The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-09-25
BOX CAR NO. 1914.
BY M. QUAD.

: BOX CAR NO. l4l4. 9
Q BY M. QUAD. 9
8 COPYRIGHT. 1900, BY G. B. LEWIS q
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You have read of adventures and
mysteries connected with locomotives,
but on the B. and G. road we had
plain, ordinary freight car which came
to be talked about more than all the
rest of the rolling stock put together.
1t was a stoutly built box car, painted
dark brown, and the number on sides
and ends was 1414. The first trip of
the car was down to Petersburg, to be
loaded with wheat. There were six
empty cars in all on the train, all
wheat cars, and they were in the mid
die of a string of 80 cars. Fifteen miles
north of Petersburg was the crossing
of the NJ. P. road. At the crossing all
trains had to slacken speed, and when
this particular train drew near steam
was shut off, and the speed of 20 miles
an hour was reduced to ten. No car
had ever jumped the track at the cross
ing, but on this occasion No. 1414
broke away from the car ahead and be-
hind, jumped the tracks and ran dis
lance of 80 feet over the hard baked
earth, to bring up against a switch
mans shanty and demolish it. No 9th
er car left the tracks. The division SUI
perintendent and master mechanic
swore that it was utter nonsense to
talk of single car cutting itself out
of train in that fashion, but they had
to swallow their words. The only dam
age to No. 1414 was the broken coup
lings and when pulled back on the
tracks she was ready to move right
off. No reason could be given why she
had cut loose and there was consider
able gossip over the incident.
The next affair in the history of the
box car occurred about a month later
and gave her a ghostly standing the
whole length of the line. She had been
unloaded at Beamer's Station and left
on the siding to be picked up. 1t hap
pened that she was the only car there,
and when the station agent closed for
the night he saw that her wheels were
securely blocked against the rising
wind. At midnight, under the driving
influence of a gale, that car climbed
over a tie with all her wheels, ran up
{koJ, fhn fI.oa oh a fhn
frog, and after blowing along for 30
feet 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
q header off the stone bridge into the
creek and next day was found quar-
ter of 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
carelessness, 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
ing car or locomotive, but railroad Off
Gals detest one. When No. 1414 was
hauled back on the track, the men were
for branding her with the title Of
"Ghost," but an order went up and
down the line to keep hands off. Give
a 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 a 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 a 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 run
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 a ladder planted against 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
I1o hnr xxyhnalC Chn
taken TO the shop and lifted off the
trucks, and axles and wheels were in
spected down to fine hair. The
wheels were absolutely true, and so
were the axles and the hang of the
trucks. No better box car was ever
built, but No. 1414 was not sent back
on the road for few weeks. The Off
Gals waited until the gossip had died
out. There was talk of giving her a
new number, but that would have been
admitting that she was a queer" car.
After vacation of eight weeks the
car was loaded with flour for Wells
vile and made the trip without Incl
dent. She was reloaded with shocks
for Chicago cooper, but not without |
an adventure. There was rich old |
widower at Wellsville named Carney, |
and he had lovable daughter named |
Mary. While the girl was in love with |
a young fellow named Phillips, the IA
Their wanted her to marry man of his |
own choice. The result was an elope !
ment and perhaps the only one of the
kind ever heard of. With the comfy |
ance of the station agent Phillips and
the girl were locked up in No. 1414,
provided with food and water, and
while the wrathy old father was riding