WEBVTT 00:00:14.250 --> 00:00:17.250 Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of 00:00:17.250 --> 00:00:20.269 Seneca Lake Mysteries, the podcast exploring 00:00:20.269 --> 00:00:24.829 the unusual, strange, and unexplained on New 00:00:24.829 --> 00:00:28.030 York's largest finger lake. Thanks as always 00:00:28.030 --> 00:00:30.429 for listening, and if you haven't done so yet, 00:00:30.510 --> 00:00:32.789 please subscribe to the podcast and be sure to 00:00:32.789 --> 00:00:35.789 visit SenecaLakeMysteries .com and subscribe 00:00:35.789 --> 00:00:38.189 on the website as well so you don't miss any 00:00:38.189 --> 00:00:41.189 news or updates. Now this episode is going to 00:00:41.189 --> 00:00:45.119 be comparatively short and sweet. I've got three 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:49.320 old timey stories this time around. First up 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:53.200 is a story of some enterprising young men who 00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:57.560 back in 1939 built an underwater helmet breathing 00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:01.100 contraption to explore underneath the waters 00:01:01.100 --> 00:01:03.500 of Seneca Lake. Check the description of this 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:07.150 podcast for a link to a photograph. of one of 00:01:07.150 --> 00:01:09.450 the youngsters wearing this crazy helmet invention. 00:01:09.950 --> 00:01:13.370 Next up is a story about an albino trout that 00:01:13.370 --> 00:01:16.549 was pulled from Seneca Lake by some local fishermen 00:01:16.549 --> 00:01:21.329 back in 1947, two years before the iconic Seneca 00:01:21.329 --> 00:01:24.569 white deer were first reported on the grounds 00:01:24.569 --> 00:01:29.010 of the Seneca Army Depot. And last up, truly 00:01:29.010 --> 00:01:32.629 one of my favorite legends surrounding Seneca 00:01:32.629 --> 00:01:35.890 Lake from back in the late 1800s. It's the... 00:01:36.239 --> 00:01:40.040 strange and wild tale of a real locomotive engine 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:44.459 that was called locomotive 13 before giving the 00:01:44.459 --> 00:01:49.180 nickname sam patch i do have a soft spot for 00:01:49.180 --> 00:01:52.659 old stories of mysterious trains that were told 00:01:52.659 --> 00:01:56.319 and retold during the railway era of america 00:01:56.319 --> 00:01:59.099 and this is a good one so i hope you enjoy it 00:01:59.099 --> 00:02:01.560 as much as i did and also check the description 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:06.859 i will be putting a photograph of this locomotive 00:02:06.859 --> 00:02:12.280 sam patch in a link in the description also in 00:02:12.280 --> 00:02:14.379 the next week i'll be posting some cool stuff 00:02:14.379 --> 00:02:16.759 on the website that i've been promising for a 00:02:16.759 --> 00:02:19.000 while so make sure you're subscribed on the website 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:22.819 so you don't miss it and in the coming weeks 00:02:22.819 --> 00:02:26.139 i'll be making some decisions and announcements 00:02:26.139 --> 00:02:29.680 about the future of seneca lake mysteries and 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:32.960 the podcast now when i started the podcast i 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:36.180 really didn't have a plan on how long it would 00:02:36.180 --> 00:02:39.840 go. But honestly, I never really planned for 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:43.199 it to run indefinitely. And as I mentioned in 00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:46.099 probably episode one, I've been working on a 00:02:46.099 --> 00:02:49.539 book entitled Seneca Lake Mysteries, covering 00:02:49.539 --> 00:02:51.840 the kinds of stories you've heard on the podcast, 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:55.159 plus a lot more. And recently, I've been putting 00:02:55.159 --> 00:02:58.259 more of my energy into finally completing the 00:02:58.259 --> 00:03:01.219 book, which does end up taking some of my focus 00:03:01.219 --> 00:03:05.759 away from the podcast. Right now, I'm really 00:03:05.759 --> 00:03:08.479 not sure what I'll do, whether I'll put the podcast 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:11.620 on hiatus or if I'll continue the podcast three 00:03:11.620 --> 00:03:14.740 times a month as usual or whatever. There are 00:03:14.740 --> 00:03:17.599 still lots of stories I want to cover on the 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:21.099 podcast and guests I want to speak with as well. 00:03:21.219 --> 00:03:24.240 But there's also the fact that I don't want to 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:28.039 tell all the stories from the book on the podcast. 