Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-14
RAILROAD STORIES.
sHperstiti0us Enginoers-A Dream and
Train Behind Time.

From The SIN Frdncj8cO car.
During the recent convention Of loc"-
motive engineers in this city, number
Of them were invited to the house Of a
local rairoader o. meet gentlemen from
the various other branches Of ralroading.
AS the evening wore on the grizzled Old
/ throttle pullers and their friends fell to r.
lating anecdotes and experiences, from
which the following are taken:
''LocOmotiye engineers are very super
/ stitions,V remarked the first speaker
cone OF the qUeprest cases that know OF
/ Illustrative OF this tendency" he con-
! tinued, twas that of old Adam Brown, who
/ ran on engine on the Northern Pacific for
many years. Adam, who was German,
was quite an eccentric person any way,
and had a habit OF approa hing the eli
makes of his yarns, of which he was an
industrious spinner. by the Introductory
announcement that we was yoost gon'
around the corner, about tOrruty miles an
hOuT-under such circumstances cows
tail would be discovered waving danger
signal, or some other emergency would
present Itself, calling forth a display o.
the INGENIOUS Adams presence of mind
and deXterity.
"Well, on the night in question Adam
was pulling a mixed train, that is, one
composed Of both passenger and freight
cars, out of Duuth, the village made
famous by Proctor KnOtts allusiOn to it
as the zenith city OF the unsated seas
| was train dispatcher for the Northern
Pacific, whose trans run over a joint
stretch of road from Duluth to Northern
Pacific Junction, and were not under our
immediate control until after passing the
junction.
adams train left Duluth on time, but
arrived at the junction late. We could
Obtain no satisfactory answers to our in
quiries regarding the time lost, the con-
ductOr reporting everything all right as
far as he was concerned. The train con-
tinued to lose time. however, aud reached
Branerd, the end of the division, where
l was stationed, five hours late. tackled
the conductor for an explanation when he
came in, and what do you suppose be told
me? Why, that Adam had dreamed the
day previous that huge tie had been
strapped across the track by train wreck
ers. The whole surroundings were wildly
impressed Oh his mind, and he awakened
just as his engine touched the tie. So
firmly did he believe in the Fremont
ton that be could not be induced to run
along at an ordinary rate of speed, but
crept along all night.
"The engineers appear to have strong
belief in the strange fatality that seems to
attach to some engines, and not alto
gether without cause. The old No. Al,
which used to run on the Dakota division
of the Northern Pacific years ago, was one
of these cases. She was wrecked at least
halt a dozen times within few months
from various causes, and we never felt
confident when she was on the road"
Recently | boarded an engine on a
train coming west from Sacramento" said
another, 1.-THE engineer Of which was an
old friend Of mine. Noticing horseshoe
hanging IN his cab, | asked him why he
carried it. 'Ill tell you, Tom SAID he.
For month | was never able to make
our time; if it wasn't a breakdown the
engine would not steam; or we'd be
troubled with hot boxes, or perhaps go
into the ditch. At last | cot the horse
shoe, and, on my oath, Pve not had a bit
of trouble since. We haven't been ditched
once, have had no trouble in getting up
steam. the boxes have run perfectly
cool, and the machine hasn't so much as
slipped an eccentric or blown out soft
pug'"
Il was breaking in new chap on the
MOiaVe division a few months ago."
chimed in an Atlantic and Pacific en-.
gineer. "DOwn there the mirages are
very misleading until one becomes accus.
toned to them. All of a sudden the new
man pulled the whistle. | looked up and
asked why he had done 50. Why said
he we're right at the station l said
nothing, ana alter ABOUT ten minutes ne
whistled again. Well, we ran on for some
time. and still no station. Finally the
new man jumped up and told me to take
the machine. 1 wouldn't run an engine
In such a country said he, for 500 a
/ day.
/ The last mans story was one which is
| related ON railroads in all parts Of the
/ country. In his experience it occurred on
! the Central Pacific:
1--WE were going east through Nevada,
one night" he said, "when old Jack
/ O'Brien, who was hauling us, whistled
down brakes Every body turned out,
and there, just ahead, was a headlight
bearing down upon us. We stopped and
sent brakeman out to flag the approach
in train. In the mean time we had
| rounded curve aud the headlight was
invisible. After waiting awhile we pulled
ahead slowly, our flagman well in adj
vance, and pretty soon came to stretch
of level track, and there, just above it, in
the distance rose the glorious October
moon, high enough by that time to nc
longer resemble headlight"
KNOW TaYSELF, by reaalng the ''scI-
ence Of Life" the best medical work ever
published. for young and mddle-aged men.
0lfYtcurA APmenfPp