The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1889-01-16
tHE PHANTOM IRAN.
The Engineers story of How .gaek Re-
estved Notice OF HIS Death.

something would willingly forget;
but 1t seems impossible. Fifteen years
ago / was running on the East Ten.
ncssee road, between Knoxville and
Chattanooga. The scenery between
these two points is grand III places, the
moilhtains being in sight nearly the
entire distance. l had left Knoxville
an hour late ono afternoon in Novem-
Der, and at London the telegraph oper-
ator handed me an order to make up
| the lost time, as there was a large
southern excursion on board who
wanted to make connection at Chatta-
nooga for Atlanta had always been
| ranked as one of the coolest men on
the road, as. a man who newer got ex-
cited. and / once ran over burning
trestie without a muscle changing.
Yet this afternoon was strangely
nervous. For the first time in my life
l discovered | had nerves.
jack, said to the fireman, I
nn all in a tretnor. l am not super
stitious, but feel as if something was
going TO happen.
Jack burst into a loud guffaw.
Why, cap'n, you nervous; that is too
good" and hc laughed again
Il said nothing else, but the uncom-
| Portable feeling continued. i did not
/ know it at the time, but 1 have since
found out that even tho iron nerves of
an engineer must break some time.
Jack, In the meantime, was piling up
cold, he remarked after a few min
ter fire, and we'll be in Chattanooga,
in jiify.'
''Thc grim November twilight hung
over the earth like pail. We had
passed Athens, and with only fifty-six
miles TO go to reach our destination.
For the first time since l mounted an
engine longcd for the trip. | was
looking straight ahead, whore the iron
bands far down the track seem to unite
into single rail, when / was startled
by an exclamation from Jack. .Cap'n,
he screamed, look thcrcl my God,
look thcref pointing with trembling
hand 10 the east, where III the
distance the mountains loomed up
grim and bare in their awful
! grandeur. Tho look of horror on
scribable. But the sight witnessed
as quickly turned my eyes TO the
east was .enofgll to freeze the warm
blood which courses through your
veins. for there, above tho mountain
tops, with terrible distinctness, sailed
phantom engine drawing phantom
train The puffs of smoke came re
gularly from the engine. ! could see
the glaring headlight. the lights in
the coaches, all as plain as if the train
was running on the side track by us.
stood there watching the strange
sight, too amazed to utter a word, how
long cannot say, but suddenly it dis
appeared, and was recalled TO myself
by several jerks at the bell rope made
by the conductor. looked out and
saw that we were at Cleveland.
WHATS the matter with your
asked the conductor, coming to the en-
to run by Cleveland that way2 Why,
man, you hook as if you had seen a
ghost. he added aftera moment. catch
ing glimpse of my face. looked at
my watch and saw that it was exactly
6 6o'clock. We had made up half an
hour, and we pulled into Chattanooga
an hour later, only few minutes be
hind time. From the time of the ap-
pearance of the ;pparition to The time
we pulled into the roundhouse at Chat
tanooga Jack had not spoken word,
but there was fixed look on his face
did not like. THE affair was not dis
cusSed between us. Jack was strangely
taciturn, and, to tell tho truth, did
not feel inclined to talk about the
strange sight seen in the clouds.
''Tllcre is not great deal more to
! tell. The run to Knoxville the next
day was made without anything oc-
curing worthy of comment, but on
the return trip to Chattanooga Friday,
two days after we had seen the appal,-
ition, at 5:57 in the afternoon and two
miles east of Cleveland, wild freight
thundered into U.S. saw it too late to
| do any good, but l reversed my en-
gine and tllcn-jumped. / happened
to jump OH the right side and escaped
with n broken finger. But Jack, poor
boy, had chosen the wrong side. and
the immense locomotive crushed him
to jelly. | believe that the acci-
pent happened at the spot where Jack
first saw the phantom engine and at
tho minute, although two days later.
Poor Jack, the discoverer of that Won
dclful sight, the, warning was evident
| ly intended for him.
Il did not make another run on
that fated line. | asked to be excused
from duty pending the investigation
made by officials into the accident,
and on the day the investigation was
concluded and was eXonerated from
|
dents office and: asked for my time,
You needn't feel bad about that
accident. remarked the superintend-
ent, kindly.
9" 4 don't, / replied. but my nerves
are shattered and want to change my
! location
Il saw smile on the srperintend-
ent's face rs mentioned my nerves, ;
but he gave me my time without a
word. spent five years in the Rock
les in the vain attempt to drive that
| IicttIrc from my mind Finally I
came back east, but the Photographic
camera could not FIX an object more
| firmly than did the phantom engine
in mountains of Tennessee fix itself in
my memory. am only Do now, but
you can see how gray am. My hair
was not turned white in single
night. as the novclists tell, but in q
few months after the occurrence the
change was effected. as used to othink
and worry over it u good deal. and
that. too, when was only 30 years of
age. ."-Birmingilanr eAla.) Age.
a Boston man has invented a new
carpenters rule. which can. also be
/ us'sl as a cockscrew. stove Handle. a
plumb. bludgeon. hammer, naif
/ ir1. rrl.Ne u n =