The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-06-11
The Ghost on tho Tender.

strhD8e sympathy which exists between
nature and man as the locomotive engi.
neer. His nerves are constantly wrought
up to so intense pitch Of excitement as
to reder him peculiarly sensitive to the
slightest premonition Of danger; and
my theory is that everr man who runs a
locomotive should have this highly.
strung, hnely.wrought organization. If
this were the cnso, and every one would
heed the still. small voice, warning Of
approaching evil. there would be fewer
accidents than there are under tho ex-
isting state Of things.
Almost any railroad man will tell Won
of Instances which have come under his
own observation where rome poor fellow,
Just before the fatal blow which launched
him into eternity. said, II am blue" "I
feel as If something were going to hap
pen," or something of the kind. I re-.
member gay. merry boy, the pet of the
train, who stopped singing comic sorg.
saying, Don't tease me. I'm lonesome, T"
and, jumping of the engine, and run
ming ahead, was caught between two
freight cars, and killed within three
minutes after the words left his lips. I
sincerely believe that by needing these
warnings the sad end might often bs
averted.
speak from ten years experience.
L have run all kinds of trains on all sorts
OF roads. have whistIed for brakes.
reversed my engine, and stopped my ex-
press passenger train, with ten heavily
loaded coaches, within twelve inches of
broken rail. which would have sent US
all to kingdom come by the way of
deep. rocky gorge below US, had I not
halted. once reversed my engine, and
backed long freight train up q heavy
grade, when running upon direct orders
given me by the President of the road.
when, had gone on half mile further
around curve, We should have run
into an excursion train going on a pic
MIC.
One dismal, foggy night I stopped
suddenly, and taking my lantern went
out, spying the track ahead, we'll know
ing l should find something amiss, and
lying across the rails, only few feet
from the cow-catcher, was II watchman,
who had been knocked down and badly
injured by train just ahead of us.
Aud at another time. on going ahead to
look for danger, I found tremendous
great rock that had rolled down on the
track from ledge above US. 1 have no
explanation to offer for these singular
presentiments; they come across me all at
once, aud, as it were. compel me to obey
them. l have never had one play me
false, and have never met with q serious
accident.
The straugest and most uuaccountable
adventure l eyer had was on the St.
and st" Railroad. It was in tie
opening OF the year, the frost was com.
ing out of the ground, making the track
| N " n0I,
behind time. Everybody was cross,
and, to increase my discomfort. nv re-.
gular fireman was off-down with the
ague-and in his place they had sent me
miserable Dutch rascal. by the name
of Weisbrunt. / fancied at first that T
knew the fellow, and after keeping nv
eye on him for awhile, I was sure I had
had an experience with him, while run.
ming construction train on the Illinois
Central, several years before.
He was quarrelsome cur, who kept
fuss constantly brewing among the men.
and had used my influence to get him
discharged. He had sworn vengeance
then, and I was reasonably certain that
he meant mischief now. There had
been, for some time, a systematic rob-
berry of freight going OH all along the
line OF the road, and /, in common with
most of the engineers, was playing de-
tective, in addition to my usual duties.
Some rather Suspicious actions on the
part OF my fireman caused me to suspect
him OF belonging to the gang OF plum
derers, and consequently to be constant
~ on the alert as to his movements.
The particular night of which write
We had had no end of bad luck The
train was an express freight train, aud
the engine, which usually worked to q
charm, had raised particular hob all day
She would not make steam, the fire was
loose and would not burn, the pumps
bothered, and altogether in my heart
called it all The fnnlt of my German devil
OF fireman. He seemed to do as well
as he could, and swore in Dutch, high
and low. roundly enough to have run the
steam gauge up to the highest notch, if
that bad been all it required. We were
several hours behind time, and the night
had set in dark and rainy, when we
stopped at Evots.
All at once I missed Weisbrunt from
his post, and few minutes after heard
him groaning piteously in the rear Of
the train, and running back found him
on the ground, rolling apd soreamin0