Biography, originally printed in the ELH&TS Limited
JOSEPH M. DANDO, Dayton, Ohio.
The musical click made by the rapidly revolving car wheels upon the rails has sounded in Joseph M. Dando's ears since 1858. At an age when most boys are at school Mr. Dando was familiar with railroad life and its fascinations had determined him to make it his life work. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, August 4, 1846, and his father was Joseph M. Dando, a shoemaker of that city. At the age of 12 he secured a position as newsboy on the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad, which he held three years. During that time he assumed the duties of conductor on a Woodruff sleeping car for a short time while the regular conductor was ill. This was the first sleeping car invented and run in the United States. In 1861 he went to work in the machine shops of the C. & P. at Cleveland, remaining there for about nine months, when he was given a position as fireman. For two years he was with Oliver Mann, who is still running on the C. & P., and then he went as fireman on a construction train on the Atlantic & Great Western, for A. W. Ball, who is now a Master Mechanic at Galion. In 1864 he was made night hostler at Meadville, Pa., and two months later he was promoted to engineer. For a year he ran between Meadville and Salamanca, and Meadville and Akron. In 1865 he went to Galion to work in the Fourth Division, running local freight for one year, then construction train at Mansfield and Richwood, and then back to local again, running between Galion and Dayton. In 1870 he was given a regular passenger train, which he has run ever since, excepting in 1881, when he was given a leave of absence and conducted a roller skating rink in Kansas City and St. Joe, Mo., for about eight months. At present he is running trains No. 16 and 3 on the Cincinnati Division, and there is no engineer in the employ of the Erie who has a clearer record or who stands higher in the estimation of the company.
Mr. Dando was in a serious collision August 3, 1894, on train No. 12, running into some cars on the main track at Urbana, Ohio. The engine was turned over and was a complete wreck, Mr. Dando being injured so severely that he was laid up for eight months. In 1883 he made the run from Dayton to Galion, a distance of 105 miles in ninety-nine minutes. He was pulling Tony Pastor's theatrical troupe, who were billed for a matinee performance in Pittsburg, and were behind in getting started. In 1885 he made the run from Galion to Dayton in eighty-nine minutes, which time has never been equaled. He was in the flood at Dayton in 1876 and had to climb upon the top of his engine cab and wait for a raft to be sent to take him off.
Mr. Dando was a charter member of the Brotherhood of the Footboard, which is now the B. of L. E. He also belongs to the Smizers of Dayton, a local beneficiary organization whose membership is limited to seventeen; he was Vice-President of this order last year, of which "good fellowship" is the password. Mr. Dando is well liked by all who know him, and is proud of the fact that he has never been sick a day in his life.
In May, 1868, he was married to Miss Jennie Harmon, daughter of Daniel Harmon, who used to run the bus line at Mansfield, but who sold out in 1868 and moved to Fort Wayne, Ind., where he ran the Harmon House. Five children were born to them, Arthur P., aged 30, was educated in Dayton, and is now a jeweler in Milwaukee; Edna Rose, aged 23, is married to William Schmidt, a jeweler in Milwaukee; Earl M. died at the age of 6 months; Daniel Harmon, aged 23, was educated in Dayton, and now lives in Springfield, Ohio; William M., aged 22, graduate of Dayton High School, is employed by the National Cash Register Company of Dayton.
Excerpted from: "American Locomotive Engineers, Erie Railway Edition," H.R. Romans Editor; Crawford-Adsit Company Publishers, Chicago, IL 1899.
From the July 13, 1882 Ft. Wayne Daily Gazette:
Joseph Dando, a gentleman here from Kansas City, is negotiating with Mr. Lon Neely for the purchase of the roller rink. Mr. Neely has made the rink decidedly popular here, and now that it has gained a strong footing and has become a good paying investment he naturally demands a good figure for it. The matter will probably be decided this morning. If the change takes place it is hoped that the new management will adhere strictly to the rule Mr. Neely has done to exclude all questionable persons, for by so doing the place will undoubtedly continue to remain one of the most popular resorts of the city.
