Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-07-16
A Phantom Engineer.

A Phantom Engineer.
It's only ghost story. Jim Pace
told It one dark nigh to crowd that
gathered in the roundhouse. Jim's
veteran Of the rail. He was seventy
two last week, and has pulled throt-
tie as many times as any living man.
''How he used to make old Six walk, !"
is the common expression whenever
Jim's name is mentioned in a crowd.
He loved the engine better than any,
thing in the world. and it nearly
broke his honest heart to give her up
Jim never had an accident, but that
wasn't his fault" he always said.
It wasn't me that missed 'eu. It waz
old Six. She wouldn't ever go into
the back end of train O. the blacklist
night an all lights out. You couldn't
drive her. Couldn't get 'er nigh 'er
broken bridge Or trestle or washout."
Jim never got any further with his
explanation until that night at the
roundhouse, when 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, ST don't min tellin' yer jest
why. Reckon y all know I took to
firm with Dave Griffin, an all [
know about er engine I learnt from
him. He was like er father to nae, 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 hir1 to
finish the sentence. But he went on
anew.
Il worked mighty hard an faithful
but Fwuz'n ole man when they gina
me the best engine on the road.
You've all heard of the ole Sixa She's
scrap iron ten years ago. had run
along for er good many years 'thout
er accident of any sort, an-ye all
know how 'tis-had got sorter care
less, like. I knowed every rail
and crosstie in the road, to say
nothih' of bridges an trestles an Gull
vcrts, an could shet my eyes an tell
where wuz by the wa y old Six car
ried herself. Well, one night-it was
the darkest night I ever saw; the
moon an stars seemed as if they'd
gone out for good, an the black, thick
clouds set so close to the earth that
yer could feel 'em as yer plowed
through 'em. Headlights didn't
amount to much them days, nohow,
but that night mine didn't do no good
at all. Sump'n must've blackened
the glass, for [ couldn't see ten steps
ahead of the pilot, an what dim light
Their WIS flashed sickly against err
solid front Nv cloud. By an by if
began to rain. The water came down
like the bottom had fell out, an in
less'n five minutes [ could hear it
roarin' in ther bitches alongside the
track. The noise it made tearin'
through the culverts drowned the rat
tie er the train [ hope TIL never see
such another flood. Lightnin' every
mint an less split the darkness GA all
sides, an the thunder bsomed 'mong
the clouds as if the old earth was ex-
ploding from the inside fires. At
every boom the clouds gave down
more rain, an old Six trembled as if
she was skeered to go ahead.
ooh we went; up hill an down
hill, forty miles an hour, an no stops
fur way stations. We climed the
summit at Prisons, an flashed by
like skeered deer, on down the
long grade toward Dykes Run an
the big trestle. I knowed every stick
o. timber in that trestle. I knowed it
was the best on the road, an I wasn't
afeerd to go over it at er mile er
minute, an didn't slack up I leaned
back in my seat an listened to the
ragin' storm outside. Ny fireman
opened the furnace door an stepped
back into the tender for some coal,
when suddenly big, white headed
maa got between me an the red light
o the furnace fire an leaned over to-
ward the front o the cab. One long
arm reached ou5, 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 I 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 and pulled
her wide open. Old SKIS drivers be-
gan. to spin around backward an the
train began to slack up. Jump
in up, I made a lunge at the old man,
but instead of hittin' him I fell fiat
across the cab. got up an saw him
still standin' there Iookln' out ahead.
throwed my arms around him to
pull him away, but they passed right
through his body an fell at nay side.
He turned an looked at me, an I saw
it was Dave-Dave Griffin, come back
from the gravel
When my senses came back the |
train was standin' still, an Dave was
gone. I knowed there was somethin'
wrong ahead, so I got out an walked
down the road. A hundred feet away
l came to er great gap in the track