The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-08-15
4 SPECIAL TRAIN

Then there was narrated a weird story
that l had once heard before. II was about
an apparitiOn Of train on the Hudson Riy-
er Railroad. Ii was told with an effort nj
sincerity that did not deceive the listener.
but l am told that there are many traekmen
and labuTers along the line Of the Hudson
River Railroad who pretend to have seen the
spectacle. The tale was about a mystic
counterpart of the funeral train that bore
Abraham Linculn's remains from the city To
the West The actual and substantial train
passed over the road on a certain dav i'm
April, 1865. The car that contained the
Presidents remains was heavily draped, L
believe. 1t Is said that on that night, every
year, all the train men who are ON the road
during certain hour (that varies in differ
ent subdivisions of the rOad) hear and see
and feel the spectre train rush by them. II
sounds hollow and awful. Its lights are
yellow, pale and funcreal- Its train hands
and passengers are Sepulchral figures. 1t
looks like the outline of a train. vet every
detail is perfect. Those who have seen il
say, though they felt that il was only a
vision, that man could walk through it il
he dared, or throw a stone through il vet il
seems perfect in everything but substantial
ness. 1t even carries with il a whirl of wind
as fast trains do, but IL Is a cold, clammy,
gravelike atmosphere, all its own. As il
passes another train the shrek of its whistle
and clanC Of its bell strike terror to the
hearts Of those that hear them.
THE CONDUCTORS YARN.
It was reserved for the conductor 10 tell
the least plausible of the really remarkable
yarns. He pointed out some cOrroborative
evidence as we passed IullytOwu-thc scene
where the narrative was laid He said
DO YOU see those telegraph poles They
were ordinary poles, perhaps % feet high.
''Well, " he continued, "a good part of the
train was lifted as high a the tops Of those
poles, and one or two ears were thrown clear
over the wires into that field yOnder' NV
aStoniShmcnt was unconcealed. The other
story that was to come
Well the conductor continued. "this
accident that I'm going to tell YOU of viii
probably never have its parallel, because the
combination of circumstances that led to il
was most peculiar. The little stream we
passed minute ago was covered hV "a hick
fog one morning dense belt of fog - feet
wide and aS long a. the stream, although
elsewhere the air was reasonably clea r.
One OF our frelghtS, q long train pulled hy
whOpping big SiN-driyeT engine. was noSing
along close behind n slow passenger train.
They both started from Tullytown together,
and weren't many feet apart at the brook.
The engineer of the freight was kecping
a close watch on the tail Of the passenger
when he suddenly found himself in a dense
fog. unable to see three feet ahead. lie j.
usually 4 clcar-hcaded, cool man, but he
lost his head at that moment and lp slam
med on the steam brake - hard that il
ground fire from the tires OF the drivers and
brought the train To all standing The
funny thing was that the train was made up
of empticS except the last two or three cars.
and they were loaded with very heavy stuff.
Now, what i tell YOU I'll swear to- and 50
can many men along the road When that
bic - ton engine stopped dead those heavy
box ears ON the further end of the train
pushed the emptieS 50 that the middle ones
left the track and went up and up until the
train was arched like a bow. and more than
one ear at the top of the arch was higher
than the tops of the telegraph poles. The
lao.
depot, and his father stood ON the platform
as we paSSed-thc conductor, I say. was
breaking in the middle of the train. lie was
squeezed to death, aud his body and one of
the ears were thrown over a telegraph pole
into that field alongside Of his house
a WESTERN YARN.
The only man IN the baggage car besides
myself who had not tolda story was q West
eTn railroad man. who had exhibited a~ a
card of Introduction an animal pass over the
railroad. When he cleared his throat no
one spoke. One could see by the expression
of his face that hc had q good story and
knew how to tell it,
we have not had much that's worth re-
collecting down my way, said hc-liding
in parcuthcSiS. I'm from kcntuckv-hut
perhaps you never heard of Captain Phillips
experience on railroad wreck. II WAS
little singular. Captain Phillips j a couduc-
tor on the Louisville and Cincinnati Short
Line road. and at the time | speak of was
running Il freight \ heavy storm had
followed his train from Cincnnati-a severe
winter STORM that was accompanied hy fear
full wind and rain, and had ragged q consider
able time His train was lust heXOud Wal
ton, 30 miles the other side of Cincinnati
and was approaching bridge that SInnued
a little creek that cmptieS into the Licking
river. Usually this streams low. but cu that
night (thiS was some four wears aEDh il had
become a swollen, roaring current. \ pas-
Senger train had crossed the bridge ~lftv
but It gave way under Capt. Phillips train.
He was in the caboOSe which was next to
the tender. lie was alone there. ~ the
cabooSe rolled upon the bridge Capt Phillips
felt car, bridge and everything else suddenly
sink beneath him. lie felt the cab1c~e and
engine part, and then the cabuiSe strRrk the
rushing stream. The cabou~r light went
out and the water poured d. upon tee floor
ing upon which he stood I.i.. captain was
thrown down, but he reCaiis.al his feet and
managed to stand while tn, ar waS swept
along. II was aH awful po-iion. The wa
ter poured i'm and rose hi.l ,-r and higher
around him the ear flnated. hut n turned
from side To side, pitching alsd rolling. and
struck with fearful force upon tis- cotton
wood trees that stood in the way ~ the tor
rent. Phillips did not loose lis presence of
mind but struggled pcrSiStentlv To- reach the
car door. Again and again lie approached
IL, but the rolling and plunging Il the car
threw him back. The minutes seemed
hours To Phillips. The water in the car
rofc higher and highcr-paSt his Fzuc,-S. past
his waist, up to his chest. over his shoulders
even up To- his chin FINALLY his head
struck the top of the ear whenever the car
changed its motion. Suddenly when all
/ chance of escape seemed out of tkc question,
the car door burst open. and. ly a treWen-
dous effort, Philips reached and hraced him
self in the framework. The next instant he
. seized limb of a cottonwood tree. against
which the clbouSe was carU1rd- lie held
tight and the car was Swcpt on. while ht
hung to the tree. The other tarS Of the train
rushed past one 10y one. and more than ono,
the tree hc clung to was Strerk by them.
10 great was the force Of tke torrent that
+ the locomotive was carried uHtny wards duwt
the stream, and some lOadsd ears of whea
were swept into the Licking river and down
to Cincinnati, thirty miles away. Phillip
was rescued i'm the morniIs.'