The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-02-24


his engine and as good as ever. In
describing Lis experiences he used
t. say he was most surprised. when
he found his engine sinking beneath
him. that he had not taken the prccau-
tlon to jump out Of the cab window.
lie said he knew it was his second
call, and he could, therefore afford 10
take some chances
i quit firing for Post after that ac-
cidcnt at Redwood. Two calls inside
OF two years were too much for me.
Post thought it great joke. He
declared a man could do anything he
liked with a locomotive aud not die
until fate had so dccrecd. Post wife
begged him to give up engineering, or
at least take yard locomotive, where
the danger is less. Post replied
"lf cant run first class I'll not
run at all. F"
Post said that this third call would
be his end, but he was dead sure that
the third call would not come until
fate said 50. Well. fate claimed him
about two years later.
lie had been working overtime for
several weeks, running between Frisco
and Santa Cruz There were a lot of
big seashorc excursions, and Post was
making moncy.by extra work in haul
ing them.
lie went without sleep, and nod
ding for moment while he was at the
throttle, he can past siding which
the train dispatcher had ordered him
to take. a few seconds later his To-
connective crashed full into an engine
pulling fast northbound freight.
1t was a horrible wreck. The
freight engineer was bruised and cut
frightfully. 1t didn't seem as if he
could live day, but it was his first
call. So he ultimately got well.
POST was taken out Of the wreck
scalded about the legs. He had been
jammed against the smoke stack.
Every one Of the railroad boys knew
it was his third call. Death claimed
him an hour later"
Speaking Of supcrstitions on To-
comotive," said Dan B. Miller, Gre
minds me Of time I had when l was
pulling the California overland over
the Tucson and Yuma division, down
in Arizona. What l am going to say
proves that there is something uncan-
ny, something human-likc about To-
comotive-that an engine can be your
hoodoo or your friend.
, Zone evening got orders to take
the Sunset Limited Westbonnd out of
Tucson at midnight. Everything
seemed to go wrong with the engine.
The roundhousc hostlcr had forgotten
to set the oil valves properly, the fire.
man vas slower than molasses; and
the baggageman were woefully slow.
Besides, the dispatcher kept us in the
station half an hour past leaving
time.
Just as we were about to pull away
the conductor came and whispered in
my ear that one of the railroad vice
presidents was back in Pullman on
the train. That was enough to make
any man in an engine cab want to do
his level best for his reputation.
Notwithstanding the dark night,
the danger of track washouts, and the
latcness of our departure, I made up
my mind to make up time between
Tucson and Maricopa, if the wheels
stayed on the tracks and the trucks
and cars held together. The fireman
said he'd risk anything &c make time.
So, two miles out of Tucson, I put on
all the speed the engine had.
"But she didn't seem to move much
faster. The steam ran down. was
perspiripg with anxiety, Right in
the midst of it all the pumps began
to act wrong. One quit work alto
gether."
II was beside myself. We began
to drop even our running time. We
left Maricopa little before dayligh t,
au hour and half late.
AT that station the conductor came
to tho cab and said: Hope we will
get to Yuma in time for dinner and
l was boiling at his sarcasm. Yuma
was breakfast station, you know.
Things went worse. We lost time
all along. Three miles east of Aztec
Springs found the water was gett ing
low in the boiler. Something had to
be dcne Immediately with the pumps,
there was long, heavy grade to be
climbed, just ahead
tPNhn ~, N II