Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-06-03
A PHANTOM ENGINEER.
Come Back from the Grave to Save a
Train-Jim PAGES Ghost Story.

From the New York Tribune
It's only ghost story. Jim Pace told IL on
dark night to a little crowd that gathered in tn
round-house. Jim's veteran of the rail- III
was seventy-two last week, and has pulled
throttle many times as any living man
"How he used to make old Six walk Is TIN
common expression wherever Jim's name i
mentioned in crowd. He loved the engin,
better than anything in the world, and it nearly
broke his honest heart to give her up. jim
pever had accident. but that wasn't hi
'fault." he always said. at wasn't me tina
missed lem. 1t wuz ole Six. She wouldn't eve
go into the back end of a train o, the blackes
Couldn't git .er nigh 'er broken bridge or trestl'
or washout.'
ton until that night at the round,house wher
some of the boys begged him to tell them why
old Six wouldn't get into trouble.
"As I've quit the track, boys" he began, :"
don't min tellin' yer jest why. Reckon " al
know took to firm with Dave Griffin, an all
know about er engine learnt from him. HI
was like err father ter me, an when he died
lost the best frien' a lone boy ever had. Lost
did say? No, not lost, but"
He looked out into the night and the little
audience waited for him to finish the sentence
Bal ne went on anew.
e. worked mighty hard an faithful. but wu1
IN ole man when they gimme the best engine
on the Dad. You've all heard OF ole Six: She's
scrapi ten year ago. / had run along for Ell
good m " years 'thout er accident OF any sort
any all know how Z is-had got sOrter care.
less, like. knowed every rail an crOsstie In
the road, to say nothin' of bridges an trestles
where wuz by the way ole Six carried herself
Well, one night-it S the darkest night ever
saw: the moon an stars seemed as II they
gone out for good an the black, thick clouds set
SO close to the earth that yer could feel 'em as
yer ploughed through EN-. Headlights didn
amount to much them days, nohow, but that
night mine didn't do no good at all Sump'n
must we BACKED the glass, for / couldn't see
ten steps ahead of the pilot. an what dim light
cloud. By an by it began to rain. The water
came down like the bottom had fell out, an in
less n five minutes could hear it roarin' in the
bitches alongside the track. The noise it made
tearin through the culverts drOwnded the rat
tie the train. / hope Ill never see such
another flood. Lightnin' every minute an less
split the darkness on all Sides an the thunder
doomed 'mong the clouds as If the old earth
was explodin from the inside fires. At every
Six trembled as If she was skeered to go ahead.
ION we went. up hill an down hill. forty miles
an hour t an mo STOPS nr WAY aahsd he
like skeered deer, on down the long grade
towards Dykes's Run an the big trestle:
knOwed every stick o timber in that trestle,
Iknowed it's the best on the road, an 1 wasn't
Altered to go over it er mile minute SO
didn't slack up. leaned back in my seat an
listened to the ragtn' storm outside. My fire
man had opened the furnace door an stepped
back in the tender for some coal, when sudden
ly big. white-headed man got between me
and the red light of the furnace fire an leaned
over toward the front o the cab. One long
arm reached out, an takin hold o the throttle
shut OFF the steam. The other pulled three
long blasts of the whistle, the signal for brakes
an then before / could say a word the man
caught the lever in both hands an reversed
her clean back to the lowest notch. The same
long arm again reached the throttle an pulled
her wide open. Ole SKIS drivers began to spin
around backward an the train began to slack
up. Jumpin' up / made lunge at the old
man, but instead of hitting him 1 fell fat
across the cab, L got up an saw him still
tandin' there looking out ahead. throwed
around him To mil him huf
they passed right through his body an fell at
my side. He turned an looked at me, an
saw it was Dave-Dave Griffin, come back from
the grave!
when my senses come back the train was
standin still an Dave was gone. knowed
there was somethin' wrong ahead, SO got out
an walked down the road. A hundred feet
away came TO er great gap in the track-the
big trestle was gone! The creek was growed to
mighty river roarin' an rushin' an gurglin'
over the piles. Boys, didn't feel skeered then,
but somehow couldn't stan up. My legs felt
weak an give way under me an set down on
the track in the pourin' rain. IL didn't go to
sleep, 1 couldnt ha' done that. but my fireman
said he had to shake me purity hard to git me
mp. No, boys, dinnt run ole Six. It's Dave
an me together that's always pulled her
through"