The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-03-22

started to leave the car, but his SUI
perior officer called him back.
There is not" was the conductors
reply
Perhaps said the colonel. there
was not when we went down, but there
is now. for 1 saw a locomotive stand
ing there
The conductor laughed as the super
intendent had done, but the colonel
offered to risk a case of champagne
that he had seen no "ghost" train, and
the superintendent took the bet as the
easiest way of settling an argument
which was about to become embarrass-
ing.
When the special reached Green
River the party went into the eating
house, where supper had been ordered,
and, as was his habit, the colonel sat
at the same table with the train and
engine crew
What did you shut off for just this
side of Coyote spur, SAM" asked the
colonel, looking the engineer in the eye.
and instantly the eyes of the whole par
ty were upon the drivers dusky face.
The engineer was speeches.. Not that
the circumstances had escaped his
mind, for as matter of fact he had
thought of little else, but he knew not
how to answer
Did you think that engine was on
the main line?" asked the general man
ager, noticing the embarrassment of
the engine crew.
What engine?" asked the engineer,
trying to look and speak naturally
There was only one engine there be-
sides your own was the coloneFs re-
Spouse. will you be good enough to
answer my question:"
.sWeN >. tn011o-ht thu driyyor ssif Two
got EN- the G. MS got en- and he
answered:
Il did think she was on the main
stem"
What did you think, Harry" asked
the superintendent of the fireman, who
was staring at the engineer.
The fireman only closed his eyes and
shook his head slowly as though he
considered them all crazy, and his long
lashes, dark with coal dust, lay upon
his newly washed face like the lashes
of chorus girl.
Did you see anything on your side?"
asked the colonel, who was determined
to unlock the lips of the fireman.
Not a thing" said Harry. Il don't
believe in ghosts
1T will not be necessary for you to
take out 63 Gan accident report), but [
wish you would tell me what you saw
and how it affected you" said the gen
eral manager, addressing the engineer.
May l ask you first if you saw any
thing, colonel?" said the driver.
Il saw a locomotive standing on a
spur or siding just east of Coyote.
when | see her first said Sam,
taking courage from the coloners con-
fession, "She was bang in front of us
coming out of cut like a ball out of
cannon. l saw it was all up with us,
but l naturally shut off-mechanically,
so to speak. | think | hooked her over,
but l didn't whistle, open the sand
valve nor set the air-they want no
use-no time-but just then 1 thought
of little Sammie as 1 saw him last
hangin ON the fence by the seat of his
pants, an it seemed to me that / never
see anything quite so funny, and l
laughed that hard that the tears came
in my eyes and blinded me. Then the
thought came to me that we were a.
long time comm together, so [ looked
ahead an there want a thing in sight.
| asked Harry if he see anything an
he lied, am asked if | see anything,
an l lied too, an opened up the throt-
tie again That's all I know about it. .
There was a noticeable increase In
the attention of the company, and Tim
Flarity, the flagman, leaning low to-
ward the table, crossed himself and
ventured the prediction that they
would have a head end collision before
they reached the junction. L never
see a ghost train show up yet that
didn't mean something he added, but
the burst of laughter that followed
closed his circuit, and he said no more
Now the agent came in with num-
Der of messages for the superintendent
and as the official began reading the
Of. tho lot he be09n7 To smile.
Read it out" said the colonel, per
haps it will tell us something about
the ghost The superintendent read:
Engine 81 is off the track and nearly
off the right of way 1000 yards east OF
Coyote spur, but still on her feet"
That explained the ghost engine. Al
the instant when the engineer shut on,
the sewing machine" just then round
ing a sharp curve, jumped the track,
lit square on her wheels and went
blowing out over the hard adobe of the
desert. She rolled and rocked for
few seconds and then came to a stop
with the enginemen still standing in the
cab. The engine had been working
hard and if the throttle had remained
open she might have made the curve
all right, but the sudden relaxation of
all her tension caused a jar that threw
her off her feet, but it was lucky jar
for her crew.
Since that time, however. old Sam
has been in hard luck He has al
ready lost three legs. The last one be-
ing caught under an engine, was chop
ped off by the conductor with an ordin-
airy ak to prevent the engineer being
roasted alive. Those who witnessed the
operation say that Sam rested on one
elbow and smoked a cigar until the
conductor had hacked away at his an
kle. 1t was a wooden leg.