failure of the engineman of the second train to observe and obey the indications of automatic block signals, as well as failure of a brakeman who was riding on the engine to make any effort to ascertain why the engineman did not observe the automatic signals, and failure of the flagman of the first train properly to protect his train.

At Homets Ferry the Lehigh Valley Railroad is a double-track line running east and west along the northern bank of the Susquehanna River, the grade being practically level. The collision occurred almost opposite the station on a 40' curve. On this line trams were operated under the block system, a home automatic block signal of the two-arm, lower quadrant, semaphore type being located 1,122 feet east of the point where the accident occurred, and a distant signal of the disk type being located about one mile east of the home signal.

Westbound freight train extra 1687 left Packerton, Pa., at 12.35 a. m., on the date of the accident, the train consisting of an engine, 24 loaded cars, and a caboose. This train was delayed at Falls, Pa., and while it was there westbound freight train extra 1686, consisting of an engine, 26 cars, and a caboose, came up and was flagged by the flagman of extra 1687. Extra 1687 was again overtaken by extra 1686 at Laceyville, 30 miles west of Falls, where a hot journal was discovered. The journal box was repacked,, and extra 1687 left Laceyville at 5.57 a. m. Shortly afterwards the conductor found that the journal was again hot and he decided to set out the car at Homets Ferry, a station 15 miles west of Laceyville. There was a dense fog when this train reached Homets Ferry and knowing that the engineman would be unable to see a signal from the caboose the conductor applied the brakes from the rear end of the train. As the train slowed down the flagman dropped off and started back to protect the train.

The flagman stated that he carried a red and a white lantern, as well as torpedoes; he started to run back in the middle of the track, but on account of noise from a passing eastbound train and the dense fog he was unable to hear or see extra 1686 until he reached a point about opposite the home signal, when he saw that train only a short distance ahead of him and rapidly approaching. He stated that he did not have time to place torpedoes on the rail but swung his lanterns and jumped to one side of the track; his signal was not acknowledged, and as the engine passed him the flagman threw his white lantern up in front of the engine cab. He stated that the home signal indicated stop and that the engineman of extra 1686 did not recognize or heed this signal.

Extra 1686 collided with the rear end of extra 1687 at about 6.35 a. m. The engineman of extra 1686 was pinned in the wreckage and fatally scalded, but before he died he said that he had fallen asleep just before the collision occurred.

The head trainman of extra 1686 rode in the engine on the left side of the cab from Laceyville to Homets Ferry. He stated that the distant signal was at caution and the home signal just east of Homets Ferry was at danger, but the engineman did not recognize either of these signals and he made no effort to ascertain the reason therefor. He saw the flagman in the middle of the track opposite the home signal and he then called to the engineman, who shut off steam and applied the brakes, but was able only to reduce the speed from about 35 miles an hour to between 20 and 30 miles an hour when the collision occurred. Had the head trainman called the engineman's attention to the caution and danger signals which he passed without heeding, the accident would no doubt have been averted.

After extra 1687 came to a stop five or sLx minutes elapsed before the collision occurred, and in that time the flagman had gone back only about 1,100 feet. Had he gone back as far as possible in that tune and placed torpedoes on the rails as required by the rules, the engineman might have been aroused in tune to avert the collision.

The engineman of extra 1686 had been on duty 7 hours and 20 minutes after a period off duty of 41 hours and 15 minutes. He had been in the employ of this company for 19 years. The head brakeman had been employed by this company about 5 years; the flagman had had about 15 years' experience.

Tom

Sammie,
I'm pretty sure I'm a relative. If you would like to send me the watch, that would be great.
Thanks,
Brian C.

Bruce

The watch was made 1866 (serial #238541)

Gerald

For lack of specifics on the watch in question, I'm theorizing it's at least an 11j movement, based on the age of the watch, and therefore shouldn't have been in the pocket of an engineer in 1912 anyway...even grandfathered!

Regards! Mark

I just had a thought - is it possible that C. Inglish was killed on a gravel train, but that the train wasn't actually involved in a wreck?

I see a possible 232541 Serial number and that came from a "mixed bag production run;

Start: 6/1/1866 End: 8/31/1866
First: 232001 Last: 233000
Model: 1857 Name: Wm Ellery
Material: A Grade: P.S.B., NL
Size: 18 Size: 18
Plate: FP Plate: NL
Jewelling: Plain Jewels: 7-11
Balance: Steel Bal Bal: Assorted
Style: KW Style:
NL

As for the scratched engraving, possibly he was killed on a gravel train run accident that was not a train wreck.

This dates as a near post Civil War period piece.

Very true! Could have been a horse drawn wagon train for all we know.