From the December 14, 1891 Marion Daily Star:
The planing mill of Walter and J.F. Prendergast was destroyed Saturday (December 12) night. The total loss is estimated at $8,000...
One of the highlights of the fire has caused a great deal of comment. At 10:17 o'clock, train 8, on the Erie, with Joseph Dando, the "kid glove" engineer, at the throttle, ran across a hose line that had been necessarily laid across the track and cut it apart. A watchman, who was an employee of the road, had been placed by Mr. Prendergast down the track with a lantern to flag the train when she came. For some reason the signal by the flagman to stop was unheeded by Dando when he came along half an hour late, and the train came dashing up across the hose line, cutting it apart, never stopping till it reached the station. Mr. Prendergast had left orders to flag the train, and if the fire was under control when it came along, to uncouple the hose and let her pass. The fire department say they saw the flagman wave his lantern and give the signal to stop five hundred feet down the track from where the hose was obstructing it, while the road men claim that the man was standing right near the hose, and only moved his hands witout waving any lantern. This is a question of evidence, and will probably be investigated. When the train passed at 10:17, the fire was under control, so no material damage was occasioned, fortunately. Had the train been on time, however, at 8:30, and cut the hose line, the damage it might have occasioned is incalculable.
From the December 26, 1894 issue of the Ft. Wayne Sentinel:
Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Douglas, of 199 Calhoun Street, very pleasantly entertained a number of friends yesterday afternoon and evening. Among those present from distant cities were Dr. and Mrs. Fred Lindenschmidt and Mrs. Rose Hyde, of Milwaukee; Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Dando and Mr. William Dando of Dayton, Ohio; Mr. Isaac Masden and daughter, Miss Jessie Masden, of Marion, Ohio, and the following residents of this city: Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Harmon, Mrs. William Spencer, Mr. and Mrs. Christian Newcomer and Mr. R.F. Douglas. In the evening cards were indulged in.
From the January 11, 1895 issue of the Ft. Wayne Sentinel:
Joseph Dando, an engineer on the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio road, who had been visiting his relatives here for two weeks, left for Springfield, Ohio this morning.
From the 1900 US Census, Dayton, Montgomery County, OH, Suvr's District 2, Enum. Distr. 58, Sheet 4A
Joseph M. Dando, head, Born August, 1846 in Ohio, Father born in Ohio, Mother in Ireland, Locomotive Engineer
Jennie E. Dando, Wife, Born July, 1848, married 32 years (5 children, 4 living), Born in Ohio, Parents born in Ohio
Arthur P. Dando, Son, Born Feb., 1870 in Ohio, Parents born in Ohio, Single, Bookkeeper for Jeweler
Robert H. Dando, Grandson, Born Feb., 1893, Born in Ohio, Parents born in Ohio
From the 1910 US Census, Dayton, Montgomery County, OH, Suvr's District 2, Enum. Distr. 50, Sheet 15
Joseph M. Dando, head, Age 62, Born in Ohio, Father born in Ohio, Mother in Ireland, Erie Railroad Engineer
Eliza J. Dando, Wife, Age 61, married 41 years (4 children, 4 living), Born in Ohio, Parents born in Ohio
Arthur Dando, Son, Age 41, Born in Ohio, Parents born in Ohio, Single, Wood Finisher for Furniture Co.
Robert E. Dando, Grandson, Age 17, Born in Ohio, Parents born in Ohio
ENGINE J. M. DANDO.
The good work of naming Erie engines after worthy engineers who have, by maintaining excellent records, keeping their engines in "apple pie" order and studying the best interests of the Company, has spread to the Cincinnati Division, and the first man to have his name annexed to the cab is Engineer Joseph M. Dando, a veteran in the Erie service. Following is his biography.
