The Penn's Grove record., 1895-11-22
A ISPLACEDSWITCH

NA q AAfHN ""f
tokens. To be sure, when l was ver
young, 1t q 4s wont to startle NJ
some What when old Aunt Sock
Smart useh to come owe to borrow
'drawln" OF tea OF my mother, an
before going stand with her hand o
the door latch while she told abou
the corpse lights that old Desco
Jimpson seer on his harness a fe'
nights afore he fell of'n a load OF ha
an broke his neck" or ''that Mis-
EAlet might "a knowed her littI
Aleck wasn't goin' to live long, III
the very night he was took sick the.
come three short knocks at the bed
room winder, an a terrible groanin
noise; an, OF course, the little felle
didn't live hut three days after that
Just a day for each knock.
Increasing years and d disposition
to inquire into the cause OF any mys
FERROUS noise or appearance had muci
to do with ~dispelling the slight I'm
pressions male on a childish mind
and | repeat that l am totally free
from all superstition along the iinei
OF which l have spoken. Notwith
standing my skeptlcism In this oil
rection, l must allow that strange
things sometimes happen, thing;
which might be explained by thoit
who have made the mysterious work
ings Of the human mind a close
study, but which lie I'VE the ordinary
mortal 10 a maze OF doubt as to how
and why these things can be So.
Before giving an account OF thu
strangest event Of my life, / wish II
to be understood that l am not writ
ing a story" hutam giving a strict
" acturste account Of a psychological
mystery, the key TO which i have
never yet found. During the sum
mel of 1854 ] was night clerk In the
car record Office Of the b. & II. Rail
road Company at Wolstina Junction,
the terminal point Of the road. and
where it delivers its passengers and
freight over to the safe keeping Of
the great trunk | mes The Office is
situated at the end Of the immense
freight yard, aud a mile below tn
junct on proper. A little way back
Of the ONCE and at the end Of gu te
d sharp incline is the roundhouse
with its accompanying turntable in
front The roundhouse track is con-
nected with the main track by a
switch a little below the Office and
as they direrge and run either side
OF the building. it is left standing 10
what is called In railroad parlance,
Y.
Mine was a rather lonesome iok
In those days there was no night
switeh gang, and my duties were
legion. ! was night clerk, night
yard master and all-around night
caretaker, with nothing to break the
m~onotony Of the long hours of dark
ness except the occasional coming 10
of a freight train, or the arrival OF
departure Of the night expresses, OF
which there were two, Nos 30 and
SO, the latter coming In and the
former going out at > o'clock a. H.
1t was the custom Of the crew of No.
IS to run their engine out at LAS.
cross the main track, run around
their coaches, which lay on the OPP
posite side Of the yard, couple ON and
back their train up to the junction
where, on a siding, they awaited the
coming Of No. SO before they could
go out, the b. & II. being a single.
track road. 1t vas the duty OF No.
ass baggagemaster to see that all
switches were left right, and as he
was known to be a careful man, no
questions were ever asked as 10
whether or not this duty had been
performed.
One still, hot night in August /
heard the engine of No 80 come out
Of the house, stop at the water plug
for a few minutes, cross over the
main and perhaps a dozen other
tracks To the coach tracks, and a few
minutes later / babe Conductor Stew
art good night after he had stopped
at my open window for q moment To
greet me. l listened vaguely to the
labored breathing Of the engine as
she backed her train up the rather
heavy grade 10 the junction, and then
looked at the little nickel clock on
my desk. 1t was l:45; In a little
more than ten minutes 1 would hear
the dun rOar of No. So as she ran
across the river bridge a mile below.
A moment later the mellow glare OF
her headlight would light up the long
of freight cars standing in the
yard, the engineer would blow a long
whistle, and l would wave my Ian.
tern w my head as a signal that
ali Vas right, then he would give two
short toots Of recognition and the
long line of coaches and sleepers
would fash by and l would lay the
switches for the outgoing No. SO.
AS l looked at my clock the
thought struck me, suppose that
the baggagemaster had forgotten Ia
close The switch on the main. what
then? Why, nothing could save SO
straight into the turntable
pit, and l shuddered when ! thought
1f the terrible possibilities of such ar
&C ident
Something within me said, &c
Ind see if the switch is right"
go. Go. Co." shrieked the voice.
l glanced at the clock once more
rs l drew a fresh report sheet toward
ne; it was l;55, and l listened fol-
The sound Of No. 80 crossing thu
liver, but heard it not.
"ihe switch is wrong" urged thu
mysterious voice.
Cant be that it's wrong" ]
Argued, this tine aloud; Patsy,
yet failed to close that switch
aud he's closed it tonight, without a
"lts wrong to night" said my tor,
Aentor, cit Isn't far; 80 aud see TO
iOdrsClt."
va getting very nervous, auo
Ehen the clock told the hour
,, a cod sweat broke out upon me.
The tran WAS now overdue. and st II
sat there, pretend ng to make out
Interchange report, but in reality
,ry ins 20 light or by stubbornness
he something that Kept constantly
,!amoring for me to go to the switch.
The clock hands pointed TO 2:04; there
Te5c as yet no Indications OF the an
i'o4ch OF No 81, but l could stand
no longer, l sel1cd my Lantern
md ran 10 the switch.