00:03:29.389 --> 00:03:32.169 I'm still sorting it out and working to feel 00:03:32.169 --> 00:03:35.469 out what my next steps will be. But in the meantime, 00:03:35.789 --> 00:03:38.550 the podcast is still here and I'm grateful to 00:03:38.550 --> 00:03:40.349 each and every one of you who've been listening 00:03:40.349 --> 00:03:44.210 and supporting Seneca Lake Mysteries. So stay 00:03:44.210 --> 00:03:47.650 tuned as the Seneca Lake Mysteries project evolves 00:03:47.650 --> 00:03:50.909 and expands and keep sharing and sending your 00:03:50.909 --> 00:03:55.009 feedback and leaving reviews and likes and comments. 00:03:55.090 --> 00:03:58.389 I appreciate it all. So without further ado. 00:03:58.969 --> 00:04:09.710 Let's get into it. So this next story is another 00:04:09.710 --> 00:04:14.490 wild one. I love it. It's from the Elmira New 00:04:14.490 --> 00:04:18.709 York Star Gazette. It was published on July 21st, 00:04:18.709 --> 00:04:26.350 1939. And it's a story of three youths from Elmira, 00:04:26.449 --> 00:04:30.430 New York. who were very curious about the Seneca 00:04:30.430 --> 00:04:34.589 drums phenomenon, Seneca Lake serpent, and the 00:04:34.589 --> 00:04:39.230 fact that Seneca Lake had this abundant supply 00:04:39.230 --> 00:04:43.310 of lake trout. And even, you know, to this day, 00:04:43.329 --> 00:04:45.870 Geneva claims the title the lake trout capital 00:04:45.870 --> 00:04:49.230 of the world. So this was back in July of 1939, 00:04:49.490 --> 00:04:55.110 and this enterprising trio of young men went 00:04:55.110 --> 00:04:58.519 to... Some pretty crazy lengths to explore the 00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:03.420 lake firsthand. So Dan Lewis, Bob Maloney, and 00:05:03.420 --> 00:05:08.079 Charlie Scholz constructed a 70 -pound diving 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:11.860 helmet so they could get a better look underneath 00:05:11.860 --> 00:05:15.860 the surface of Seneca Lake. Now, the top of the 00:05:15.860 --> 00:05:20.699 helmet was made from a salvaged metal water heater. 00:05:23.560 --> 00:05:29.740 two large iron rings, a pane of glass, a significant 00:05:29.740 --> 00:05:34.240 amount of lead, two pieces of garden hose for 00:05:34.240 --> 00:05:39.240 shoulder padding, a bicycle pump, and a 35 -foot 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:44.540 length of rubber tubing. So the boys put together 00:05:44.540 --> 00:05:47.740 this contraption, took it over to Fir Tree Point, 00:05:47.899 --> 00:05:50.920 which is near Rock Stream on the west shore of 00:05:50.920 --> 00:05:54.379 Seneca Lake. And took it for a test run. So the 00:05:54.379 --> 00:05:58.939 way it worked, one of the young men was stationed 00:05:58.939 --> 00:06:03.420 on shore. And his job was to use the bicycle 00:06:03.420 --> 00:06:06.800 pump and pump a continuous supply of fresh air 00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:12.220 to his pal who was wearing this diving helmet. 00:06:12.740 --> 00:06:16.620 So this kid would put this lead and iron weighted 00:06:16.620 --> 00:06:21.509 rig over his head. resting the full weight of 00:06:21.509 --> 00:06:25.050 it, over 70 pounds, about the weight of a small 00:06:25.050 --> 00:06:31.370 couch, onto his shoulders. And then he would 00:06:31.370 --> 00:06:33.470 hold onto it. They had a guide rope. He would 00:06:33.470 --> 00:06:36.029 hold onto a guide rope and then wade into the 00:06:36.029 --> 00:06:38.769 water until it got deeper and deeper. And he 00:06:38.769 --> 00:06:41.670 would go in to where it was generally around 00:06:41.670 --> 00:06:47.660 10 feet in depth. And while underwater, they 00:06:47.660 --> 00:06:51.279 discovered that bubbles of air would violently 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:53.879 release from the bottom of