The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-02-12

1t was concerned. Persistent inquiry
failed to locate it, and went to Itch
field. There the books of the agent
showed that the powder had been re-
ceived, but in C. S. (meaning Canada
Southern) car No. 800, and that the
car had been emptied and dispatched
to Port Huron, Mich, as standing or
ders We're to return to that point all
empty cars of that line. The name and
number being somewhat similar, / con-
cluded to go to Port Huron. Arriving
there found the car had been sent to
Singleton, Mich, just a few days be-
fore. where it was to load it with shin
giles.
Taking the first train there found
a sawmill and lumber yard in the midst
of primeval forest. Going at once to
the single side track there inspected
the cars, half a dozen in number, and
half loaded with shingles, at the side of
the mill. / found c. S. car 800, as ex-
pected. A close inspection. however,
revealed that on the trucks and other
iro" work underneath was our COM
pany's name, as nearly all companies
do mark their cars 1t was easy to see
ly painted. The ends, however, were
badly scorched, and the original boards
had been repainted. The stills of the
car were badly smoked. This was evil
IDENTIFY our car. In reply to a telegram
it was ascertained that at the time of
the great oil refinery fire in the yards
in East st. Louis in the previous fall a
number ON cars were burned, some be-
ing totally consumed, and others dam
aged Our car had been injured, evil
IDENTIFY, and in the process of repairing
it had been wrongly reletteredAfter the
usual routine of correspondence the car
was turned over to us by the Canada
Southern people. along with a bill for
$3.50, which they had paid for repairs,
and mystery No. 5000 was solved.
Perhaps none of the many inspectors
and railroad men knew how near they
had been to death when that car, load
ed with enough powder to wipe out the
city, had been in the midst of them
with the woodwork all on fire.
another interesting experience in
tracing lost cars fell to my lot last
summer. While in an Eastern city /
received orders to go at once to ella
Bend, Ariz., and see if l could locate
box car 2,172 of the Mississippi Central,
a branch leased line of the Alabama
Great Southern. This car had been the
subject of a great deal of correspond
ence before it had even been traced so
far. 1t had been in Texas and from the
Houston and Texas Central had been
traced to Toledo, st. Louis and Kansas
City railroad, thence to st. Louis again,
and from there it had gone west to Ne
vada, where it had been loaded with
silver ore. Thence it had been back to
Argentine, Kan, to the smelter, where
it had remained month before being
unloaded. and then by a yardmaster' $
error had been billed to Yuma, AriZ.,
in place of Selma, Ala. 1t had broken
down at ella Bend, Ariz., en- route, and
had been set off on an abandoned spur
track almost overgrown with cactus
and sage brush. The spur at one time
led to quarry of quartz rock some
three miles back, but had been aband-
oned
1.-THE locality was as desolate as a
hermit could desire, not an inhabitant
being within miles, and name was
given to it only because occasionally a
stockman tagged the train South of
the bend was sand waste-an arid
desert Dropping off the train at this
place, was lonesome in a minute, and
the only consolation could get out of
the situation was that the west-bound
train would be along in three hours,
and could get back into civilization
at Mineral Point, village some sixty
miles away.
Taking the track or spur switch
which left the main line at the bend of
the road I walked along the ties-the
rails having been removed, except a
few lengths near the track, and / wan
dered along for half a mile through the
cactus Watching for ella monsters
rattlesnakes, and other pleasant So
journers whom I might intrude upon
to my sorrow. I at last came upon
what appeared to be the end of the
grade. The track disappeared at the
edge of q high sand hill, evidently a
formation of some wind storm for
which the deserts are noted. Why,
do not know; but curiosity prompted
me to climb this hill, which was some
ering an acre of more. When once on
top, after a hard climb, / was reward
ed only by the sight of stretch OF
sand plains, unbroken save by sage
brush clumps and other sand hills like
the one upon which I stood.
Seeing nothing of interest, and anxi-
Gus to get away from the lonesome
spot, 1 was upon the eve of returning
when from behind a little sand knoll a
quarter of mile away saw a curl OF
smoke arising. Thoughtless of possible
danger in this haven for outlaws and
renegade Indians l struck out to see
who could be fool enough to locate
there. A tiresome walk brought me ir
sight of the fire, and to my astonished
gaze, what should l see in what had
formerly been the old quartz quarry
but dilapidated box car, out of which
came smoke, while, nearly half dozen
copper-colored Pluto Indians children
and q full assortment of native dogs
lolled in the sun. No Indians being or
the warpath made bold to venture up
An old squaw was busily engaged tan
mig some kind of hide while an old bucl
lay stretched out asleep inside rug Of
wolf hides. Unable to converse ir
their language, I confined myself to g
survey of the premises, and, while the
trucks and running gear of the cars
were buried in drifted sand, the south
side showed plainly that it was what
was left of Mississippi Central No
2,172, the lettering and paint being al
gone off the side most exposed to the