The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-08-07

passengers are sepulchral figures. 1t
looks like the outline of a train, yet
every detail is perfect. Those who
have seen it say, though they felt that
it was only vision, that a man could
walk through itifhe dared, or throw a
stone through ii; yet it seems perfect
in everything bnt substantialness. 1t
even carries with it a whirl Of wind
as fast as trains do, but it is cold,
clammy, grave-like atmosphere, all
its own. As it passes another train
the shrek of its whistle and claIg of
its bell strike terror to the hearts of
those that hear them.
1t was reserved for the conductor
to tell the least plausible of the real
ly remarkable yarns. He pointed
out some corroborative evidence as
we passed Tullytown-the scene
where the narrative was laid. He
said: "Do you see those telegraph
poles?" They were ordinary poles,
perhaps twenty-three feet high.
"Well," he continued, "a good part
Of Il train was lifted as high as the
tops Of those poles, and one or two
ears were thrown clear over those
wires into that field yonder." My
astonishment was unconcealed. The
other railroad men hastened to corrob-
crate the story that was to come.
"Well," the condutor continued,
"this accident that Pm going to tell
you Of will propably never have its
parellel, because the combination of
circumstances hat led to it was most
peculiar That little stream we pass
ed minute ago was covered by a thick
fog one morning-a dense belt of fog
twenty feet wide and as long as the
stream, although elsewhere the air
was reasonably clear One of our
freights, a long train pulled by a
whopping big slx>driver engine, was
nosing along close behind slow pas
senger train. They both started from
Tullytown together, and weren't many
feet apart at the brook. The engin-
eer of the freight was keeping a
close watch on the tail Of the passen-
ger, when he suddenly found himself
III dense fog, unable to see three feet
ahead. He is usually clear-headed,
cool man, but he lost his head at tha
moment, and he slammed on the steam
brake SO hard that it ground fire from
the tires of the drivers and brought
the train TO all standing. The funny
thing was that the tram was made up
of empties except the last two or three
cars and they were loaded with very
heavy stuff. Now, what | tell you
Eli swear to, and 50 can many men
along the train. When that big ff-
ty-hve ton engine stopped dead those
heavy box cars on the further end of
the train pushed the empties so that
the middle ones left the track and
went up and up until the the train
was arched like bow, and more than
one Car at the top OF the arch was
higher than the tops OF the telegraph
poles. The conductor-he lived in
that house by the depot, and his faith
er stood on the platform as we passed
the conductor, l say, was braking
in the middle Of the train. He was
squeezed to death, and his body and
one of the cars were thrown over Il tel
agraph pole into that field alongside Of
his house"
The only man in the baggage car
beside myself who had not told 4 sto-
ry was a western railroad man, who
had exhibited as a card of introduc-
ton an annual pass Of the railroad.
When he cleared his throat 10 one
spoke. One could see by the EXPIRES
sion Of his face that he had a good sto-
ry and knew how to tell it.
"We have not had much that's
worth recollecting down my way"
said he-adding in parenthesis, I'm
from Kentucky"-"but perhaps you
never heard OF Capt. Phillips experi>
ence in a railroad wreck. 1t was a
little singular. Capt Phillips is a
conductor on the Louisville and Gin,
cinnati Short Line railroad, and at
that time | speak of was running a
freight A heavy storm had follow,
ed his train from Cincinnati Sc
we're winter storm that was accompa-
nick by fearful wind and rain, and
had ragged a considerable time. His
train was just beyond Walton, thirty
miles the other side Of Cincinnati, and
was approaching bridge that spann-
ed little creek that emptiesfintO the
Licking River. Usually this stream
is low, but on that night (this was
some four years ago. it had become a
swollen, roaring torrent. A passen-
ger train had crossed the bridge safe
ly, but it gave way under Capt Phil
lips tram. He was in the caboose,
which was next to the tender. He
was alone there. AS the caboose roll
ed upon the bridge Capt Phillips felt
Car and bridge, and everything else
suddenly sink beneath him. He felt
the cabOose and engine part, and then
The caboose struck the rushing stream.
The caboose light went out and the
water poured in upon the flooring up
on which he stood. The Captain was
thrown down, but he regained his feet
and managed to stand while the car
swept along. 1t was an awful posi-
ton. Tue water poured in and rose
higher and higher around him; the
car foated, but it turned from side to
side, pitching and rolling, and struck
with fearful fnrce upoI the cottonwood