the helmet and the 00:06:53.879 --> 00:06:57.339 lake water would fill the lower portion of this 00:06:57.339 --> 00:07:02.699 giant heavy helmet contraption, which would reach 00:07:02.699 --> 00:07:06.980 the middle of the kid's neck. So they quickly 00:07:06.980 --> 00:07:09.259 realized that the window in the helmet would 00:07:09.259 --> 00:07:12.779 get steamed up, which would prevent him from 00:07:12.779 --> 00:07:16.839 seeing clearly the... underwater world of Seneca 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:20.920 Lake. So to defog the glass, the kid wearing 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:23.899 the helmet would simply take in a mouthful of 00:07:23.899 --> 00:07:28.519 lake water and spew it onto the glass. So he's 00:07:28.519 --> 00:07:33.300 underwater with the water up to his neck and 00:07:33.300 --> 00:07:36.920 looking out through this glass helmet. It was 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:40.480 actually, it looks like it was Dan Lewis was 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:44.310 the kid who was underwater, and he talked about 00:07:44.310 --> 00:07:48.170 how the underwater scenes would be magnified 00:07:48.170 --> 00:07:50.990 when he saw them through the helmet's window 00:07:50.990 --> 00:07:55.829 and gave him a very clear view of everything 00:07:55.829 --> 00:08:02.089 in Seneca's depths. I also need to mention that 00:08:02.089 --> 00:08:07.550 this young man clearly had little or no fear 00:08:07.550 --> 00:08:12.699 of drowning as he... You know, he agreed to put 00:08:12.699 --> 00:08:15.980 this giant helmet on his head and climb into 00:08:15.980 --> 00:08:18.439 the lake while the helmet filled with water. 00:08:19.300 --> 00:08:23.819 So it looked like this whole helmet contraption 00:08:23.819 --> 00:08:26.920 worked. So these boys were not only motivated 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:30.540 to do this themselves, but they also spoke to 00:08:30.540 --> 00:08:33.919 the reporter about plans to create their own 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:37.860 company and manufacture this diving system for 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:42.070 others. Claimed at the time they had set up some 00:08:42.070 --> 00:08:46.029 tentative deals with buyers, but then they discovered 00:08:46.029 --> 00:08:50.409 that it wasn't easy to salvage a lot of these 00:08:50.409 --> 00:08:54.850 metal water heater tops, which were very scarce. 00:08:55.269 --> 00:08:58.649 So while they said they could easily produce 00:08:58.649 --> 00:09:01.429 more of the helmets in a short amount of time, 00:09:01.570 --> 00:09:04.309 they said they could only do that if the buyers 00:09:04.309 --> 00:09:10.549 would supply their own water heaters. And Dan, 00:09:10.850 --> 00:09:15.850 Bob, and Charlie even had a potential name for 00:09:15.850 --> 00:09:18.769 their underwater breathing helmet manufacturing 00:09:18.769 --> 00:09:23.269 business, which would have been Peekaboo Diving 00:09:23.269 --> 00:09:29.009 Corporation. Now, unfortunately, this brave young 00:09:29.009 --> 00:09:32.990 trio never solved the mysteries of the Lake Serpent 00:09:32.990 --> 00:09:36.850 or the Seneca drums, and they weren't able to. 00:09:37.450 --> 00:09:42.149 map out the lake trout hot spots around the lake, 00:09:42.289 --> 00:09:51.750 but at least none of them drowned. So if you're 00:09:51.750 --> 00:09:54.149 a listener of this podcast, you know about the 00:09:54.149 --> 00:09:59.009 Seneca white deer, which live at the Seneca Army 00:09:59.009 --> 00:10:04.250 Depot that were discovered in 1949 living on 00:10:04.250 --> 00:10:08.779 the base. But there's another story about another 00:10:08.779 --> 00:10:14.419 very unusual white animal that was found in Seneca 00:10:14.419 --> 00:10:18.519 Lake two years prior to the discovery, quote 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:21.580 unquote, discovery of the Seneca white deer. 00:10:22.440 --> 00:10:26.500 So I'm going to go to a story from the Elmira 00:10:26.500 --> 00:10:33.000 Star Gazette from June 25th, 1947. And the headline 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:37.070 is... albino trout unique catch from Seneca. 