HENRY S. HALE, Rochester, New York.
Henry S. Hale was born in Londonderry, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, on February 27, 1829. The son of Noah Hale, a farmer, the subject of this sketch was thrown upon his own resources when he was but 10 years of age. He was, however, possessed of the true grit that enables a boy to overcome obstacles, and by working out on farms in the summer and attending school a few months in the winter, he secured a good common school education by the time he was 18 years of age. He then farmed for three years, beginning his railroad career in December, 1850, laying track on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, near Scranton, Pennsylvania. Leaving there, he went to Erie, Pennsylvania, where he entered the employ of Contractors Cunningham & Wilson and laid track at Erie. From there he went to Attica, New York, and was engaged in laying track from Attica to Hornellsville. He then went to Canada, laying track out of Toronto, and then returned to the United States, and in 1852 accepted a position as fireman on the Buffalo & New York City Railroad, now the Buffalo Branch of the Erie. After firing two years he was promoted to engineer, and in 1855 resigned to accept a similar position on the Canandaigua & Elmira Railroad, now the Northern Central. He ran a passenger train on this road until 1859, in which year he resigned and returned to the employ of the B. & N. Y. C. Railroad. For a while he ran extra freight, then gravel and construction, and then was advanced to a passenger run between Corning and Buffalo; but after a year he gave this up and returned to running freight. Shortly afterward another passenger run was offered him. He accepted it and continued running passenger until 1888, when he took a night switch engine in the Rochester yards, this being his run at the present time.

In June, 1864, Mr. Hale was pulling a construction train with engine No. 25, and just as they were leaving Avon the engine blew up. Nothing was left of the engine, the boiler being split in two and the flues stood on end. Engineer Hale and Fireman John Eggleston were both on the engine when the accident occurred, and both miraculously escaped injury, as did fifty laborers who were on the car just behind the engine. Parts of the boiler were found half a mile away from the point where the explosion occurred. In 1872, while Mr. Hale was running No. 1, the day express, with engine No. 124, he suffered a head-end collision with an extra freight train, engine 18, Engineer J. Kenny, near Cohocton, New York. Fortunately no one was hurt. In all his long career Mr. Hale has never been blamed for any of his accidents, and his capable work has won him high regard with his superiors and fellow workmen.

On March 23, 1853, he was married to Miss Eunice Fitch of Haber Creek, Pennsylvania. She died in September, 1874, and is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester. On June 1, 1876, Mr. Hale was united in marriage to Miss Anna V. Wren of Buffalo, New York. He has one daughter, Carrie F., who is married to Charles F. Lawson, an engineer on the Fitchburg Railroad, running passenger train out of Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Hale and his wife adopted a daughter from the orphan asylum and raised her. Her name was Grace M. Fairfield, and she is now married to H. W. Clark of Rochester. Mr. Hale owns a fine two-story residence and is highly regarded by his many acquaintances and friends made since he chose Rochester as his home.


Excerpted from: "American Locomotive Engineers, Erie Railway Edition," H.R. Romans Editor; Crawford-Adsit Company Publishers, Chicago, IL 1899.