Regards! Mark

I have not been on the comupter much the last few days and just now seen the new posts. Thanks everone for the help on the watch i found about the same info. as you folks have.. I so far have not made a connection to the 1912 wreck and this watch..hard too tell with such a old watch if the info is correct who knows how long the movement and case have been together or what may have been in the case before...I do know that the early keywind cases were different from this one..


Brian Maybe you can ask your relatives about the watch

Mark this is a 7 jewel movement it,s now a good runner for a 7 jewel.

So I take it that you gave it a good COA, right? If so, let's see it now!

Regards! Mark

Mary Ann you may be on to something. The C Inglish that we found living in the area in 1850 would have been 36 in 1866 when this watch was made. I wrote to the Lehigh railroad historical group and received this back from them

John W Campbell wrote:
> Hi Bruce;
>
> I am only aware of the 1912 wreck at Homets Ferry, and the DOT report does not mention either of these names, nor does it mention any one being killed.. I will tell you what I think, having grown up over in Lycoming County right next to Bradford County Pa. the family name Inglish or sometimes spelled English was a common one in those areas....
>
> I checked the list of Lehigh Valley Named engines and I could not find any CE Benedict... So as far as the information I have there was no CE Benedict locomotive.... My sense is this that since this was a gravel train, it was a work train sent out to repair track... Gravel or Ballast is key ingredient in building or maintaining tracks... In the old days these jobs were dangerous..... Now, I am just musing, but I would bet this work train came down from either Sayre Pa, or Towanda, Pa. and they were working track when they were killed... I think that two men were killed, C.E. Benedict and C Inglish who had a watch... Well, this is only conjecture but that is my best bet.. Homets Ferry, is just a small town, which had a passenger station on the Lehigh Valley Railroad main line....

So, the conjecture may be right on. This person could have been killed while working around Homet's Ferry on a gravel train but not in an actual train wreck.

Bruce

This may be impossible to figure out or perhaps just stumbling onto the right tid bit of information. I have been trying to search all the names involved & location & rail roads. When you start looking at the number of deaths that took place back in the 1800's from train accidents you begin to see how easy it would be to miss the story.

Summary of train accidents for the year of 1899

January 1899: 96 collisions, 94 derailments,7 others; total 197. Killed: 40 employees, 20 passengers, 3 others; total, 63. Hurt: 80 employees, 93 passengers, 3 others: total, 176.

February 1899: 80 collisions, 92 derailments, 6 others; total, 178. Killed: 35 employees, 2 passengers, 4 others; total, 41. Hurt: 118 employees, 44 passengers, 4 others: total, 166.

March 1899: 47 collisions, 55 derailments, 3 others; total, 105. Killed: 31 employees, 3 passengers, 2 others; total, 36. Hurt: 72 employees, 68 passengers, 4 others; total, 144.

April 1899: 38 collisions, 74 derailments, 2 others; total. 114. Killed: 18 employees, 2 passengers, 4 others; total, 24. Hurt: 39 employees, 28 passengers, 1 other; total, 68.

May 1899: 65 collisions, 108 derailments,8 others; total,181. Killed: 22 employees, 35 passengers, 7 others; total, 64. Hurt: 60 employees, 142 passengers, 6 others; total, 208.

June 1899: 100 collisions, 115 derailments, 5 others; total, 220. Killed: 15 employees, 1 passenger, 3 others: total. 19. Hurt: 73 employees, 95 passengers, 5 others; total, 175.

July 1899: 96 collisions, 116 derailments, 5 others; total, 217. Killed: 31 employees, 9 passengers, 5 others; total, 45. Hurt: 100 employees, 94 passengers, 7 others; total, 201.

August 1899: 89 collisions, 100 derailments, 4 others; total, 193. Killed: 30 employees, 4 passengers. 5 others; total, 39. Hurt: 95 employees, 43 passengers, 10 others: total, 154.

September 1899: 116 collisions, 110 derailments, 5 others; total, 231. Killed: 65 employees, 13 passengers, 15 others; total, 93. Hurt: 135 employees, 80 passengers, 11 others; total, 226.

October 1899: 165 collisions, 121 derailments, 6 others; total, 292. Killed: 26 employees, 4 passengers, 14 others; total, 44. Hurt: 107 employees, 48 passengers, 13 others; total, 168.

November 1899: 122 collisions, 137 derailments, 7 others; total. 266. Killed: 43 employees. 9 passengers, 4 others; total, 56. Hurt: 118 employees, 85 passengers, 1 other: total, 204.

December 1899: 127 collisions, 105 derailments, 4 others; total, 236. Killed: 46 employees, 11 passengers, 8 others; total, 65. Hurt: 98 employees, 66 passengers, 7 others; total, 171.

Tom

Brian C.,

A relative!!! you FOX!!! lolololol

Samie & Sheila,
I didn't think anyone would buy the realative bit, but it was worth a try.
Brian C.