Commenced railroading in the year 1858, on the Cleveland & Pittsburg R. R., as train-boy. Held that position for three years; then went to work in a machine shop on the same road. Worked only six months in shop, and went on the road firing. Fired about eight months and left to take a job firing on the Atlantic & Great Western, out of Meadville. Fired for A.W. Ball in the year 1863. In the summer of 1864 he fired a special, with McHenry & Kinnard and a lot of English stockholders, from Salamanca to Dayton. Mr. Ball ran the engine; it was the James McHenry. They went to Dayton to lay the last rail connected with the C.,H.& D. at Second street. After they connected the roads, Dando ran the first engine over the last rail at Dayton, as Mr. Ball was a spectator to the driving of the spikes, and he was alone on the engine. In fact. he actually ran the first engine into Dayton, on the A. & G. W. R.R. Then the whole party went on to St. Louis and took Mr. Ball and the conductor with them. The brakeman and Dando were left in Dayton until they returned a week later. They gave them $20 to spend and paid the hotel bill at Dayton. It was at that time that Dando became so pleased with Dayton and the Fourth Division that when he returned to Meadville he made up his mind to get on the Fourth Division, if he could. After firing one year and two months, Mr. Frank Cummins, general master mechanic, put him to running. He was not eighteen years old at that time, but had been a good fireman and was well thought of. He ran all kinds of trains on the First and Second Divisions until June 3, 1864, when Mr. Cummins sent him to Galion, to run out of there.
In the spring of 1865 he was running the Corry accommodation, from Corry to Salamanca. While there they had a big wash-out on the First Division. No trains ran but work trains. Dando was designated to work west of Corry, the road having been fixed up within a mile east of Corry. He was on the west side and was waiting at the wash-out on his engine to take the officials to Corry, when they walked over the wash-out. Dando says he will never forget the expression on the face of General Superintendent McClaren, when he got on the engine. The engineer was so small and boyish looking that when he climbed up to reverse the engine Mr. McClaren asked the engineer on the other engine what that little boy was handling the engine for, and where the engineer was. His expression was really funny when he was told that that boy was the engineer. That spring Dando ran a wood-train for several weeks. They had no conductor; the engineer ran the train and engine and boarded the men and protected himself against all trains, as the dispatcher paid no attention to "wild cats."
He left Meadville for Galion the 2d day of June, 1865, the same day that Mr. T.A. Phillips went to Galion, as superintendent of Third and Fourth Divisions. He then ran the way freight, on Fourth Division, some months, until Mr. Phillips ordered him and Engineer Gurley to run gravel trains out of Windsor Pit. This was in the year '67. They ran two seasons, had no conductor, and had to do their own train dispatching. They would make out meeting points when train started in the morning, and if anything interfered would telegraph to one another and arrange to meet. They ran the two seasons without a mishap, and gave satisfaction to the superintendent. After leaving the gravel train Dando took the way freight on the Fourth Division.
In the beginning of the 70s, he went on passenger, and has been in that service ever since. He worked under 11 or 12 different administrations and always gave satisfaction, having rounded out 47 years of good and honorable service.
He made a run in 1884 from Dayton to Galion in 99 minutes, from the time he left Dayton until he arrived in Galion, including one stop at Urbana. He has run into Dayton 46 years, and has never "hit" anything. or hurt any one, in all that time, and is the oldest engineer in service on any road running into Dayton.
Superintendent C.A. Allen of the Cincinnati Division wrote Engineer Dando concerning the naming of his engine. Following is an extract:
"Galion, OH, February 24, 1911
Mr. J.M. Dando, Engineer, Dayton, OH
Dear Sir,
Since the 854 has been christened the "J.M. Dando," I suppose you are as proud as a peacock with a spanking new tail. I am not unmindful of the many things throughout your career as an engineer here under me that justifies the conferring of this honor upon you."
Engineer Dando responded with a letter expressing his appreciation, and then sent this biographical sketch.
From the January, 1914 issue of Erie Railroad Magazine:
OBITUARY. Joseph M. Dando.
Through a recent unfortunate accident, Joseph M. Dando, dean of Erie Railroad engineers, was killed near Broadway, Ohio.
Engineer Dando had served the Company well and faithfully for half a century and had a record that might be envied by any man living, as it was clean throughout.
