The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-10-31

Efnes with = DpAFlt 81 DevfltFy.
Pick out ten Of your acquaintance that
you meet on the street every day. ask
them II they arc supcrstiti1us. and Eine
Of them will unhesitAttnglt inform you
that they are not Observation has led
me to conclude that the nine men who re-
turn the negative answer are uninten-
tional liars
They may be perfect paragons OF truth
N business matters. and they VIII naster
themselves that they are telling the truth
In this respect. but in the innermost re-
cesses Of their soul there Is that little
grain Of superstition that, in spite Of all.
VIII row and again bob up to give the
quiet lie to that assertion 50 boldly made.
They will not start an undertaking on
Friday. they have q horror OF the fatal
Il" and cold chill crawls down their
back when they observe the moon over
their left shoulder. And all this time
these mcrtais try to cajoIe themselves into
the belief that they are not superstitious-
II 10 said that away up above US there is
an angel whose duty IL IL to record our
every thought. word and deed. II that
angel Is keeping record of the supersti-
tiovs thoughts In the short existence of
the worldly man. there must certainly be
that record chamber.
1t 10 . generally accepted theory that a
certain class Of humankind are more prone
10 superstition than others. Sailors are
notably inclined that way. Actors may
De classed in the same category. Then
come gamblers. a class of men who will
not hesitate TO declare that they are SUI
persfitious and they don't care who knows
IT, II You doubt this assertion just drop
into gambling room some time when ali
the games are in full blast. Walk UP to the
faro table. buy a stack of blues, exhibit
rabbits foot and ask the dealer what
the limit is. That dealer will turn down
tne box and ask you to cash in Or If
you cnsnce 10 carry an umbrella just ele-
vate II In the room-but l would advise
yon not to do the latter act unless you
are Sulliyan-Sharkey-F iizsimmons-Cor-
pett and Wyatt carp all combined in one.
There would be music in the air at that
1urciure and the man who carried the
umbrella would be playing the role of bass
drum. with cymbal attachment, and al
though he might be out OF tune. the men
VINO constituted IL their duty TO play upon
him would Tot stop to notice it,
huf now come down TO class Of men
VINO are fully as superstitious as any of
the others. and for their vagaries. or what
ever you desire 10 call it. I can vouch.
Railroad men. from the general mana
ger down to the latest acquisition on the
line, In the person OF the '.ham'' opera
Tor at Podunkviile, are superstitious.
Dig wreck occurs on the road. That
means Two more" remarks the general
manager to his private secretary. Won
de- where the next two will occur?" saws
the superintendent to the train dispatch
err And when the train crews running
on mat division meet at the end OF their
runs or at way stations. the sole topic
OF discussion Is the next two wrecks. And
every last one OF them knows that the
next Two wrecks are to come. and come
tney surely will within a weeks time.
inen there are unfortunate cabooses
ana uniucky locomotives Recollection
carries me back TO caboose :, used on
whak Is now the Chicago Minneapolis &
81. Paul road. In the infancy OF that line
OF railway In the spring Of 1854 that ca
ooose made its appearance. It was con-
sidered beauty In those days and when
was turned over TO Conductor Dan
Ryan the other employees of the line had
to lift their hats to him. But Dams 10y
was OF short duration. A little slip OF the
loot as he tired to step on the forward
end or the caboose while the train was in
motion. and the doctor who was called
said that Dams life could be saved. but
ne would lose two legs. That was the be-
ginning OF an ugly record. Arms. legs and
lives were sacrificed under the wheels Of
when several years after the first acct
dent. high official OF the road was liter
ally cut into inches while trying to board
tEat fatal car at Pewaukee Wis the
tuggernaut disappeared from the road.
Then there are locomotives that arc I'M
fortunate. too. IN the early '10s the first
coal-burner made its appearance on the
milwaukee & st. Paul road. In these
days locomotives bore ran,e rs well as
number The first engine TO come out
without the petticoat stack was named
Columbus" and she was a beauty She
made one trip on a freight train to loosen
up her bearings. and then she was put
Into passenger service, with Bob Grace at
tbs throttle. One peculiar feature about
this locomotive was that while Bob Grace
was In the cab all the accidents happened
In the same locality. and none OF than
were serious further than to cause de-
lay. First came the loss of a driver: then
a derailment. few days afterwards a
second deraiiment followed. and within a
week the driving rod on the right-hand
side slipped from It's fastenings. and
smashed the cab and the engineers seat
to smithereens.
s. s. Merrill. since deceased. was at that
time general manager OF the road, and as
he had grown up wsth the system he was
familiar with every car and locomotive on
the line. When the Columbus made her
master mechanic that the engine would
have 20 be taken out OF passenger service
at once.
Fer Tho next two years that locomotive
cut up more devsltry than can be recorded
In TIE shor, space allotted sn a newspaper
article. IL was almost impossible for her
70 haul n train over the track without do
.ng some damage. Lives were sacrificed,
stmns we're lost. and at LAST the company
decided that the Inflated Columbus"
might he used as n switch engine, as there
was little chance for Il TO do damage in
that capacity. They did not know thar en-
gtne. a short ttrne after n was placed IN
the yard at Wasertown. Wis. the boiler
exploded while she switching crew were
at lunch And when the sratnmen heard
OF the accsdcnt every one OF them uttered
a PRAYER Of thanksulneSs.
There are dozens OF other matters 7
could cite 20 show that there is something
in superstition.
IL not. why DO things come osst Just ehe
way they DO. ami come THAI way so oftene
BY the way. Bryan vac nominated on
Friday. MARTIN MULDOON.