00:10:37.470 --> 00:10:43.490 So what happened is a gentleman named Joseph 00:10:43.490 --> 00:10:47.990 Martin was fishing off of hem rods with another 00:10:47.990 --> 00:10:51.509 gentleman named Robert Barteen. They were both 00:10:51.509 --> 00:10:54.330 from Watkins Glen, and they pulled into their 00:10:54.330 --> 00:10:58.669 boat an albino trout that glistened in the June 00:10:58.669 --> 00:11:03.779 sunlight. And the article goes on to say, that 00:11:03.779 --> 00:11:09.539 Martin's catch was regarded as very unique in 00:11:09.539 --> 00:11:14.399 the history of Seneca Lake for as long as anyone 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:20.220 could remember that no one had ever caught a 00:11:20.220 --> 00:11:25.779 pure white trout in Seneca Lake. It goes on to 00:11:25.779 --> 00:11:29.779 explain that the fish at first glance is pure 00:11:29.779 --> 00:11:32.789 white with pink eyes. But if you look closer 00:11:32.789 --> 00:11:38.370 at it, it had gills and scales that were pure 00:11:38.370 --> 00:11:43.190 silver. The fish was three and a half pounds 00:11:43.190 --> 00:11:48.649 and 22 inches long. And Mr. Martin and Mr. Barteen 00:11:48.649 --> 00:11:52.409 said that when they pulled it into the boat, 00:11:52.529 --> 00:11:55.909 they were both so startled that they nearly fell 00:11:55.909 --> 00:11:58.710 out of the boat. Now, here's what's interesting 00:11:58.710 --> 00:12:04.299 from there. That albino trout was put on exhibition 00:12:04.299 --> 00:12:09.379 in Watkins Glen. And according to the article, 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:13.120 hundreds of people, including many tourists and 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:18.879 area farmers, came by to view this strange specimen. 00:12:19.480 --> 00:12:24.519 And of course, in most cases where someone finds 00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:28.519 an anomalous animal, people will put forth theories. 00:12:29.450 --> 00:12:33.230 As to where the animal came from. So in this 00:12:33.230 --> 00:12:36.509 article, it says that the theory at the time 00:12:36.509 --> 00:12:41.409 was that there were some eggs gathered by the 00:12:41.409 --> 00:12:45.850 New York State Department of Conservation hatching 00:12:45.850 --> 00:12:49.389 grounds. They had a hatching grounds off of Peach 00:12:49.389 --> 00:12:52.129 Orchard Point on the East Seneca Lake shore. 00:12:52.649 --> 00:12:57.970 And among these eggs that they gathered. 400 00:12:57.970 --> 00:13:03.990 silver fingerlings were born and they said that 00:13:03.990 --> 00:13:07.450 these fingerlings unfortunately became the prey 00:13:07.450 --> 00:13:11.090 of fish hawks which would make sense because 00:13:11.090 --> 00:13:14.250 they were certainly brighter and whiter and easier 00:13:14.250 --> 00:13:19.690 for a hawk to spot from up on high and out of 00:13:19.690 --> 00:13:22.690 those 400 silver fingerlings almost all of them 00:13:22.690 --> 00:13:27.429 were eaten by fish hawks except for 40 of them. 00:13:27.570 --> 00:13:35.149 And supposedly those 40 pure silver baby albino 00:13:35.149 --> 00:13:42.309 lake trout were taken and placed in 1942 in the 00:13:42.309 --> 00:13:45.549 Cayuga Lake outlet. And the article also notes 00:13:45.549 --> 00:13:49.289 that no reports of a white trout being caught 00:13:49.289 --> 00:13:53.139 in Cayuga Lake. were known and that this was 00:13:53.139 --> 00:13:56.620 the first and only time that an albino trout 00:13:56.620 --> 00:14:01.919 was taken from Seneca Lake. Now, I did a little 00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:04.320 bit of further research and I couldn't find any 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:09.299 other articles or stories or mentions of this 00:14:09.299 --> 00:14:12.980 exhibition that took place of the albino trout 00:14:12.980 --> 00:14:16.399 where hundreds of people came by to look at it. 