Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-12-27
EnGINEERS' SUPERSTITION.
One Says His Life Was Saved by His
Wife's Alarming Dream.

One Says His Life Was Saved by His
Wife's Alarming Dream.
Railroad engineers are inclined to be
superstitious. They hesitate to admit
the truth of the assertion, but, like al
men who are constantly exposed t.
danger, they come to expect disaster
to be preceded by herald.
mo. am not superstiti0us, said
one, "but my wife is, and l have'nev-
er been in wreck since we were mar
ried but what she predicted it was go
ing to occur. / remember when I was
running out of Salida on the Rio
Grande that by her insistance in the
truth of dream she saved my life. I
was to have taken out the freight in
the morning, but she awakened me
soon after midnight. 'Oh, Jim, she
said, Il have had such horrible dream.
l thought saw 404 (that was my en-
gine) plunge into another engine. l
heard the crash, Jim. and the hiss of
escaping steam and the cries of the
poor fellows pinned under the wreck.
You must not go out in the morning
I know you will be injured laugh
ed at her and told her to go to sleep,
that she was nervous. She protested.
but was tired and was soon snOOzing
the sleep OF the just. When I awoke
at 6 o'clock, saw that she was pale
and haggard and saw that if 1 went
out she would be nervous wreck be-
fore 1 returned. 1 decided to give in
for once and fixed it up so that anoth-
er man took out my train. His body
was brought back in the evening. They
had had collision up the line. My
substitute was killed and the other en-
gineer and both of the fremen were
badly injured. I pay more attention
to my wife's dreams now, but con-
slider it cowardly to act upon them. If
my engine is going into a smash up l
will be at the throttle and the little
woman at home must depend upon her
prayers to save me-"
"You may call it superstitiOus if you
like," laughed Charlie Frye, the vet
eran engineer on the Rio Grande, ''but
have come to regard the number thir-
teen with certain amount of awe. To
show you how it is interviewer with
the tragedies of my life: On July 13,
1901, I was pulling Train No. out of
Denver. At thirteen minutes past IL
I struck wagon containing Max Wag-
ner and bis 13-year old boy near Pc
tersburg. The boy was killed. I re-
ported the accident from the Littleton
Office, and was delayed just thirteen
minutes. At Palmer the conductor
casually remarked that we had thir-
teen passengers in the sleeper at Grip
pie Cteek."
Tom Lotus, of the Colorado and
Southern, looked serious when the SUBJ
ject of engineers superstition was
broached. "Well, 1 have an unlucky
day." said he, "or maybe it is lucky
day, for although all kinds of mishaps
occur to my engine on that day have
so far escaped injury. 1t is the last
day of the year. When climb into
the cab on December 81 I always say:
Now look out, Tom, old man, Ten
years ago the coming December 31st, l
was pounding along on double-head-
er from Trinidad to Denver. We were
making about thirty miles an hour
through binding snowstorm. You
couldn't see fifty feet ahead. Between
Benares and HuerfanO we crashed into
another double-header which was max
ing about forty miles an hour in the
direction of Trinidad. I saw the other
train in time to reverse and jump. l
escaped without serious injury, but
one of the tiremen on the train bound
South was killed and the rest of the
engine crews badly bunged up. 1t
was all caused by fool operator, who
forgot to give me an order. He fled
the country. After that something al
ways happened on the anniversary.
Once an engine wheel snapped off and
went whirling across the prairie, but
Istopped before any damage was done.
On another time I dropped a pair Of
trucks before 1 got three blocks from
the station. So it has gone. Some day
it will be serious. I suppose. ."-Den-
yer (Col.) News.