The Delawarean., 1900-09-01
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
TX CAR NO. l4l4.
BY M. QUAD.
COPYRIGHT. 1900, BY C. n. LEWIS.


es connected with locomotives,
the b. and G. road we had a
ordinary freight car which came
|alked about more than all the
the rolling stock put together
a stoutly built box car, painted
brown, and the number on sides
DIS was 1414. The first trip of
vas down to Petersburg, to be
b wheat. There were six
) in all on the train, all
and they were in the mid
ing of 30 cars. Fifteen miles
Petersburg was the crossing
FP. road. At the crossing all
to slacken speed, and when
iular train drew near steam
|off, and the speed of 20 miles
was reduced to ten. No car
Eer jumped the track at the cross
but on this occasion No. 1414
away from the car ahead and be-
jumped the tracks and ran dis
of so feet over the hard baked
/, to bring up against a switch
S shanty and demolish it. No 9TH
r left the tracks. The division su-
ltendent and master mechanic
e that it was utter nonsense to
of single car cutting itself out
train in that fashion, but they had
vallow their words. The only dam
ITO No. 1414 was the broken coup
and when pulled back on the
ks she was ready to move right
No reason could be given why she
loose, and there was consider
lip over the incident.
ext affair in the history of the
48f occurred about a month later
gave her a ghostly standing the
ole length of the line. She had been
oaded at Beamer's Station and left
the siding to be picked up. 1t hap
bed that she was the only car there,
when the station agent closed for
night he saw that her wheels were
,urely blocked against the rising
nd. At midnight, under the driving
huence of a gale, that car climbed
yer a tie with all her wheels, ran up
sthe switch, jumped the track at the
V, and after plowing along for 80
[eet she took the rails Of the main
track and went scooting to the east.
She had clear road to Elmer, 80 miles
away, but she didn't travel the whole
distance. If she had, she would have
smashed into the express. Five miles
from Elmer No. 1414 left the rails at
what was called the Big Culvert, took
a header off the stone bridge into the
creek and next day was found a quar-
ter of a mile down stream. Charges
were made against the station agent
for carelessness, but he had had help
to block the wheels. The big cedar tie
was at hand with the marks of the
wheels as they had ground over it. 1t
was easy to trace the car from the frog
to where she had gradually climbed up
on the main track. There had been no
arelessness, but there was mystery.
There was nothing wrong with the
rails where the car had left the main
track, and when the car itself was
found and overhauled she hadn't been
damaged to the amount of cents.
Railroad men like a mystery regard
Fling car or locomotive, but railroad off,
cials detest one. When No. 1414 was
hauled back on the track, the men We're
for branding her with the title OF
"Ghost," but an order went up and
down the line to keep hands off. Give
car or an engine a bad name, and
you pave the way to somebody being
killed. While no one dared chalk mark
this car, her eccentricities became
known over every mile of the road, and
employees were gossiping as to what
she would do next. The next thing
after jumping the culvert was TRACE
dy. She had been loaded with shelled
corn in bulk at Romersville for Chica-
go, and before the doors were closed
four hoboes ensconced themselves
among the corn. 1t was "a hours ride,
and they had soft bed of it. No. 1414
was attached to freight train about
o'clock in the evening and was the
last car, or next to the caboose. No
one was really afraid of her, but there
was bit of uneasiness as she was
picked up, and special care was taken
to see If her brakes were in good order
and her journal boxes well packed.
Away she went with the others. and
nothing happened until the train reach
ed Iron Hill. 1t had to side track
there for passenger train and to pick
up three or four cars. In backing down
the long siding No. 1414 suddenly left
the track, breaking loose from the car
ahead and the caboose behind and rum
ming off at right angles. Fortunately,
she did not run over the main track,
but took the other direction and
brought up against the coal dump and
reared up on end. She stood up there
like ladder planted against a house
and had to be reported as job for the
wrecking crew. Next day, when she
was hauled back on the track and in
spected the dead bodies of the hoboes
were discovered. They had been smoth-
cred under the corn.
The master mechanic set to work to
discover why No. 1414 was a track
jumper. This was her third jump, and
it was suspected that something must
be wrong with her wheels. She was