The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-04
SPOOKS AT THE KEYS.
Chief Dispatcher Forbes of the G. ID. q U
Line Tells of "A Weird Experience.

Chief Dispatcher Forbes of the &. B. q u
Line Tells of Weird Experience.
From the Minneapolis Tribune.
About 10 years ago." said Mr..
Forbes, 81 was employed at a small
way station called Lucan, on the
Grand Trunk railroad in Canada. 1t
was not very far from the American
border. at which was the town of ST.
Marys To the east of Uucan was
another station called Stratford, then
headquarters of the train dispatcher.
and quite a town. 1 was night opera
tor and dispatcher at Lucan. 1 sup
pose all stories of this kind open up
on the customary dark and stormy
night. to make the narrative good, but
this is true experience. and the night
was really dark and stormy. There
was no lightning. 1t only rained and
the wind howled around the little sta
tion in a dismal way. making a grue-
some company at best. AS / sat there
near the instrument. idle for a mo-
ment, / heard the cllnking of the keys.
1t was the train dispatcher at STRAIT
ford calling up the operator at St
Mary's, and 1 mocha nically listened to
the message. 1t was the usual form
Hold No. and No. for orders The
operator at St Marys repeated the
message correctly and signed his name
on the key.
I'm about 80 minutes I again heard
the clicking of the diSpatcher's key,
and listened. BY this time the sound
of the wind soughing among the trees
had become terribly mournful. So the
clicking of THE key was company and
music at the same time. and this Is
probably the reason l paid such close
attention to IL. l distinctly heard the
message, and to my dying day l will
be prepared to take my oath ITO IT.:
st Mary's. No. 2 and No. 20 may pro-
coed. Signed. Galbart and Farr.
II knew that Galbart was the dis
patcher at that place and that Farr
was head switch-tender. and, accord
ing to the rules Of the road. both men
were required ito counkersign train
order before Ii became effective. So
thought nothing more of 1t until /
heard the order properly repeated and
discharged. Then suddenly the keys
clicked again, and st. Mary's said the
message was received, but not under
stood. as no reference had been made
to trains No. 2 and No. 20 before. Then
the dispatchers at both stations called
me UP and asked what i had heard,
and l answered back over the wire the
exact message as Ii had clicked itself
through my office. There was more
clicking and talking. and then came
from both ST. Mary's and Stafford
We can find no such record In any or
the dispatchers files. 1t is not in the
chief dispa tcher's records
II was completely astounded," con-
tinued Mr.. Forbes. land l could not
make 1T out l was positive l had
heard the message go through. Then
the dispatchers along the line began
to jokeS hf>wired such messages as
ghosts fndi sspooks.' They were not
as strict as they are now.
THE whole thing made me nervous,
for a train dispatcher doesn't like such
Jokes while in the discharge of respon-
sible work Well we never got track
of That message.
That night No. 2 cleared on time
and went bowling up the track. And
here is where the really uncanny part
OF the story comes in. AT the little
station called St Paul, on the Cana
dian side. train No. 20 was sidetracked
and stood Kissing as 30. rushed past.
1t was an unusual thing. for No. 20
never stopped there and always waited
AT another station. So a horrible cal
amity was averted by a mysterious
ghostly message. If No. 20 had not
learned by THE inquiries over the wire
that something was the matter with
the train orders. IL would have rushed
past the station and met in horrible
collision with No. 2.
Il don't pretend to explain it," re-
marked Mr.. Forbes. closing the narra-
tive. and 1t probably never will be
exDlain