Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-11-30
Portland Engineer Tells q
Weird and Uncanny Yarn.
CLAIMS to Have Seen a Man Long
Dead Who Warned Him.
dig Co'''s'on Was Avoided by Listening to
Wandering Spook.

''NNrt ''- i4tS G.lttiFll npEiE ''Spt
'n'il views hut they generally tel. In,
''u.h Il" "alter what happyns.
may 1ai!ly be r"asCne.i therefore III. u
the io"owin- tale has SOME foundatini
III iact. The other night i paSscugel
tram on certain railroad which
,uucheS Portland Was running along al
q rarid rat" vhen th, engineer h.;n 4
the little peanut whistle which ;e at.
tached to the air brake signal rive
three short sharp toots right oveY. hi.
neal. ThiS is signal To stop ut III,
next station and is answered bv two
snort tootS on thc engine whistle as !,
signal TO the conductor that the signal
ne made was heard ana will be daily at
tented 10. 1t was ABOUT three miles IL
the next station aud the engineer did
NOT feel called upon to shnt off Or ap-
ply the air. In Il moment the signal
Of three toots on the pectlut whistle
was repeated aud again he answer. 1
Win twD tocts on Tile steam ,vr.stI,.
remarking to hiWself ut the eamc tine.
Guess JimS cot viie"ls" mecAins
thereby that the conductor vas
troubled with torGetrulness
Presently NJ cano t. the place i her.
II was proper 10 slow down prarara.
tory 10 stopping nj the next station
ana hc accordingly shut off and applied
th@ air a little easy. Then he gave il
q l1nger dose and then another Of Tie
same. Then h" put it on good ana har,l
and III" train drew up 1T the station
VERY nicely.
II" station was on the fireman side
and that individual leaned ttr ont Of
his window to watch for th. W.V,. uf
n" conductors lantern that WAS the
signal for him to shout Right" across
the cab 70 the engineer. II. waited for
full half a minute and hr signal Iii In {
~om". lust then the engineers nostri!S
were dSSailed hy the odor or sonlethinC
llk" fried iish that had beer allowed to
catch on on" side. He knew what thut
meant. hot box"
He accordingly Skinned down from
the cab With his long rosed oil can
and flaming torch ana started to r!lsn
around the machine from oil hole 10 oil
hole until he found the hot place -
he "dmc around the front end OF the
engine he rar slap into a man Who
looked 10 him SO much like Mr.. Edward
Weymouth. for many years a corduC-
W. VII tI4f' I'fSii'II dlii'-. ttllu tll''
man VINO went through the bridge al
Boothby's crossing one cold snow! day
some twenty years ago. that he stopped
short. A second look convinced him
that the man was Mr. Weymouth ror
he had his cap on. his lantern on his
arm and his eye glasses on his nos" Just
as he had seen them thousands Of
times. tn" engineer is not given TO
nerves hut he confessed that tilie
shook him up q good deal for he knew
perfectly we'll that Mr.. Weymouth
died some years ago after having re-
tired from service He was about To-
step one side ana pass around this aI-
partition or whatever il might be. when
Mr. Weymouth stepped in front ~ him
and said Wait"
At the same moment the conductor
of the train camc rushing M to III
quirt. what in the world was the mat
ter with the engineer anyway. He had
given no signal to stop end there We're
no passengers to get off. Neither wa
there flag cut at the station. In f3rt
the station was closed and the agent
was over at his house near by q sup
per. The engineer did not feel ~
actly like telling the conductor what
he thought he had seen. 50 lie NUT
tered something about 4 hot bearing
and went around the front Of tn" en-
gine hunting. for the smell that he had
noticed
In moment the station agent ca're
,unning across the field TO see why tie
train had stopped without being
tagged. AS he came along ne heard
his call on the telegraph sourder and
listening took of an order to this train
10 stop ard let west bourd special
pass.
He gave the order verbally and then
wrote it out Before the engineer and
conductor had signed for it the west
bound special came rushing along GO
ino at about fifty-iiv. miles an hour
and falling to indicate its intention 10
stop In fact it was out Of sight and
miles away before the men on the plat
form fairly knew what had happened.
Then the conductor and engineer fell
to wondering what would have haC-
pencd if the train mad not had that
providential hot box and stopped 10
cool it. but had gore along on the
single track. Tn" engineer was Is
pecially worried but ,ie Kept his worry
to himself for the conductor IS not a
very firm II. lever in ghosts and the en-
ginrrr does not like to be laughed at.
IL. went al around the engine and
as far back as the smoking car but
could find no hot boxes nor anN.hinS
else that was hot except the fir. in the
fire box. Then he climbed back into
the cab and sjcniffed his readiness TO
start by giving two short tootS OF III"
Whistle. He saw q lantern wave lust
by his side out of the window and or
giancinC out. saw the tall and h"nt
form Of the white haired veteran civ
inc him The sigma! to 90 on.
What that engineer wants TO know Is
what he was UP against an' why things
were as they were.
Scallops are again IL the market ~
the rate OF 20 cents pint. Not 10 nave
tasted fried soallors or scallop stew Is
not to have experienced an epicNrean