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:19.360 And of course, at this point, it's 78 years ago. 00:14:19.980 --> 00:14:22.820 But still, if there's anyone out there who knows 00:14:22.820 --> 00:14:26.000 about this, who has heard about this story, who 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:28.039 knows about this exhibition of the white trout, 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:32.179 I'd love to hear from you. Let me know. And if 00:14:32.179 --> 00:14:35.480 anyone out there has ever seen one of these albino 00:14:35.480 --> 00:14:39.259 trout in the lake or any other strange white 00:14:39.259 --> 00:14:43.519 animals around the Seneca Lake area, drop me 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:53.309 a line and let me know as well. So I know I often 00:14:53.309 --> 00:14:55.629 say this is one of my favorite stories, but this 00:14:55.629 --> 00:14:58.730 really is one of my favorite stories. It's going 00:14:58.730 --> 00:15:01.190 to be an old -time one. We're going to go back 00:15:01.190 --> 00:15:05.309 to the late 1800s. It's one of the more colorful 00:15:05.309 --> 00:15:09.789 tales in Seneca Lake history, and it's about 00:15:09.789 --> 00:15:14.769 a locomotive named Locomotive No. 13. But that 00:15:14.769 --> 00:15:17.129 locomotive also had another nickname, which we'll 00:15:17.129 --> 00:15:21.159 get to in a little bit. It had a long... Weird 00:15:21.159 --> 00:15:24.259 history of strange coincidences, odd accidents, 00:15:24.460 --> 00:15:27.440 leading some people of the time to believe that 00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:32.240 it was either cursed or that the locomotive somehow 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:36.539 had a mind of its own. So let's go back to 1873. 00:15:36.899 --> 00:15:40.639 The Fallbrook Coal Company, which mined coal 00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:45.580 and operated a railroad between Blossburg, Pennsylvania 00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:49.360 and Watkins Glen. ordered a new freight locomotive, 00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:51.940 which was delivered to them from eastern New 00:15:51.940 --> 00:15:55.159 York State at the Schenectady Locomotive Works. 00:15:55.480 --> 00:15:59.440 It was the 13th locomotive placed into service 00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:03.720 by the Fallbrook Railway. So it was originally 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:08.840 known as simply Number 13. But then on August 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:15.799 6, 1873, Number 13 became something... More than 00:16:15.799 --> 00:16:19.220 just your average freight train after it was 00:16:19.220 --> 00:16:23.039 baptized in the waters of Seneca Lake. So locomotive 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:26.639 number 13 was working along the shore of Watkins 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:30.659 Glen on a double track coal trestle facing the 00:16:30.659 --> 00:16:35.059 lake. Now a coal trestle is, you know, railroad 00:16:35.059 --> 00:16:37.759 tracks that sort of look like a ramp that they 00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:44.320 would move cars full of coal onto. canal boats 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:47.759 which would then transport the coal to points 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:53.740 north and beyond. So number 13 was moving coal 00:16:53.740 --> 00:16:57.779 cars and attempted to change tracks when it was 00:16:57.779 --> 00:17:02.419 violently bumped by some other coal cars that 00:17:02.419 --> 00:17:05.240 had rolled down the slope on one end of the trestle. 00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:08.579 So the impact caused the locomotive's throttle 00:17:08.579 --> 00:17:12.700 to become stuck in the open position. And the 00:17:12.700 --> 00:17:16.019 engineer panicked. The engineer, whose name was 00:17:16.019 --> 00:17:19.180 M .S. Stratton, panicked and jumped out of the 00:17:19.180 --> 00:17:24.779 cab. So now this massive steel machine lunged 00:17:24.779 --> 00:17:29.059 up the trestle at about 30 miles an hour, crashed 00:17:29.059 --> 00:17:32.140 through a timber barrier at the end of the trestle, 00:17:32.180 --> 00:17:35.420 and launched into the air about 40 feet above 00:17:35.420 --> 00:17:41.430 the lake. The engine astonished. the onlookers 00:17:41.430 --> 00:17:45.589 by sailing over two canal boats before it plunged 00:17:45.589 --> 00:17:49.170 into Seneca Lake an estimated 80 feet from the 00:17:49.170 --> 00:17:53.130 end of the trestle so for weeks an effort was 00:17:53.130 --> 00:17:56.789 made to raise the locomotive from the bottom 00:17:56.789 --> 