The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-05
ENGINEERS SUPERSTITIONS.
Ono Says His Life Was Saved by
His Wife's Alarming Dream.
From the Denver News

Railroad engineers are inclined TO b.
superstitous. They hesitate to admit
the truth of the assertion. but, like all
men who are constantly exposed to
danger they como to expect disaster
to be preceded by a herald.
mo, / am not superstitious," said
ore, but my wife is, and l have never
been in a wreck since we were married
but what she predicted is going to oc-
cur. | remember when | was running
cut of Salida on the Rio Grande that
by her insistence in the truth of
dream she saved my life. 1 was to
have taken out the freight in the morn
ing. but she awakened me soon after
midnight. oh, jim she said, I have
had such dreadful dream. l thought
/ saw 4O4 (that VS. my engine) plunge
into another engine, | heard the crash,
Jim, and the hiss of escaping steam,
ard the cries of the poor fellows pinned
under the wreck You must not go out
in the morning. I know you will be
injured I laughed at her and told
her to go to sleep, that she was nerv-
Gus. She protested, but l was tired and
was soon snoozing the sleep of the
just. When L awoke at o'clock she
was pale and haggard, and l saw that
if I went out she would be a nervous
wreck before / returned. | decided to
give in for once, and fixed it up so
that another man took out my train.
They had collision up the line. My
substitute was killed. and the other
engineer and both of the firemen badly
injured. I 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 a smash-up
/ will be at the throttle, and the little
woman at home must depend upon her
prayers to save me-"
You may call it superstition, if you
like" laughed Charlie Frye, the vet
eran engineer on the Rio Grande, but
| have come to regard the number
thirteen with certain amount of awe.
To show you how it is interviewer with
the tragedies of my life: On July 13,
1901, | was pulling train No. z out of
Denver. At thirteen minutes past IL
] struck a wagon containing Max Wag-
Oner and his 13-year -old boy near Pc
tersburg. The boy was killed. l re-
ported the accident from the Little
ton office and was delayed just thirteen
minutes. At Palmer Lake the con-
ductor 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 sub
ject of engineers superstitions was
broached. well, ! have an unlucky
day." said he, cor, maybe. it is a lucky
day, for although all kinds of mishaps
occur to my engine on that day, 1 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 l was pounding
along on a double header from Trim
idad to Denver. We were making about
thirty miles an hour through a blind
ing snow storm. You couldn't see fifty
feet ahead. Between Benares and
Huerfano we crashed into another dou-
ble-header, which was making about
forty miles an hour in the direction of
Trinidad. I saw the other train in time
to reverse and jump. ] escaped with
out serious injury, but one of the fire.
men on the train bound south was
killed and the rest of the engine crew
was bunged up. | was all caused by
a fool operator who forgot to give
me an order. He fled the country.
After that something always happens
on the anniversary. Once an engine
wheel snapped off and went whizzing
, across the prairie, but 1 stopped before
any damage was done. Another time
l dropped a pair of trucks before I got
three blocks from the station. So it
has gone. Some day it will be. serious
l suppose"