Joe M. Dando, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, Aug. 4, 1846. At the age of twelve be accepted a position as newsboy on the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad, which he held for three years. In 1861 he went to work in the machine shops of the Cleveland and Pittsburg Railroad at Cleveland, where he remained about nine months, when he was given a position as fireman. For two years he was with Oliver Mann, who ran an engine on that division until a few years ago. He then went as a fireman on a construction train, on the old Atlantic and Great Western Railroad, firing for A.W. Ball, who was retired about two years ago. In 1864 he was made engine hostler in the Meadville shops and was later promoted to engineer, running between Meadville and Salamanca, and Meadville and Akron. He came to Galion in 1865 to run on the fourth division of the Erie between Galion and Dayton. He ran local freight for one year and then worked on a construction train at Mansfield and Richwood. He was given a regular passenger run in 1870. In 1885, he made a run between Galion and Dayton in eighty-nine minutes. This is a world record.
He was a charter member of the Brotherhood of the Footboard, now known as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
He was married in 1868 to Miss Jennie Harmon. Five children, Arthur, Edna, Daniel and William were born to this union. One child died in infancy.
Dando was the first engineer on the Cincinnati division to have his name placed on the cab. His regular engine was No. 854, but for some cause he did not have it on the fatal run. Dando would have retired in about a year on a pension.
In this connection the Rev. C.D. Reade, of Cincinnati, wrote the following letter:
Dec. 10, 1913 Dear Mr. Webster:
Many thanks for paper giving account of the death of that Prince of Engineers, Joe Dando. There may be no railroads in Heaven but if there are I am sure Joe will have a golden locomotive with diamond headlight.
He certainly was "faithful unto death," and to such has been promised "a crown of life."
The Erie alway seems to have had men like Dando, who are loyal to the road and to its patrons, men like Gregg and Wright and Wheatro and many others. The road has treated them well and they have returned the compliment.
With kindest regards, I am,
Yours very truly,
Charles G. Reade.
From the December 5, 1913 issue of the Marion, Ohio Daily Star
JOSEPH DANDO MEETS DEATH
Killed at Broadway Last Night
Erie Passenger Goes Into Ditch
Four Railway Workers Are Injured
Body of veteran engineer is found thirty feet from the locomotive. Dando a fearless man who served the Erie long and well -- a sketch of the career of the unfortunate engineer.
Gloom shrouded railroad circles along the line of the Erie and the many friends of Joseph M. Dando, the veteran engineer of the Erie, when it was learned that he had met death in an accident at Broadway at 11:59 o'clock last night. At the same time much interest was manifested in several other road men who were injured in the accident.
The accident happened to Erie train No. 10, and occurred at the west switch at Broadway. The injured were P.D. Gregg, road foreman of engines, who was riding in the cab; W.S. Blackford, of this city, fireman; E.H. Rathel, of Bellevue Avenue, a Wells Fargo messenger; and H.E. Crawford, of Dayton, baggagemaster on the train. Mr. Gregg probably was the worst sufferer of the four, but it is not thought that the injuries of any of the men will prove fatal.
The train was running at a speed of about thirty-five miles an hour when the accident occurred and was being pulled by engine No. 555, with conductor D.W. Hoot, of Dayton, in charge. The train was nearly forty minutes late. The accident is supposed to have been caused by a split switch.
After leaving the rails the engine ran about a train length and turned on its side to the north of the track, the two express cars and the baggage car turning on their sides to the south side of the tracks, while the coach left the tracks. The sleeping car being the only one to remain on the rails. One peculiar feature is that there was not a woman passenger on the train, while there were not many travelers in the coach and it was some time before they realized what had happened.
Relief Agent Aboard
W.P. Holabird, relief agent of the Erie, was one of the passengers on the ill-fated train, and with others rushed to the assistance of the injured. A surgeon from Broadway was summoned and rendered temporary relief to the injured. A relief train was made up at once here and accommpanied by Superintendent R.E. Woodruff, C.A. Kothe, Master Mechanic, several other Erie employees and express messengers, left here at 2:30 o'clock to bring the body of Mr. Dando, the injured men and passengers of the train to this city.
