Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-04-18
TALE OF THE LOST EXTRA.
A SUSPICIOUS YARN OF RAILROAD
ING IN THE NORTHWEST.

Old Farmer Furnishes a Clew, but 1t
Was Never Fully Worked Out.
"Yes, that's considerable of a story, if
it's true; but you can calculate with
wonderful degree of accuracy that any
thing a printer says is considerably
warped. Now 1 think l can see you and
go you few better in the story line, and
what am going to tell you is absolutely
true"
1t was picturesque group of old timers
The Hawkeye reporter had stumbled on
in the course of news gathering ramble
down in the "Q" yards. They were
seated about an old stove in the round
house, and had been swapping various
railroad experiences. The conversation
had drifted around to snow blockades in
the west. The reporter had just finished
an elaborate account of his experiences
in bloceade on the Rockies which called
forth the above remarks from one of the
old engineers whom we will call Higbie,
out of respect to his feelings.
The reporter hastily sharpened fresh
lead pencil and selected fresh spot on
his cuff. Higbie knocked the ashes from
his cigar and continued:
THE extra" ANNOUNCED.
''It happened this way. I was doing
night duty for Bob Carew at Little jim
vile, fifty miles west of Limestone, on
the Northwestern. 1t was during the
winter of 1S7S-79, and of all the dreary
places Jimville was the dreariest in win
ter time. 1t had been raining and snow
ing and sleeting all that week, and the
ground was covered with a sheet of ice.
Night operating is nothing to passionate
ly long for. l prefer hod carrying. l
sat in the desolate box of a depot, the
cold winter wind howled around the
corners with a drearisomeness and rat
tied and slammed the shutters in way
that would give some people fit of the
blue shivers. But had got used to that,
so didn't mind it much. had stirred
up the fire. for it was bitterly cold out
side, with the frost an inch thick on the
windows, and sat watching the flames
flash and roar up the chimney. l must
have fallen asleep. for soon began to
hear the most internal racket, like death
dancing double shuttle on the roof, and
started up with jerk that nearly dis
located my backbone, to find the train
dispatcher calling me. l answered and
received the following order:
"'Hold No. till extra passes you
"Just then heard the whistle of the
passenger. 1t was 10:3O when l side
tracked here. At 1916 l received dis
patch from Bunker Hill saying that the
extra had just pulled out. 1t would
probably take her thirty minutes to make
the run from Bunker Hill. waited
ll:30, no extra; II, no extra. What
could it mean? telcgraphed to Bunker
Hill and received the following:
Extra left here at10:49 o. K
"The train could be heard from no.
where else along the line l awoke the
section hands and sent them over the
track to Bunker Hill to see if they could
find anything of the extra. At 2:30 re-
ceived dispatch from them at Bunker
Hill:
Track clear. No trace of extra
Before | could express my astonish-
ment ] was joined by the conductor of
No. 3, who was swearing fuently.
"'What does it mean, Higbie? he
asked.
81 was nonplussed, but finally told
him to pull cautiously down to Bunker
Hill, and if he saw nothing to go on as
usual. and make up as much time as
O.4n I fl,a fDl1
ing from the conductor at Bunker Hill:
"'Just arrived, Could find nothing Of
extra.
81 ordered track walker to search
closely between Jimville and Bunker
Hill. He found nothing except what
looked like traces of the train having
jumped the track. But nothing further.
THE FARMERS STORY.
Days passed into weeks, until the
weary months dragged their slow lengths
along, leaving the tantalizing mystery
wrapped in still more impenetrable
gloom, until one day an old farmer
drifted into the depot and asked if l had
been losing any trains lately, For the
old man chuckled, 4 saw one runnin'
round loose last winter. 1t ran up to my
farm yard and the engineer axed me if
he might fill his biler tank at my well. l
said he might and got him Il bucket
After he had filled up he axed me the
road to the nearest town, borried chaw
o. tobacky and lit out. never seed him
sence,' and the honest farmer shuflled
away.
"WelI that was three years ago l
have not seen the lost extra, but have
heard from 10 several times. 1t was seen
by a balated hunter one stormy night,
when it rushed by him like the wind, its
headlight cleaning like the evil eye of
some demon. Others have heard its un-
earthly Shrek mingling with the howl
ing storm. Sometimes it startled the
lonely farmer in the dead of night, when
the engineer will ask permission to take
water, aud inquire the direction to the
nearest town. 1t is seldom seen by rail-
road men, who call it the Flying Dutch
man of the plains, and consider it an
evil omen when seen by one of them. 1t
is said that poor Billy Yates saw the
specter train coming down the track
just before he struck the broken rail
that hurled him and two others into
eternity"
Higbie threw the stub of his cigar into