The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-02
a HAUNTED RAILROAD.
Grange Appearances That Are Fright
9ninR Servants.

eninR Servants.
From TIE 81. Louis Globe Democrat.
Our railroeders. and especially old Job
Simmons, who tends the railroad bridge at
PsmbsrtOn Ferry, Fla. are greatly excited
over recent Developments regarding ghost
case on the railroad. About year ago
bad accident occurred here, where an en-
gineer lost his life, caused by the engine
hitting a tree and being thrown from the
track. The engineer was thrown from the
cab directly under the engine aud crushed
TO death. About three months ago the rail-
road men OF this division began talking of
the weird, strange noises heard at ono por>
tion of the track on the morning run, and
many were SO worked up about the matter
tn at they had their runs changed.
The first that was known about the matter
is that the engineer on No. "a, while passing
Elbow creek, near where the accident oc-
Cured, all Of a sudden, while looking ahead,
saw what he thought was big pins tree ly-
ing across the track. The engine was 50
near that he could not stop, although he re-
versed the engine and put on the aiF-brakes.
The huge tree was plainly seen, as he
thought, on the track ahead, and the engine
rushed toward it with headloRg speed. IL
was but a second bsfore they would striks,
the engineer thought, and in that brief time
was crowded a lifetime. As the engine ap-
peared to strike the tree he braced himself
for the shock aad closed his eyes.
To his utter astonishment no shock came,
and the engine plunged through what
seemed to be the huge tree without hin
drance, while a blood curdling cry came
from the track underneath. The train came
to a stop in short distance, and the train
men got out to investigate. Nothing was
found, of course, and, as it was only the en-
gineer and fireman who had seen this strange
appearance. they were laughed at by the
other members of the train crew.
Though startled by this occurrence, the
engineer and fireman were not convinced
OF any ghosty Gpparition until several
nights afberward, when, on one moonlight
run down on the same section, they beheld
an engine coming toward them with light
ming speed not over half mile away. Her
headlight beamed far ia advance, while the
fire frsm the fre-box made bright shadows
on the pine forests beside.
Hastily reversing his engine, the engineer
whistled for brakes and made ready to
jump; but before he could do so the other
engine was upon him, and just as he ex-
pected to hear the horrid crash and to feel
the shock the approaching engine disap-
peared, and the track was entirely free
This apparition was accompanied by the
same blood-curdliag cry-a shrek as by
some one in great agony--and the engineer
heard it. Again the train stopped, but as
one or two Of the trainmen had seen the
same occurrence more Of them believed the
engineers story. After this it got to be
almost weekly thing for one or more Of
the train crew to have experience Of this
kind.
Last Saturday on engine No SO, while
coming around the curve near this spot, the
engineer, who is a new hand, by the way,
HianarI1a1 lei he tror aa
he thought, while underneath it was revealed
the struggling figure Of man held PROSTATE
by the limbs. The night was dark, but the
bright glare Of the headlight made every
object as distinct as il at monday. He re-
versed his engine with all speed, whistled
for brakes, and turned on the sand, but his
huge engine darJed on, hardly unchecked,
and the paralyzSd engineer imagined death
at hand. He stuck to his engine, however,
closed his eyes and bracod himself for the
shock that never came.
Instead of striking the tree, the big en-
CINE clattered on, grooming aud putting, at
the reverse power applied, while as he
passed over where he supposed the tree was,
| loud shrieks filed the air, coming from the
track, from the tree tops and in all direc-
| tons. In fact, the engineer said afterwnrd
that there seemed to be an Internal pande-
monium of all the imps set loose at once.
| As the train stopped the trainmen hurried
! out and found tho engineer in a half-faint-
ing condition on his engine, while the col
ored fireman w4s almost dead with fright.
1t was several minutes bofSre they could
recover their wits sufficiently to run the
train. and when they got to the end Of the
run the engineer promptly seat In his resig-
| nation.
Several of the railroad men have ex-
pressed great incredulity about these re.
ports, and laughed at those men VINO say
they have seen the apparitions and ghosts
that they would like to meet such handles
| ghosts. but it is noticed, all the same, that
these railroad men always managed to be
! absent when run is made at night over
| this stretch of road. 1t is the talk of the
entire length Of the line, and at times 1t ia
| difficult to get engineers to take the mid