Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-07-24
An Engineers PresentIment.
Lst. Loui. aIohe p,mocrni.l


A number Of railroad men sat In tn,
rotunda of the Laclede the other night
exchanging "reminiscences. The con.
versation gradually drifted into stories
having supernatural tlnge, and among
these was the following, related by .
well-known conductor:
Some years ago." he said. "in the
town OF Garrett, in Northern Indiana
the headquarters of the Baltimore
Ohio railroads Chicago division, there
lay sick an engineer named Boardman
He was wildly delirious and his rawlings
took serious aspect at times. One
evening he was told that Engineer
Moses had been called to take out hi'
engine, No. 712, on an extra run, fol
lowing No. 5. Engine 712 was the pride
Of the road aud of its engineer, then 81
seriously sick. 1t had not been sent out
before, the foreman OF the round-house
wishing to gratify the wishes of its en-
gineer, but on this occasion an opers
company had to make Washington ir
twenty-four hours, run of 853 miles
from Chicago, and no other engine or
the Chicago division was equal to the
speed demanded by the company.
"Boardman, laying in bed, was sud
denly gifted with supernatural power
and in his rawlings would say:
"Hicksville! Ha! How she spins!
Runs up the 81. Joe grade like the
wind! Twenty-Five miles; one stop fol
water, one stop for railroad crossing
and thirty minutes gone!
Then he would be quiet as the grave
for moment.
"Holgate! Listen to her spin! She's
got the crossing. There she goes. De
fiance to Holgate was like a step to her!
His watchers looked at one another
Could he have the power of second
sight to watch the movements of the
train? One of the boys was sent to the
dispatcher's office, but few blocks
away. Before he returned Boardman
had called out water station, and said:
"Four minutes lost. Why couldn't
she do without water? All, All! Watch
her pound sand now. Isn't she beau
typ"
The man had returned from the tele-
graph office and, in whisper, told the
other watchers that he had followed
the taain correctly. A feeling of awe
came over the boys. The sick engineer
was in seeming trance. His breath
came slower and more laborious. The
boys crowded nearer and were about to
raise him in the bed, so that he could
catch his breath easier, and the family
were called, when he sat erect, looked
wildly about him and cried:
"Tiffin! Red light! Stop for orders!
My God! Here he held up his hand
as If reading an order. Train No. Sec
ond five, engine No. 712. Prepare to
meet thy God. o. X. CoCKRELL."
"Then he sank back in the bed dead.
The Mortified boys stood amazed and
speechless. It was a presentiment.
One rushed forth to the dispatcher's Of
flee and cried to the east end man:
"For Gods sake, Dixon, stop second
five at Republic"
"Quick over the wires the call went,
and was answered, and then this mes
sage: ''Stop second five.' There was
wait of breathless anxiety, when the
news came back: Second five is stopp-
ed. Conductor wants to know what
for By this time the story was known
in the dispatcher's Office and the an
swer was sent to Republic: Had pre-
sentiment. Tell conductor to proceed
cautiously to Chicago Junction.
Hardly had the answer gone when
Attica called up and said:
" Stop secord five at Republic. First
five ditched mile west of here; engine
and three cars off. Cow on track. En-
gineer killed byjumping.'
"And the man who had saved proba-
bly, five scores Of lives lay corpse at
his home, with the sorrowing family
surrounding him. The opera company
made up purse, which, together with
the life insurance he had carried, made
The engineers family independent for
he rest of their lives.n