The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-03-14
ENGINEERS SUPERSTITIONS

ALA> ~ ~ - ! l. AoANS
Railroad engineers are inclined to
be superstitious. They hesitate to adj
nit the truth of the assertion, but,
like all men who are constantly expos
ed to danger, they come to expect dis
aster to be preceded by herald.
mo, l am not superstitious," said
one, "but my wife is, and l have never
been in a wreck since we were mar
ri,d, but what she predicted was 60
ing to'happen. l remember when l
was running out of Salido on the Rio
Grande that by her assistance in the
truth of a dream she saved my life. |
was to have taken out the freight in
the morning, but she awakened me
soon after midnight. oh, Jim,' she
said, 4 have had such a dreadful
dream. l thought saw 4O4 (that was
the number of my engine plunge in
to another engine. heard the crash,
Jim, and the hiss of escaping steam,
and the cries of the poor fellows pinn-
ed under the wreck. You must not
60 out in the morning. / know you
will be injured
II laughed 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 six o'clock she was
pale and haggard, and l saw that if I
went out she would be nervous wreck
before l returned. l decided to give
in for once, and fixed it up so another
man took out my train. His body was
brought back that evening. They had
a collision up the line. My substitute
was killed, and the other engineer and
fireman badly injured. l pay more
attention to my wife's dreams now, but
l consider it cowardly to attempt to
act upon them. If my engine is going
into smash-up | will be at the throt
tie, 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
veteran engineer on the Rio Grande,
"but have come to regard the num-
ber thirteen with certain amount of
awe. TO show you how it Is inter-
woven with the tragedies of my life:
On July l3, 1901, l was pulling train
No. I out of Denver. At thirteen min
uets past twelve l struck a wagon
containing Max Wagner and his
thirteen-year old boy near Petersburg.
The boy was killed. l reported the
accident from the Littleton office and
was delayed just thirteen minutes. At
Palmer Lake the conductor casually
remarked that we had just thirteen
passengers in the sleeper for Cripple
Creek"
Tom LOTUS OF the Colorado and
Southern looked serious when the SUBJ
iect of engineers superstitions was
broached. "Well, have an unlucky
day. said he, cor, 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 l climb into
the cab on Dec. 81, l always say:
Now, look out, Tom, old man. Ten
years ago the coming Dec. 81 | was
pounding along on double-header
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 in
to another double-header, which was
making about forty miles an hour in
the direction of Trinidad. l saw the
other train in time to reverse and jump.
l escaped without serious injury, but
one of the fireman on the train going
south was killed and the rest of the
crew were bunged up. 1t was all caus-
ed by fool operator, who forgot to
give me an order. He fled the coun.
try. After that something always
happens on the anniversary. Once an
engine wheel snapped off and went
whizzing across the prairie, but | stop
ped before any damage was done. An
other time l dropped pair of trucks
before | got three blocks from the
station. So it has gone. Some day it
will be serious, | suppose. "-Rochy
Mount1in Ne,cs.