Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1899-09-09
Circus Train HOOdOO
An Engineers Story OF Air Brakes
That Would Keep Getting Set
lA3AAASAAsASA&A&AHA.

wv kind OF q lunch the other Fri
day night" said the fat engineer to a
circle of his friends. 1T was the night
OF the big circus in town and we had
the job of towing the circus train over
the division. When I met Murphy. my
side partner, in the round house that
night, he says to me:
Say, Bill, are you superstitious?
Do you believe in signs?'
Mary said; not unless it's a res
taurant sign or sign for the pay car
"I've had ali sorts of queer things
happen to me to-day he says. First,
/ got up on the wrong side of the
bed, and then got my shirt on hind
side foremost. took it off and changed
it, and my wife says that's the worst
thing / could have done. She said If
wanted to break the hoodoo / should
have left il on. But 1 didn't want to
come downtown looking like ferry
boat and have people ask me which way
/ was going. Then to keep the good
work going broke a looking glass this
afternoon, and everything seems to
have been going wrong all day. I've
got a creepy feeling like 1 ulster have
when 1 buried cats in n graveyard at
midnight to kill warts. The folks
wanted me to lay off this trip, but
thought it was all foolishness, so here
] am
Huh said; you didn't see a cross
eyed black cat with a crumpled tail or
a fat niger with white spots, did you?
".No.'
OR dream your mother-in-law was
deadT He answered in the negative.
WELL says, 4 guess Wen go through
.. X. with nothing more serious than
Dustin water glass
"'What train we going TO catch out
Tonight? he asked.
"'Circus train answered, Aas that's
about our turn OUT
"'Gee whizI' he said, I knew we'd
be up against a hoodoo. That's the
worst that could happen Circus train
and Friday night
"'Oh, gowan,' I-brol1e in, maybe the
number OF our train orders win be Is
and we1l have Is cars. You give me a
pain in the neck with your hoodoos.'
"T wish you were a giraffe, SOS you'd
have that pain good and hard was his
rather unlind remark
''My guess had been correct, and
about 1880 we got orders to proceed
down 20 the yard for the circus train.
We got down there all right and the
show people were all ready to start. IT
was a good heavy train for one engine.
and said to Murf: III take the creepy
feeling out of You before we get very far
with this train We got away, and
after we'd passed out of the yards
commenced to swing 'em along pretty
good. / felt n little drowsy, and like
all good, trusty engineers with my
hand on the throttle and my eyes on
the track, thinking of home and the
old, oaken bucket, 1 dropt into a doze.
Il was about half asleep when phut.
phw-I-s-t! / heard something go and
I brought up i'll the front of that cab
and hit my head on the door frame. ]
shut her off and wa stopped very sud
den, Just like we had broken in two OF
the train air hose had separated, set
ting the air brakes. The head brake
man came running up and says:
'Wotl you think yer dom? Tryin'
to play snap the whip?'
"'You tend to your biz and I'll lool
out for the locomotive saysI l. The "ir
pipe has busted somewhere near the
engine; heard her COP
This trains branded with a hoo
doo,' said Murf. Il wish had laid off
tonight
"'Yes, by thunder, I wish you hadl'
I thought. You make me feel like a
walking dreambool1.'
The brakeman gave me a signal to
60 ahead.
"Tfs all right he hoIlered; hose
just parted between the fourth and
fifth cars
''I tried the air, and as it worked al
right in a minute we were off again
and hitting it at a respectable clip.
wonder what made the hose par? ?
Murf hollered over to me.
Dunno answered. Il suppose
those darn nincompoops in the yard
didn't have them connected good
They
"But my little speech was here in
terrupted by my head bringing uI
against the cab window again. MUIR
stuck his head clean through the glas.
on his side. The fire was flying from
the set brakes like a Dewey celebra
ton. shut of steam, and we mad,
another Rough Rider finish.
"'Traln pipe has parted again, and
guess the way we stirred things VI
this time raust have made the fat lad,
glad that Providence has been so goo
10 her as to give her soft place to Ian
on says I.
''Mnrfs teeth were chattering, an
he says: Bill, 1 never expect to &c
home alive again. There's hNodoo o
this train
Better get your grub pail an
lunch, SOS you won't pull away hur
CRY. It's more likely hobo tryin
to get fresh cutting the train pipe
says 1.
This time the pipe had separated b.