Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1896-05-21
THE GHOST TRAIN.

marrow gduS' IVd' IL voc 49, :
crooked. Even in the Utah desert
there were many curves among the
sand hills that have been piled up dur
ing the past few thousand years. \
locomotive-one of a type known as
"sewing machines, because all then
machinery was in sisht-was trying tc
make a spur for the general manager
special, against which she had a time
order. The time was growing alarm,
ingIv short, and the driver Of the light
engine knew that the man on the
special with the general manager be-
hind him, would be crowding the limit
To be allowed to "pull' the genera.
manager is an honor earnestly stryer
for bv engineers, and when once OBJ
taiued is carefully guarded IT. wa,
clear, dry day in the early autumn
the very best time Of the year for
fast run, and "Old Sam had beer
gaugiug his speed for fifty miles back
50 as to hit Coyote spur on the dot, anc
break the record for fast running OF
tha Alkali division.
By the rules Of the road five min
utcs were allowed for the variation o
watches, but the rule is not alway'
wholly respected, and as the man OF
the special was known to be DARN;
driver the sewing machine crew saw
they were in close place long before
the smoke of the approaching locomo
tive was seen. Now they had barely
five minutes left and nothing for thu
variation and the coveted siding fou
miles away. If the opposing trall
failed to respect the 'fve-minute rule
she might at that moment be passing
the spur. At last there remained bu
a single mile, and only a minute to dc
| it in. The throttle was wide open anC
| the little engine was rolling SO tha
tba baII runo continually, The fire
man had put in his last fire and wa
now sraining his eyes to catch tn
smoke Of the special.
The engineer, with his left hand or
the whistle rope, clung to the side o
the cab to keep from being throw
out of the right Of way.
The wheels under the sewing ma
chine were so small that the best sh
could do was forty-fve miles, and nov
when she came down to the very las
second there was still a quarter Of
mile between her and the meeting
point, but at that moment the flynn
wheels of the special engine crashe'
over the switch and shut herout. Th
little sewing machine, hid among tn
sand hills was straining every nerv
to reach the passing point at whc
she was already overdue. The ma
on the special was Just beginning t
feel sure of his position when he round
ed curve and saw the light engin
emerging from a shadow cut. c
course he shut off and tried to lesse
the force of the collision, but to sto
was out of the question.
The fireman on the light engine sa'
the special and warned his compar
ion, for they were curving to the lei
and the driver could not see, but tn
four men knew that nothing coul
prevent a dreadful collision and tha
in a few seconds time they would a
be piled up in heap. Both driver
had called to their fremen to juml
and the fremen had turned to the,
windows. The special engineer Wa
in the act Of reversing, that he migL
take the good opinion of the ofici'
with him. The other driver onl
showed the throttle in, braced himse
and waited for the shock.
\ man who has never lived over h
last moment on earth and survived t
tell about it afterwards can nevt
know how much business one ca
transact in his mind during that MI
ment in which he waits and lister
for the swish of the scythe. But OF
does not always revive his past life
such moment often he wastes tin
thinking upon mere trife.
The driver of the special engine ha
a boy, and this boy had climbed up c
a picket fence to kiss his father goo
bye that morning at their home in Sa
Lake, but he slipped, fell and hui
there with fence picket through Il
seat of his first pair of trousers al