Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-06-08
from her number-place by a rusty


nail"
Back In the winter Of 1S99," said
Campbell Bateman, train dispatcher
at the Union depot, IT gave an order
to a Missouri Pacific train bound for
Omaha. 1t was the thirteenth order
Issued that evening. Someway or 9TH
er 1 didn't feel right when the con-
ductor came in and signed up. But I
gave him order No. 13 and went to
work. About half an hour later there
came over the wire Pullman car on
No. 9, robbed by bandit. Notify de-
tectives.' The train was between Kan
sas City, Kan, and Nearman when
the robber with a pistol had forced
the conductor to 60 through the Pull
The first thing I thought Of was that
order 49,"
The robber that night secured $3.50
in cash and five watches. He shot
once at a passenger who refused to be
robbed, but the bullet did no harm.
E. K. Carnes. superintendent Of Mis-
souri, Pacific terminals in Kansas City.
worked on the Ohio and Missouri
railroad in 1875. He was conductor
on train to which engine No. 13 was
assigned for service. Henry Fowler
was the engineer, a very religious
man. Elijah Morris was the fireman,
and about as profane a railroader as
ever shovelled coal into a frebox.
Morris hated that '13' as bad as he
hated short pay" said Mr. Carnes.
Why, she's nothing but an old
thrasher, and some day she'll pile us
all in the ditch Morris used to COM
plain. On the other hand, Fowler,
the engineer, was proud Of her, and
gave his '13' as much care as he gave
his wife. Day by day, Morris's hatred
of No. 13 grew. We used to accuse
him Of being afraid, but he denied It.
One day after an unusually tough lot
Of work, we pulled into Vincennes,
Ind, and ran the engine to the road
house. Fowler got off and looked his
l3 over with care. He rubbed little
grease off here, little dirt there. He
felt Of the boxes and the wedges. Nor
ris stood at one side and watched.
He got hold Of bottle of whisky, too,
and took several drinks. Then he
went back to the engine, slipped into
the cab, and yelled to Fowler:
"Look out, Henry! Here goes the
last Of 49,
He pulled the throttle wide open
and leaped from the engine. The ma
chine gave a backward bound, and
landed upside down in the pit, at the
rear Of the turntable. Her smoke
stack was crushed, her cab torn loose
one side rod was broken, and she was
truly wrecked. Morris's hatred had
got the better Of him. The little ma
chine was given a different number
when 1t was ready to leave the re-
pair shops. And Morris? Well, Nor
ris hunted another job. The superin-
tendent suggested It."
There's hoodoo engine and hoo
doc caboose on every road" says e.
]. Sanford, president of the Union De-
pot company. You may think 1t a
fool belief Of trainmen, but it's not
There are engines which seem per-
fectly made, which work as smoothly
as an engine on the government mail,
but which are as treacherous as an
Idaho broncho. And you'll hear the
trainmen cuss in long, deep, sincere
cuss words when they get this hoodoo
engine on their run. She'll run along
as smooth as a top for miles, and
then she'll climb the rails and sail in
to the ditch. She doesn't hurt any
thing seriously, but there she is-the
road tied up on her account. Put her
back on the track and she'll dig into
the ditch again perhaps inside Of a
mile. And cabooses act the same way.
You can hardly drag a trainman into
a caboose that's numbered 49,"
]. E. Snedeker Of Sedalia, trainmas-
ter of the Missouri Pacific railway, re-
Gently told Of a "hoodoo engine"
She's as nice a machine as we have" I"
he said to a friend, but she's hoo
doc. She'll climb the rails on a piece
of level track, and she'll climb 'em
on a curve. We've examined her
time and again. There's nothing
wrong with her, but she simply won't
work"
The engine was finally taken into
the shops and given an entire new set
Of wheels. 1t broke the hoodoo, and
II Is now in regular service. The old
wheels and the rest Of the engine SIM
ply couldn't get along together.
Enginemen are superstitious about
birds flying into their cab windows.
If more than one darts in while the
train is in its flight, the enginemen
watch more closely for fear Of an
accident.
A little incident showing some Of
the humor in a switchman's foolish
ways happened in the office of w. M.
Corbett superintendent of the western
division Of the Alton railway. A few
weeks ago some switchmen employed
i'm the Missouri Pacific yards in the
East bottoms struck. The matter was
discussed one afternoon, and 1t was
laid on the SHELF" to be fully decid-
ed the next evening. One Of the 9TH
or switchmen who wished to avoid q
strike, went to Mr.. Corbett and asked
for position.
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