The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-05-18
Superstitious Engineers.

''What causes, aside from snow-storms
and accidents, make passenger trains
late in arriving at stations?' inquired a
Post reporter of the division superin.
tendent
We'll, they are innumerable; but
there is one cause of delay which is quite
curious and almost tunaccountable. Like
sailors, engineers are very superstitious.
suppose they become so from the COM
parative solitude and dangers of their
positions. With only fireman as a
companion, they are out in all kinds of
weather, and. l can tell you, it is no
pleasant thing for man to ride at full
speed on dark night peering out of
little window into blackness made
more black by the bright glare of the
headlight. On all sides is darkness. and
the little speck of monotonous track
ahead is all that he can see. Certain
engines, like certain ships, get bad rep
utatiOns, and the men hate to run them.
They consider them unlucky, and be-
lieye they are bound to kill somebody,
| and SO will refuse to drive them at top
speed. This feeling is almost universal
among engineers. We have an engine
on our road now which the men very
once on road in the West which owned
an engine which the men were positive
ly afraid of, it was so unlucky.
Eyes, all engineers are more or less
superstitious; their calling makes them
SO. At one time one of our fast trains
from New York kept coming into Hart
ford from two to five minutes late. At
first l thought it was due to some ma
terial cause, but at last, as the train ar
! rived in New Haven on time, deter
mined to find out the trouble. On the
| arrival of the train in New Haven the
engineers were changed, and, as the
time was all right up to that point, l
knew that time was being lost between
there and Hartford. 1 couldn't under
stand it, for the road is good all the way,
and time should be made up over it, in
stead of lost. went down there one
day and asked the engineer what made
him late SO repeatedly. He said he
didn't know, only that the engine would
not make time. He had always been a
competent man, and was thought much
of on the road. got into the cab with
him, and, aftera short distance had been
passed, found that the engine was not
doing its part. l told the engineer to
throw open the Unbelievable. At first
he refused to do so, but when repeated
the order he did SO, and we reached
Hartford on time. After that he was
never late because of the engine. The
fact was that he had got scared; but af-
ter he had been relieved of all apprehen-
sion the train came in regularly on
schedule time.
| '>Once, when l was running night
train between here and Springfield, l
had queer experience. My fireman
was a young fellow who, twice, when we
reached the bridge over the Connecticut
at Windsor Locks, disappeared from the
cab. The third time | watched him,
and noticed that he had gone into the
| tender and crouched down in the coal in
one corner. When we We're we'll into
the bridge called out to him, and he
came into the cab with face as white
as marble, and he was shaking all over.
l asked him what was the matter, and
he said. There's some fellows up in the
rafters there, and some time they're 60
ing to chuck rocks at us You see, the
idea had suggested itself to him one
night. and, being superstitious, he had
carried it around in his head until he
really believed ."-Harttord (Ct.)
Post