00:17:59.369 of the lake where it had not only settled on 00:17:59.369 --> 00:18:01.809 the lake bottom there's about in about 50 feet 00:18:01.809 --> 00:18:04.990 of water but it also became lodged in about 15 00:18:04.990 --> 00:18:08.369 feet of mud or quicksand whatever you want to 00:18:08.369 --> 00:18:11.569 call it but finally They managed to pull the 00:18:11.569 --> 00:18:14.410 locomotive out, which weighed probably around 00:18:14.410 --> 00:18:17.970 50 tons. They pulled it out of the water. They 00:18:17.970 --> 00:18:21.690 fully restored it. And it was put back in service 00:18:21.690 --> 00:18:27.829 on December 18th, 1873. But the locomotive also 00:18:27.829 --> 00:18:33.269 had a new nickname, which was Sam Patch. Now, 00:18:33.289 --> 00:18:36.950 it was named after a man who was widely known, 00:18:37.049 --> 00:18:40.680 widely renowned in... the 19th century. He was 00:18:40.680 --> 00:18:44.140 also known as the Jersey Jumper, the Daring Yankee, 00:18:44.220 --> 00:18:49.380 and the Yankee Leaper. He was born in 1799. He 00:18:49.380 --> 00:18:51.940 was raised in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and made 00:18:51.940 --> 00:18:55.339 a name for himself as America's first famous 00:18:55.339 --> 00:18:59.279 daredevil after he jumped from a platform into 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:02.359 the Niagara River at the base of Niagara Falls 00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:07.359 in 1829. So for that era, he was the Evel Knievel 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:12.119 or the Johnny Knoxville. So Sam Patch became 00:19:12.119 --> 00:19:15.900 a household name over his career, which lasted 00:19:15.900 --> 00:19:19.660 about 10 years. He completed numerous dangerous 00:19:19.660 --> 00:19:24.380 high jumps all over the Northeast off of factory 00:19:24.380 --> 00:19:29.680 walls, bridges, the masts of ships, and raised 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:34.859 platforms above water. But on Friday, the 13th 00:19:34.859 --> 00:19:41.599 of November, 1829, Sam Patch would meet his demise 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:48.039 only at age 30 after he jumped 125 feet into 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:52.019 the Genesee River at High Falls right up in Rochester, 00:19:52.339 --> 00:19:56.240 New York. So now back to Sam Patch the locomotive. 00:19:56.579 --> 00:20:00.480 Just a few weeks after, a month or so after being 00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:03.539 placed back in action, Sam Patch the locomotive 00:20:03.539 --> 00:20:07.660 jumped the track in Tioga, Pennsylvania. It crashed 00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:10.859 through the train station, knocking the building 00:20:10.859 --> 00:20:16.079 two feet off of its foundation, and also interrupted 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:20.180 a prayer meeting that was going on in the building, 00:20:20.259 --> 00:20:23.519 terrifying all the attendees. Several of the 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:27.579 cars being pulled by Locomotive 13 were wrecked, 00:20:27.579 --> 00:20:30.740 and one crew member, who was the boiler operator 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:36.690 on the engine, suffered a broken leg. Interestingly, 00:20:36.910 --> 00:20:40.609 Sam Patch came to a halt on the shore of the 00:20:40.609 --> 00:20:44.069 Tioga River, which prompted some people to say 00:20:44.069 --> 00:20:47.269 that the locomotive was just trying to find its 00:20:47.269 --> 00:20:51.470 way back to the water once again. Now, originally, 00:20:51.750 --> 00:20:56.349 Sam Patch was a broad gauge train, meaning it 00:20:56.349 --> 00:21:00.890 could only fit on tracks between Corning, New 00:21:00.890 --> 00:21:04.490 York and Horseheads, New York, transporting... 