The body of Mr. Dando was found about thirty feet from the engine. Death was instantaneous. He suffered a broad deep cut from the center of the forehead around over the left temple and down the side of the cheek to the lower jaw. His right foot was crushed and broken and his leg broken between the knee and ankle. His left foot was crushed, his chin punctured and he was otherwise cut and bruised about the legs and body.
P.D. Gregg, road foreman of engines, was quite seriously scalded abut the face, on the left arm and hand and about the hips and the backs of the legs.
W.H. Blackford, the fireman, had one foot badly injured and also a finger hurt, while he was otherwise slightly bruised about the body and received a few burns of a minor nature.
Rathell Injured
E.H. Rathell, Wells Fargo messenger, who was riding in the car next to the engine, was buried in express boxes and packages and extricated himself from the car with much difficulty. He suffered an injury to his left knee and the middle finger of his right hand was crushed. Regardless of his injuries he assisted in caring for the more seriously injured and was able to be around today.
H.E. Crawford, of Dayton, the baggagemaster on the train, sustained an injury to his right knee and was slightly bruised and scratched, but was able to assist in the relief work.
On the arrival of the relief train in this city, the Hess & Markert ambulances were at the depot. Mr. Gregg was removed to his home at No. 123 Girard Avenue, where Dr. H.S. Rhu, the company surgeon, attended him. Mr. Blackford was removed to the Marion City Hospital, while the body of Mr. Dando was taken to the Hess & Markert morgue where it was prepared for burial and shipped to his home at Dayton, this morning.
The track was torn up for a distance of about 260 feet and the roadbed badly damaged. The Erie wrecker and crew was called to the scene immediately after the accident and started the work of clearing the track.
Sketch of Career
Joseph Monroe Dando, who lost his life in the accident, was in point of service the oldest engineer on the Erie road and one of the oldest in the country. He was born in Cleveland, August 4, 1846, being sixty-seven years old on his last birthday. The clang of the railroad bell has sounded in his ears for fifty-five years.
At the age of twelve years he started his career as a newsboy on trains of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh road, which he followed for about three years. He then took a position as a conductor on the Woodruff sleeping car, the first sleeper invented and run in the United States. He was merely filling the position of the regular man at this position and later worked in the shops of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh for nine months. In 1864 he was made night hostler of the Erie at Meadville and two months later was promoted to an engineer on the local between Meadville and Salamanca, and Salamanca and Meadville and Akron. He was later transferred to the Cincinnati Division of the road and has been in the service as a passenger engineer since 1870.
Mr. Dando was probably the best-known and one of the best-liked engineers on the Erie system and counted his friends in endless numbers outside of railroad circles. There were few attaches of any station that did not know or hear of Mr. Dando, and his death will be felt with profound sorrow, while the company for which he served so faithfully will feel its loss.
Alert and Fearless
Mr. Dando had a record as an engineer that he was very proud of, and of which the company also felt proud. He took pride in his engine, No. 854, and by his faithful services and terms of service, he was honored several years ago when the "Order of the Red Spot" was conferred on his engine and it was named after him, his name appearing in brilliant letters on each side of the cab. This honor he holds alone on his division. He was one of the most regular men in the service, losing but little time and being always on the alert for the safety of employes in the service.
Besides his record as an engineer in the above respect, he also made a record in getting over the road. In 1883, when Tony Pastor's theatrical company was billed to appear in Pittsburgh and was late in getting out of Dayton, Mr. Dando was put at the throttle of the special and told to make the best time possible to the Galion terminal. He obeyed his orders and made the distance of 106 miles in ninety-one minutes. At that time this was the world's record ran for this distance and his name was heralded over the road and he was given a rousing reception at Dayton, where every window contained his photograph. In 1885 he broke his own record when he pulled his train from Galion to Dayton in eight-nine minutes, this record standing on the road as the best ever made.
First Serious Wreck
On August 3, 1894, Mr. Dando was in a serious wreck as a result of which he was laid up for eight months. His engine ran into a cut of cars at Urbana and the engine turned on its side. He was also in a slight accident at Dayton some time ago, and following this a number of his friends implored him to give up his hazardous employment, as he was qualified to retire on the age limit.
