The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-18
GIFTED WITH SECOND SIGHT.
Strange Experiences His Ensa"s Oh
Horace L.. Seaycr.

n
rience on the iron horse mas eAteiiaSa
over two or three decades mas III neails
every instance met with many happ1n
ings of more than ordinary interest,". -
has been in wrecks. has hau huii,pes
of narrow escapes and he can tel 81
many an odd occurrence IL he feeis IKE
IT, A number of engineers IN chicago
have handled the throttle for over
quarter of a century. Three OF these
men have been on the ROAD LOT over .
years.
The man who is third in length OF ex-
perience is, in many respects al least
the most remarkable engineer ltNins IL
Chicago. His name is Horace l.. SeaV-
er, and he lives at 81 Twenty-thlra
street. For over 81 years Mr.. SeaNef
has run an engine on the limos zen
trail railroad Each year he mas traV-
eled more than $4,000 miles, so that aito-
gether he has travelled greater imam oo
times around the world. Apparently
the engineer is gifted with second sight'
for he has never been in wreck OF
escaped one without having sometime
before a premoniti0n that something
was going to happen. Frequently this
peculiar premonition has taken SUCH
definite shape that Mr.. SeaVer mas seen
perfectly before him the details OF the
danger to be avoided and has thus been
enabled to save his train ana passen-
gers from destruction and death. a
few days ago Mr.. Seaver related to a
representative of the. Sunday Chronicle
a number of instances in which his Pc
culiar gift saved life and property.
Late the night before the Fourth or
July, 1890. Mr.. Seaver started from
Springfield to Chicago with passenger
train on which there We're 800 persons.
An hour or more after midnight ne
dropped into a state of semi-conscious-
ness as he sat straight up IN ms cap.
Suddenly something resembling the
4f Nr hiGnnrGd
stop. The bridge is buTned-the bridge
is burned" In an instant the engineer
was wide awake and leaning out OF ms
cab window. In less than 20 minutes
after he had received the warning ne
saw far ahead at the side of the track
a glow such as is ordinarily cast by the
diving fires which tramps leave at the
sides of the road bed. Two or three
hundred yards from the fire Engineer
Seaver stopped the train, and. running
forward, discovered that a bridge wnlcn
had spanned 35-foot stream mad been
burned, having been set on fire by an
engine which had passed over 1t nVe
hours before.
About eight years ago Mr.. Seaver
started from his home in Chicago down
to the depot to take out his tram 10
/ Springfield. Even before he climbed in
his cab he felt a premonition that a
| certain bridge a few miles from the
/ town of Buckley was down. There had
been heavy rains and ice was coming
| down many of the streams IN the coun-
| try in great quantities and his VISION
! showed that ice had carried away the
supports of the bridge. The engineer
/ said nothing about it to anyone, lest II
should turn out that the bridge was all
/ right. So, pulling his train out into
| the dark, rainy night, without mention
| ing his fears, he began the run TO
/ Springfield.
n ,Str1,t t,pt tsuf N n
| bridge A quarter of a mile this side of
| it the engineer stopped the train. The
conductor ran forward to see what was
/ the matter SeaVer told the conductor
/ that he was sure there was something
wrong ahead at the bridge. The con-
ductor laughed at him and told him to
pull ahead. Seayer insisted that they
! should go ahead together and examine
/ it, The two men went forward through
| the rain and found the bridge almost
ready to drop into the stream Inc lee
| had carried away the pillars and the
bridge was sunken broken and twisted
until ii would have been unsafe for a
/ dog to cross.
An even more startling instance oc-
Cured once when the engineer was
taking train out of Cairo. Near Cairo
| Is a great bridge nearly half mile In
length. Just as MIR. Seaver was start
/ ing from town with the train 1t seemed
to him that he could see crossties
| sticking up between the ties few feet
from the far end Of the bridge. The
! night was dark and the engineer could
i only see ahead as far as the light was
thrown by the headlight Of the locomo-
| tive. As he drew near the end of the
bridge he slowed down until the head
| light threw its glare within few YARDS
of the end of the bridge. Half dozen
crossties protruded above the bridge q
foot and half or two feet. Tran
| wfeckers had placed the ends or the
vertical ties between those of the bridge
so that their ends rested on the ground
As soon az the ties came into view Sea
| yer stopped the train and the crew
| went forward and removed the obstruc.
/ tions.
Some years ago Mr.. Seayer was TAX
| ing "a train out of st. Louis on an Inn
portant run. Two roads had been told
that a big freight consignment would
| be made TO the one which made the
best time ON a given run out of the
! city. Mr.. Seaxer took out the trial
train. He took enough water at st
Louis to last the entire trip that he
| might save the time which was ordi-
| narily expended at the little town OF
| Manteno in making stop for water
The engineer felt when he started oul
that danger was impending. Wnen he
! arrived al the water tank station IN
| Manteno something impeiled him &c
stop for water. He did so. ana Wnile
water was running into the tender hf
walked ahead on the track and 20S
| yards in front Of the engine he founc q
baby about year old asleep between
the rails. The engineer picked up the
| child and carried il into the first house
| and went ahead on his run. He made
up all the time lost and won the freight
/ contract for his road.
Mr.. SeaNers last experience was
nh 1xyga nc
| ing Ordinarily when lie pulls out from
The crossing he puts on a fun head o.
steam. On this particular night H.
| surprised the crew by pulling out very
slowly. The fog Was so very thlcl
that IT was impossible TO see more thar
few yards ahead. Suddenly trair
which had been moving in the opposite
direction on the next track stopped ant
Mr.. Seayer saw a brakeman's Lantern
moving at the side of his own engine