00:21:05.049 --> 00:21:10.529 Lumber, coal, and other products. But in 1879, 00:21:10.670 --> 00:21:14.369 it was taken into the shop and altered to become 00:21:14.369 --> 00:21:19.730 a standard gauge train. Sam Patch was in the 00:21:19.730 --> 00:21:23.690 shop for 13 days and then was put back into service 00:21:23.690 --> 00:21:27.930 on the 13th of the month. Then, a year later, 00:21:28.029 --> 00:21:32.250 in 1880, Sam Patch did it again. This time... 00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:35.940 The engine managed to find its way into the water 00:21:35.940 --> 00:21:39.799 for the second time, jumping the rails at the 00:21:39.799 --> 00:21:42.900 Seneca Lake outlet in Geneva and plunging into 00:21:42.900 --> 00:21:47.039 the Seneca Canal. So yet another recovery effort 00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:50.319 was made. They pulled Sam Patch out of the water, 00:21:50.579 --> 00:21:53.759 dried off, cleaned up, repaired, and was put 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:58.059 back on the tracks. And then, in that same year, 00:21:58.400 --> 00:22:02.609 Sam Patch was pulling duty as... a second header 00:22:02.609 --> 00:22:06.069 of a train in Post Creek, New York, which is 00:22:06.069 --> 00:22:10.490 north of Corning. And true to form, Sam Patch 00:22:10.490 --> 00:22:13.289 jumped the track again, rumbling over the railroad 00:22:13.289 --> 00:22:16.670 ties, careening down an embankment, and becoming 00:22:16.670 --> 00:22:21.390 half buried in a swampy area of an adjacent field. 00:22:21.549 --> 00:22:24.430 Once again, making its way towards the water. 00:22:24.529 --> 00:22:28.069 After being pulled from the swamp and fixed up 00:22:28.069 --> 00:22:31.559 again, overhauled again, they decided to... forge 00:22:31.559 --> 00:22:35.400 and mount a large horseshoe over the pilot over 00:22:35.400 --> 00:22:39.599 where the pilot would sit in the engine and for 00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:44.720 a while it seemed like Sam Patch's propensity 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:48.440 for jumping the rails had come to an end but 00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:52.440 turns out the old locomotive had one more adventure 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:57.700 in it and some years later Sam Patch was passing 00:22:57.700 --> 00:23:01.049 through Dresden along Seneca Lake's western shore, 00:23:01.289 --> 00:23:05.130 when, to the surprise of probably no one, it 00:23:05.130 --> 00:23:08.069 left the track again, barreled through a cemetery, 00:23:08.369 --> 00:23:12.130 and knocked over several tombstones for good 00:23:12.130 --> 00:23:14.670 measure. And it's interesting to note that that 00:23:14.670 --> 00:23:18.130 cemetery is still there in Dresden. It's not 00:23:18.130 --> 00:23:23.089 super close to Seneca Lake, but the direction 00:23:23.089 --> 00:23:26.559 that sand patch was going when it... rumbled 00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:29.319 through the cemetery was in the direction of 00:23:29.319 --> 00:23:34.539 Seneca Lake once again. So due to its legendary 00:23:34.539 --> 00:23:39.119 history of soaring into Seneca Lake, jumping 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:43.079 the tracks, destroying a train station, interrupting 00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:47.240 a prayer meeting, breaking a man's leg, wrecking 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:52.099 a cemetery, and having a proclivity for fresh 00:23:52.099 --> 00:23:56.779 water. Sam Patch was finally delegated to yard 00:23:56.779 --> 00:23:59.680 -switching duty in its final years of service. 00:24:00.059 --> 00:24:04.680 But some folks believed that after its Seneca 00:24:04.680 --> 00:24:08.940 Lake baptism, Sam Patch was either cursed or 00:24:08.940 --> 00:24:13.400 perhaps trying to find religion. But in any case, 00:24:13.400 --> 00:24:17.920 the weird, wild legend of Sam Patch endures to 00:24:17.920 --> 00:24:22.440 this day. Well, that's it for this time around. 00:24:22.599 --> 00:24:24.599 I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for listening. 00:24:24.700 --> 00:24:27.460 And if you have any thoughts on any of the topics 00:24:27.460 --> 00:24:30.059 in this episode, please let me know. And remember 00:24:30.059 --> 00:24:32.339 to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts 00:24:32.339 --> 00:24:34.700 and get over to SenecaLakeMysteries .com and 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:36.900 subscribe to the email list so you don't miss 00:24:36.900 --> 00:24:40.099 anything. A new podcast comes out every month 00:24:40.099 --> 00:24:42.000 on the sevens. I'll talk to you then.