Mr. Dando had less than a year to serve to reach the half-century mark as an engineer, and this was the mark he was striving for and the reason given for not retiring. He was not inclined to speak of his long term of service, but mentioned it when such occasion required. He worked with many firemen and their welfare was as safely guarded as was his own.
The victim of the accident was a charter member of the Footboard, now the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. He was also a member of the Smizers, of Dayton, the membership of which is limited to seventeen.
Mr. Dando was united in marriage in 1868, to Miss Jennie Harmon, of Mansfield. Since being on the Division, he had made his home at Dayton, residing at Riverdale, the fashionable section of Dayton. The deceased is survived by his widow and two children; A daughter, Mrs. William Schmidt, resides in Milwaukee, and a son.
The deceased was also a brother of the late Mrs. Isaac Masden, who lived for many years on west Center Street.
From the December 6, 1913 issue of the Marion Daily Star:
Old Friends Take Remains to Dayton
Railway men from all parts of the country will attend the funeral of Joseph Monroe Dando, of Dayton, the Erie Railroad engineer killed near Broadway, Union County, late Thursday night. The services will be held at Mr. Dando's late home, No. 26 Shaw Avenue, Dayton, Monday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock.
The remains were taken from this city to Dayton, Friday, arriving in the Gem City at 1:50 p.m. They were accompanied by Edwrd Kavanaugh and J.E. Houghton, engineers on the Cincinnati Division and old acquaintances of the dead engineer.
At the morgue in Dayton, the remains were met by William Wright and Edward Boalt, fellow engineers, and Philip Schultz and George Kline, Erie conductors. From the morgue the body was removed to the Dando home.
Division No. 16, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, had requested all railway men who possibly can do so to attend the funeral, as Mr. Dando was one of the grandest men who ever held a locomotive throttle. The active pallbearers will be William Wright, Philip Schultz and Charles Horn, of Dayton, and three members of the Smizers club of Dayton. Burial will be made in Dayton.
Mr. Dando's tragic death marked the passing of the last locomotive engineer of the old Atlantic & Great Western railroad and one of the most picturesque characters in the history of railroading.
Many persons from this city travelled to Broadway Friday for the purposes of viewing the wreck of Erie train number 10, in which Dando lost his life, and a number of others were injured. According to visitors at the scene, the accident was worse than can be pictured and it is a mystery that more were not killed.
The escape from death of E.H. Rathell, the Wells fargo messenger who occupied the car next to the engine, and H.E. Crawford, the baggageman in the third car, was a matter of great fortune. A rail of the track that was torn up ran through the floor of Rathell's car and out through the roof. He was engaged in locking the safe when the crash came, or otherwise his position would have been on or about where the rail pierced the car.
Mr. Crawford had just moved some trunks near the door, which were to be unloaded at Richwood, the next stop of the ill-fated train. As a result he was out of his customary position and escaped being crushed beneath the heavy trunks and baggage in the car. Mr. Crawford had light enough left in his car to afford him an opportunity to secure the axe, which is carried in the car, and with this he chopped his way out.
P.D. Gregg, of No. 123 Girard Avenue, road foreman of engines of the road, who was at the throttle when the accident occurred, spent a good night. He opened his eyes this morning and was glad to find that his sight was not affected, although the left side of his face was badly burned by escaping steam. When told of how the rails were twisted and bent and how ties were driven into the ground, he could not realize how others and himself escaped death. He was resting quite easily today considering the circumstances.
W.S. Blackford, the fireman on the train, who was quite badly scalded and suffered an injury of one foot and a finger together with some bruises, is still at the Marion City Hospital and is getting along nicely. He considers himself fortunate in escaping with his life and has practically decided to give up railroad work.
E.H. Rathell, who suffered a slight injury to his left leg and a crushed finger of his right hand, and H.E. Crawford, who suffered a slight injury to one of his knees, are both able to get around, although they are very sore.
Joseph Dando was buried December 8, 1913 at Dayton's Woodland Cemetery, Section 72, Lot 1801, Interment #34091.