The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-05
THE MISSING
| SWITCH ENGINE

~FHday N the thirteenth coupled is a hard
combination 10 play ag'in, n l had some
rnigRiyin's on goln out that evenin', said
the fat engineer "We we're due 10 20 out
on No 10, which Is carded 10 lea We at II
p. NJ.
Murphy didn't like it a bit. but swung
n blum that IL was al tho same 20 me. We
got down TO the train shed, N lay aroun'
f--te Il space after our leayin time, there
bein' A wreck somewhere up the main line.
m the station master holdin' us until they
got a way through
As a fortified huG on this superstition
business. I'd "a made Gibraltar look like the
plnins Of peace but | confess that my hair
became less FESTIVE m more apt TO assume
a rcclinin posture "a the hands OF my watch
moved steadily onward toward midn lgnt
m the prospects were good for two OF our
'?odoos bein' 5cratc he'd and sent back when
i rot TO be Saturday the nth.
"Thirt the number OF our tram,
however. would stl be doing business al me
old stand However I'm strong on grappln
with ~ alone n single handed as hOOuVo'
Shortly after midnight on saturday the
itth we got a signal 10 90 along, with run
min order. over the Bergen County. a snort
cut through the meaders, the maln line
-EtIft-tJrir1 tIfUCkpd. Tbis short cut va
make the way Of the trans gressor look Ike
crooked Why, I came over there with
dairy n egg train ono night, n when get
In the eggs were all scrambled N the milk
was churued to butter.
After We got started I got my nerve
again "a rnebhe we didn't do the first rev
miles of that old branch Why, we'd a made
the Twentieth Limited look like pushcart
at parade rest - ,rid
zee a headlight hashin' N scintillatin'
- !. ~ mil M "a
IN it. thinkin' it was on the eastbound track
Just before We got to Ten Degree Curve
7 stoops over to see what was the mater
with the sand valve, n when ! Strengthened
M again after gittin' II adjusted 70 my
satisfaction great Jumpin'. bumpin blocks
II that headlight | saw comm through the
swamp wasn't comm straight at me on
the westbound track. st
u could see il was n light engine, with
no cars, 1t was one OF 'em switchin' dinhes,
m looked like Il watch charm alongslde the
monster | WAS drivln'
My first impulse was TO jam on the ar
m do my best to stop. but by some very
quick thinkin' figured ont that my engine
m the train behind IL bein' heavy we had
more show by putin on fun steam than II
we'd slack up. 80 breathin' prayer for
the men on the other engine, | pulled her
wide open n dropped her down IN the
corner. From the speed we we're goin'
] saw that we'd come together right on the
swingin' round, we had "A good chance OF
knockin' her from the track
Murphy was down on his knees in the
tank prayin' for all he was worth, n |
closed my eyes in reverence, bracm my
feet n waitin for the crash We lurched
aroun' the curve as If we would leave the
rails. but my engine KEEP her pins. / heard
a hissin n whirrin' noise by my ears n
muffied conclusion.
Then | opened my eyes to find US
II. . a t,ht TIM
ahead n movin along as If nothin' had
happened. The light engine was nowhere
in sight. The thirteen was gittn IN its
little knock.
- Mqrph did you see an engine sT,g: ,S comm
perhaps I'd been asleep.
"sure n / did, walls Murphy, N We'll
niyer git home aloive this night
Well. we stopped n l looked aroun'
assisted by the train crew. We could find
no marks Of a collision on my engine. The
recent rains n damp weather had left
about fifteen inches of water ooverin' the
mud bottoms. TO the right Of the track.
There was Il little cloud Of steam comm of
this lake, but as it was always moro or less
foggy there we thought nothing OF 1t.
THE conductor thought was givin' him
a pipe dream. | guess. for after few min
utes he suggested that we move on seein
a. we were some late anyway. 1 followed
his suggestion.
day morning I'd fully resolved TO quit
the business. havin' seen 40 many strange
things lately. When ! reached the round
house I found a message from the master
mechanic asrn' me if I'd seen anythin' Of
switch engine 1913 along the Bergen County
that night. She'd slipped her throttle at
Cheechunk round house n the last seen
of her she was beatin 1t east on the west
bound track at a forty-hve mile an hour
clip She hadn't been seen east of Ten
Degree Curve
We'll. sir. | had the solution n wired
It to en- hotfoot l told EN- they'd prob
ably find her imbedded in the mud near
Ten Degree Curve,
"Yessir. that was her I. saw comm Mt
me round that curve, She was goin' so
fast, n bein' light. with no cars to steady
her. when she started TO take the curve
she jumped the rails N buried herself
IN the mud n water in the swamp hun
bred feet to the right Of the track. They
dug her up but never put her in commits
sion again, az she was famous for runnin'
away