Entwistle, Edward 1815 – 1909

ENTWISTLE

Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 9/28/2019 at 11:08:50

Source: Twice-A-Week Plain Dealer Nov. 5, 1909, 2, C6

FIRST LOCOMOTIVE FIREMAN IS DEAD
Edward Entwistle 94, Fired Stephenson’s Old “Rocket.”
Edward Entwistle, aged ninety-four, is dead in Des Moines and the last link between the present and the first days of railroading is broken.
Entwistle, then a lad of sixteen fired the “Rocket,” Stephenson's first locomotive, when it ran its trial trip at twelve miles an hour at Manchester, England.
He was born in 1815 and early in life was apprenticed to the Duke of Bridgewater and learned the machinist‘s trade in his shops. He assisted in the building of the engine and when Stephenson took the throttle for the trial trip he selected Entwistle to fire the boiler from among all the lads in the shop.
In 1856 Entwistle came to this country and settled in Des Moines and had been an engineer all his life. He was active until recently, but when his wife died six weeks ago he commenced to fail rapidly and grief over her death had much to do with his end.

Transcriber’s Note: Find a Grave shows he is buried in Woodland Cemetery.