The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-03-01
ENGINEERS sUPERsT1T1oNs.

Railroad engineers are inclined to
be superstitious. They hesitate to
admit the truth of the assertion, but,
like all men who are constantly ex-
posed to danger, they come to expect
disaster to be preceded by herald.
No, am not superstitious, said
one, but my wife is, and / have
never been in a wreck since we were
married, but what she predicted was
going to happen. I remember when
Twas running out of Salida on the Rio
Grande that by her insistence in the
truth Of a dream she saved my life.
l was to have taken out the freight
in the morning, but she awakened me
soon after midnight. oh, Jim, she
said, I have had such a dreadful
dream. I thought l saw 4o4 Chat
was the number Of my engine, )plunge
into another engiae.-Iallaeal,tdl-ttl,.ss tl,s.
crash, Jim, and the hiss of escaping
steam, and the cries Of the poor fell
lows pinned under the wreck. You
must not go out in the morning. I
know you will be injured
II laughed at her and told her to
go to sleep, that she was nervous.
She protested, but I was tired, and
was soon snoozing the sleep of the
just. When l awoke at six o'clock
she was pale and haggard, and l saw
that if I went out she would be a
nervous wreck before l returned. l
decided to give in for once, and fixed
it up SO that another man took out
my train. His body was brought
back that evening. They had col
lision up the line. My substitute
was killed, and the other engineer
and both of the fremen badly injured.
/ pay more attention to my wife's
dreams now, but consider it coward
ly to attempt to act upon them. If
my engine is going into smash-up
I 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
veteran engineer on the Rio Grande,
but I have come to regard the num-
Der thirteen with a certain amount of
awe. To show you how it is inter
woven with the tragedies of my life:
On July I3, 1901, was pulling train
No. 7 out of Denver. At thirteen
minutes past II I struck a wagon
containing Max Wagner and his
thirteen-year-old boy near Peters
burg. The boy was killed. 1 reported
the accident from the Littleton Office
and was delayed just thirteen min
utes. 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
subject of engineers superstitions was
broached. well, have an unlucky
day." said he, "or, maybe, it isa
lucky day, for although all kinds of
mishaps occur to my engine on that
day I have SO far escaped injury. 1t
is the last day of the year. When I
climb into the cab on Dec. 81, al
ways say: Now, look out, Tom,
old man. Ten years ago the coming
Dec. 81 1 was pounding along on
double-header from Trinidad to Den
yer. 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 le-header, which was making
about forty miles an hour in the di-
rection of Trinidad. l saw the other
train in time to reverse and jump.
escaped without serious injury, but
one of the fremen on the train bound
south was killed and the rest of the
crew were bunged up. 1t was all
caused by fool operator, who forgot
to give me an order. He fed the
country. After that something al
ways happens on the anniversary.
Once an engine wheel snapped off and
went whizzing across the prairie, but
l stopped before any damage was
done. Another time l dropped pair
of trucks before 1 got three blocks
from the station. So it has gone.
Some day it will be serious, | sup
pose. "-Rocky Mountain Meas.