The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-05-07
superstitious Engineers.

"Wfat causes, aside from snow-storms
and accidents. make passenger trains
late in arriving at stationsP' inquired
Pos reporter Of the division superin-
tendene
We'll, they are innumerable; but
uIere is ono cnnse Of delay which is quite
curious and almost unaccuuntable- Like
sailors, engineers are very superstitious.
suppose they become 10 from tho com
parative solitude and dangers of their
positions. With only fireman as @
companion. they are out in all kinds OF
weather, and. / can tel you, 1t is no
pleasant thing for man 10 ride at full
speed on O dark night peering out OF q
little window into biackness made
more black by the bright glare Of the
headlight On oil 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 10 run them.
They consider them unlucky, and be-
lieve they are bound to kill somebody.
and 80 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
much dislike TO be assigned to- | was
once on road In the West which owned
an engine which the men were positive
" afraid Of, it was so unluchy
Yes, all engineers are moro 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 thought it was due TO some ma
terial cause, but at last as the train ar
rived in New Haven on time, l 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 10 that point,
knew that time was being lost between
there and Hartford, l couldn't under.
stand it, for the road il 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, after short distance had beer
passed, found that the engine was no,
doing its part I told the engineer K
throw open the throttlo-valye. At first
he refused to do so, but when l repeated
tho order he did so, and We reached
| Hartford on time. After that he wa:
never late because Of the engine, The
fact was that nc had got scared; but af
ter he had been relieved of all apprehen
sion the train came in regularly OF
schedule time
"Onco, when was running a nigh
train between here and Springfield,
had queer experience. My fireman
was a young fellow who, twice, when w
reached the bridge over the Connection
at Windsor Locks, disappeared from thu
cab. The third time watched him
and noticed that he had gone into tn
tender and crouched down in the coal il
one corner When We were well int
the bridge called out to him. and h
came into the cab with face us whit
us marble. and he was shaking all over
asked him what was the matter IN,
he said, There's some fellows up In tn
raftcrs there, and some time they're &c
ing to chuck rocks at US You see, tn
idea had suggested itself to him on
night, and, being superstitious, he ha,
carried it around In his head until h
really believed it," Hartford CO...
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